Peter Mak
LABUAN: Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS) Labuan Division welcomes the view of the Labuan Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry that the island is in need of industries to spur its economic growth.
PBS Labuan Division Chief Datuk Peter Mak said such development would also create more employment opportunities.
“However, we do not agree that there is no need for a bridge linking Labuan to Menumbok on Sabah mainland.
” We should look at and address the overall development of Labuan in a holistic manner,” he said in a statement today.
The PBS Vice President said the proposed Labuan-Menumbok bridge and the island’s development cannot be viewed in isolation.
Mak said among the fundamental important requirements of sound industrial growth are adequate and stable supply of utilities like power and water and the availability of good infrastructure, which includes the proposed bridge.
“The proposed bridge should be treated as an integral component of Labuan’s development as it will open the island to a wider market catchment of mainland Sabah, Sarawak, Brunei and even Kalimantan (when Indonesia’s new capital Nusantara is operational) by virtue of the bridge’s connection to the Pan Borneo Highway,” he stressed.
Coupled with Labuan’s offshore financial services infrastructure, Mak said this will attract and encourage investments to set up industries on the island.
“We believe that the proposed bridge will complement rather than being a competitor to the island’s existing modes of air and sea transportation, and this will augur well for the overall benefit of the people of Labuan.
“Furthermore, the proposed bridge, other than economic considerations, should also be viewed as a social obligation to the people of Labuan and Sabah by easing travel of peoples between the two areas,” he said.
