KUCHING (March 24): The government is studying a proposal to build a railway linking Bintulu Port to the new capital of Indonesia, Nusantara, said Deputy Premier Datuk Amar Dr Sim Kui Hian.
He said Bintulu Port’s strategic location in Borneo could facilitate the movement of goods from Sarawak to Indonesia using a shorter travel distance compared to shipping routes.
“Can you imagine if the port does not belong to us (the state government) and we want to potentially build a railway line all the way to the new capital of Indonesia?” he said during an event distributing grants to 45 non-governmental organisations (NGO) at Sarawak United Peoples’ Party (SUPP) headquarters here today.
Noting that the distance between Bintulu Port and Nusantara is only a few hundred kilometres, Dr Sim said a high-speed rail from China could cover the distance within three hours compared to ships which would take around two days.
On Friday, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between federal Transport Minister Anthony Loke and state Deputy Premier Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah Embas to the facilitate the change of status of Bintulu Port from being a federal port to a state port by this year.
The MoU signing, which was witnessed by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and Sarawak Premier Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg, will also see the entire operation of Bintulu Port handed over to the Sarawak government by 2025.
On another note, Dr Sim remarked that Sarawak has entered into a phase of nation building and the state government led by Abang Johari has taken the initiatives to take over Bintulu Port, MASwings and acquiring significant stakes in Affin Bank.
He said the state government will also be providing free tertiary education at state-owned universities to about 20,000 Sarawakian students a year starting 2026 with a cost of about RM30,000 per year for each student.
The deputy premier further highlighted that Sarawak aspires to achieve a gross domestic product (GDP) of RM282 billion in the next six years and the state has been counted as the fifth largest producer of gas in the world.
Dr Sim also pointed out Sarawak is fast approaching towards an ageing society with the lowest birthrate in the country.
