Najib Abdul Razak today delivered good news to the people of Semporna – upgrading of a stretch of road and building a bridge to link Bum-Bum Island to Semporna on the mainland.

In his speech launching the Semporna International Tourism Centre in this town on the east coast of Sabah, the caretaker prime minister announced the upgrading of 18km of road from the roundabout to Kunak to Semporna town from a two-lane road to a four-lane highway.

He also announced that a bridge would be built to connect Bum-Bum Island to Semporna on the mainland of Sabah.

Najib said the BN had great concern for the people of Semporna and was responding to the requests of the local leaders and caretaker Sabah chief minister Musa Aman.

He said the proposed bridge would transform Semporna into a major tourist attraction and this would benefit the people.

Najib, who is BN chairperson and Umno president, called on the people of Semporna to continue to support the BN to enable the district to undergo a major transformation for their benefit.

Earlier, Semporna Umno information chief Ramlee Marahaban said in his speech that the Bum-Bum islanders had been waiting for far too long for a bridge from the island to the mainland.

He said the bridge would bring much convenience to the islanders and stimulate development in the area.

In his speech, Semporna Umno division acting chief Nasir Sakaran spoke of the need to upgrade the road from the roundabout to Kunak to Semporna town to overcome the traffic congestion.

The proposed bridge, 1.4-km long, is expected to benefit about 30,000 people who live in 52 villages on Bum-Bum Island, which was today declared a sub-district.

- Bernama