By Shikin Louis
KUCHING, Oct 18: Sarawak expects to settle the RM6 billion cost of its bridge investments by next year, with the Batang Lupar Bridge alone accounting for RM1 billion, says Premier Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg.
He said the State government had invested about RM6 billion in bridges over the past six years, alongside spending on coastal roads, bringing total investment in the two infrastructure components to approximately RM12 billion.
“The cost of building bridges, as I said, is quite enormous, about RM6 billion. Batang Lupar alone is already RM1 billion. Then we have Batang Paloh, Batang Lassa, Kemena, so many bridges.
“But thank God, by next year, all paid, no more hutang. We got the bridges plus the road,” he said during the Sarawak Business Federation’s (SBF) 10th Anniversary Dinner held at UNIFOR Complex last night.
Abang Johari said the substantial infrastructure spending was made possible by Sarawak’s improved revenue position, which had enabled the State government to increase expenditure while continuing to fund development projects.
He recalled that Sarawak’s revenue stood at about RM6 billion in 2016, but the government subsequently increased expenditure to more than RM10 billion.
He said the higher spending had drawn criticism, with some suggesting that Sarawak would go bankrupt under his leadership.
However, Abang Johari said he had calculated the State’s constitutional right to impose sales tax, which the government introduced in 2019 and 2020 to generate additional revenue.
He cited the imposition of State Sales Tax (SST) on petroleum products involving Petroliam Nasional Berhad (PETRONAS), which initially refused to pay, prompting the State government to take the matter to court.
“I brought it to court, then we won the case. So we got additional revenue of between RM3 billion and RM4 billion,” he said.
Abang Johari said the additional income had allowed the government to reinvest in basic infrastructure, particularly road connectivity, which is especially important in Sarawak due to its many rivers and the high cost of building bridges.
He said Sarawak recorded revenue of more than RM14 billion in 2024 and was projecting revenue of RM15 billion next year. — DayakDaily
