KOTA KINABALU: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has called for the swift completion of Sabah's Pan Borneo Highway.
In his speech at the PKR's Himpunan Perdana Rakyat here today, Anwar said he did not want the project's completion to be delayed.
Anwar, who is also the Finance Minister, compared the progress of the Pan Borneo Highway project development in Sarawak and Sabah.
"I would like to thank the Sarawak government for facilitating the Pan Borneo Highway project. Sarawak's portion of the highway is almost complete, but the situation in Sabah is different.
"I leave the matter to be resolved by the Sabah government. I do not want to interfere or seek contracts for my children. What I want is for the project to be implemented quickly.
"I want the people of Sabah to experience the Pan Borneo Highway, which is the longest highway in Malaysia.
"Some say there are more highways in Peninsular Malaysia, but users have to pay tolls. The Pan Borneo Highway in Sabah (and Sarawak) is toll-free and funded by the federal government."
The federal government has allocated RM9 billion for the development of Phase 1B of the Pan Borneo Highway in Sabah.
It was previously reported that coordination issues between contractors and government agencies were behind the delays in the highway's completion.
Then, Works Minister Datuk Seri Alexander Nanta Linggi said four packages related to the highway's construction have been completed and another 11 are still under construction.
The 2,000-kilometre-long Pan Borneo Highway stretches from Telok Melano in Sarawak's southwestern tip of Sarawak to Serudong in Sabah across Brunei.