Completion of Pan Borneo Highway among Nanta's main priorities

• The project’s first phase was supposed to have been completed in 2016, but in Sabah, the project is only 60% ready. In Sarawak, the progress is over 85%.

KUALA LUMPUR (Dec 5): Works Minister Datuk Seri Alexander Nanta Linggi (pictured) will focus on the completion of the Pan Borneo Highway to ensure continued development of rural facilities in Sabah and Sarawak. 

Nanta said this is among his priorities after helming the Ministry of Works besides ensuring problematic projects nationwide are resolved as soon as possible. 

“I will be briefed by ministry officials and after that, I hope to generally understand what is the ministry’s core business, and in two to three weeks will obtain further details to deal with the problems faced.

“My main focus will be on the Pan Borneo Highway in Sarawak and also in Sabah, where I was made to understand works have not been satisfactory,” he said after clocking in at the Ministry of Works headquarters here on Monday (Dec 5) to officially begin his duties. 

The Pan Borneo Highway is a high-impact development project that is slated to benefit the people of Sabah and Sarawak in terms of better road infrastructure. 

The project’s first phase was supposed to have been completed in 2016, but in Sabah, the project is only 60% ready. In Sarawak, the progress is over 85%. 

Earlier, during a handover of duties ceremony, Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof, who is the previous works minister, was confident his successor will be able to ensure that all infrastructure projects in Sabah and Sarawak run smoothly. 

Fadillah, who is now the plantation and commodities minister, expressed his gratitude to staff of the Ministry of Works, whom he said had been committed and dedicated employees during his tenure.