Jeffrey
KOTA KINABALU (Mar 4): The magnanimous move by the Madani government to open up all ports including in Sabah as national load centers will enhance and benefit the state and boost its economy in the longer term, said Deputy Chief Minister I Datuk Seri Panglima Dr Jeffrey Kitingan.
“I have requested at least two times to previous Federal governments to declare Sepangar Container Port as the second national load center after Port Klang but were denied,” said Jeffrey.
Sabah and Sepangar Port sit strategically at the centre of the ASEAN region and the gateway to the BIMP-EAGA region. Having Sepangar Port as the second national load center would have opened up new logistics, business and economic opportunities leading Sabah and Sepangar to be the logistics and maritime hub for BIMP-EAGA and the wider ASEAN region, he pointed out.
“Unfortunately, the Federal authorities failed to see the economic and socio-economic benefits and spin-offs of Sepangar Port as the second national load center and failed to entertain my earlier requests,” he said in a statement on Monday.
Jeffrey who is also the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food Industry, added the Federal authorities also failed to realise that the development and economic growth and enrichment of Sabah and Sepangar will contribute positively to the economy of Malaysia.
“Sabah sits at the gateway to a relatively under-developed region but which holds tremendous potential, more so with the shifting of the Indonesia capital city to eastern Kalimantan and the growth and stability of the Moro Autonomous Region in Southern Philippines.
“With the removal of Port Klang as the sole national load center and opening up all the other Malaysian ports, especially for Sabah ports will lead to further development of Sabah especially in the logistics and maritime industry,” he said.
Now that the cabotage policy and national load center policy have been abolished, he said the Federal government needs to re-assess their priorities on ports and maritime industry in Sabah. They need to ensure that adequate and timely funding are provided for Sabah to take advantage of their policy change so that the state can leverage on their ports and focus on building up the trade, industry and maritime sectors to increase cargo volume for their ports and ships that come a-calling.
“I am very positive that the move will spur and further stimulate the economy of Sabah and its immediate region with Sepangar Port on the West Coast and POIC Port in the East Coast being strategically located and ready to take on additional opportunities,” opined Jeffrey.
At the local level, he said the Agriculture, Fisheries and Food Industry Ministry will be looking to enhance infrastructure and business opportunities with the development of a fishing port and downstream processing.
“This is in line with the State’s vision of developing the Sabah Blue Economy and making a leap into the maritime and fisheries industries,” he said.
Last Friday, Transport Minister Anthony Loke announced that he National Load Centre policy introduced in 1990 to centralise all cargo services at Port Klang, Selangor no longer applies.
Loke said the decision not to enforce the policy was agreed on in a Cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
According to him, the Transport Ministry’s policy of promoting Port Klang as the only National Load Centre is no longer applicable as the port is now handling import and export containers exceeding six million TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent units).
Meanwhile, Democratic Action Party Socialist Youth (DAPSY) Sabah Executive Secretary Chan Loong Wei said Loke’s decision to repeal the National Load Centre policy marks a crucial step forward in enhancing the efficiency and flexibility of cargo services in Malaysia.
DAP Sabah expresses its utmost appreciation for the relentless efforts put forth by Loke in recognizing the importance of this policy change.
“This development underscores the responsiveness of the Unity Government to the needs and aspirations of the people, particularly in Sabah.
“It is important to highlight that DAP Sabah has long advocated for the abolition of the National Load Centre policy since the leadership of the late Datuk Stephen Wong, former DAP Sabah chairman, as it heavily affects Sabah’s shipping industry and the broader economic landscape,” said Chan.
“This shows DAP and Pakatan Harapan’s commitment towards Sabahans; previous governments have never repealed this policy,” he said.
“We believe the Unity Government under the leadership of Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and Anthony Loke will introduce more opportunities to Sabah and boost Sabah’s economic development, fostering Sabah as the far east hub,” he added.
