Sabah To Set Up Body To Develop New Malaysia Indonesia Border Town

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Chief minister Hajiji Noor (left) at the briefing on the Serudong border town at Menara Kinabalu in Kota Kinabalu today. (CM office pic)KOTA KINABALU: Sabah is planning to establish a regional development authority (RDA) to manage the new border township at Serudong in Kalabakan, one of four entry points into Kalimantan, where Indonesia’s new capital will be located.
The other entry points are at Long Pasia, Pagalungan and Sebatik.
In a statement today, chief minister Hajiji Noor said the proposal for the setting up of the Sabah Maju Jaya Serudong RDA will be tabled during the state’s Budget 2022 assembly sitting in December.
Describing the RDA as a catalyst for growth at Serudong, Hajiji said the state government was committed to ensuring that the border township would be developed, in anticipation of major developments expected when Indonesia moves its capital from Jakarta to East Kalimantan.
The border township will include industrial and commercial zones, housing and other facilities to be developed around the customs, immigration, quarantine and security (CIQS) centre.
The development of the CIQS centre at the Malaysia-Indonesia border will be funded by the federal government, as mentioned by Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob during the tabling of the 12th Malaysia Plan recently.
Hajiji said the Sabah-Kalimantan border developments will also be among the talking points when Ismail meets up with Indonesian president Joko Widodo during his upcoming visit to the republic.
Sabah Economic Development and Investment Authority’s (SEDIA) director of border town planning Mursidi Sapie held a briefing for the chief minister and members of the Sabah Economic Advisory Council on the Serudong-Simanggaris border conceptual plan here today.
Simanggaris is the border town on the Indonesian side.
Mursidi said among the RDA’s functions are to act as the local authority as well as overseeing infrastructure, economic and social developments.
Indonesia has already begun work to shift its capital from Jakarta to the North Penajam Paser and Kutai Kartanegara regencies in East Kalimantan.
The move is expected to take 15 to 20 years. - FMT

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