Fadillah: RM1 bln set aside for reinforcing border infrastructures in Sabah, Sarawak

KUCHING (Aug 3): The federal government has agreed on allocating RM1 billion for enhancing the border infrastructures in Sabah and Sarawak, in line with the relocation of Indonesia’s new capital to Nusantara, said Deputy Prime Minister Dato Sri Fadillah Yusof.

Fadillah, also the federal minister overseeing Sabah and Sarawak affairs, said the infrastructures, including the immigration checkpoints, would be upgraded to facilitate the movement of people from both countries.

“We need to be prepared to explore potential business opportunities and other areas of cooperation as we want to further strengthen the relationship between both countries,” he said after officiating at a state-level National Month 2024 celebration at the Construction Industry Development Board (CIDB) convention centre in Petra Jaya, here today.

The Petra Jaya MP also said the country would seek to take advantage of the ‘rippling economic effects’ from the relocation of Indonesia’s capital to Borneo, as both Sabah and Sarawak were already witnessing sizeable arrivals of visitors from Indonesia for tourism and medical purposes.

Moreover, the Deputy Prime Minister said he was working closely with the Sabah and Sarawak governments, as well as other government agencies, to best position Malaysia as a favourable investment destination.

It was reported recently that Indonesian President Joko Widodo had started working from the presidential palace in Nusantara, with the current capital Jakarta now ‘overcrowded and sinking’.