KUCHING, Sept 12: Malaysia is ready to deepen cooperation with Indonesia for the development of the Trans-Borneo link that would connect Sabah, Sarawak, Brunei and Kalimantan.
Public Works Minister Baru Bian expressed this view to Indonesia President Joko Widodo during a meeting after the 37th Conference of the Asean Federation of Engineering Associations (CAFEO37) at JIExpo Kemayoran, Central Jakarta, yesterday.
Baru was among the recipients of the “Asean Federation of Engineering Associations (AFEO) Distinguished Honorary Fellow” in conjunction with the conference which, was officiated by the Indonesian president popularly known as Jokowi.
In the meeting, he stressed on the importance of cooperation between the two countries on infrastructure development, especially with regards to the Trans-Borneo Highway Plan.
In welcoming Indonesia’s vision to shift its capital to East Kalimantan, Baru said: “I see the move as positive in contributing to new infrastructure plans for social development and spurring economy, among others, trade, investment, industrial and tourism in the Borneo Island, especially Sarawak and Sabah.
This will give a positive impact and enhance the good relationships between the two countries.”
The AFEO award is a recognition for the engineering works and construction in Malaysia and relevant to the Public Works Ministry as a national technical body that contribute towards infrastructure development in driving the national economy.
Also receiving the award were several ministers from the Asean countries incuding Brunei, Cambodia and Myanmar, while Jokowi was presented with the AFEO Distinguished Honorary Patron Award.
In 2018, Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad received similar recognition during the CAFEO36 held at Singapore. — DayakDaily
