Pan Borneo delays: Warisan MP questions lack of action after audit findings

PARLIAMENT | A Warisan MP has questioned Putrajaya’s inaction against those responsible for delays to the Pan Borneo Highway project in Sabah, despite repeated criticism in the Auditor-General’s Report.

Speaking in the Dewan Rakyat today, Isnaraissah Munirah Majilis (Warisan-Kota Belud) contrasted the lack of action over the highway project with what she described as swift enforcement in cases involving government-linked institutions.

She pointed out that the project has been reprimanded in the Auditor-General’s Report twice now, asking, "Why has no action been taken?"

"How long will there be no comprehensive investigation? Are the enforcement authorities just going to remain silent and take no action?

"When it comes to issues involving Tabung Haji, Felda or Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM), if they do not fit your political agenda, you dig everything up and people get charged. But what about Sabah? Why is it being allowed to drag on like this?

"Mr Speaker, to be honest, I am very disappointed," she said while debating the 2026 Series 2 Auditor-General’s Report this morning.

READ MORE: 10 years, RM1b more: Audit lays bare Pan Borneo Sabah highway woes

The report, tabled by Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Law and Institutional Reform) Azalina Othman Said, laid bare a string of weaknesses in the multi-billion-ringgit project, now in its 10th year.

Isnaraissah, in making the comparison, was referring to recent investigations into alleged corruption involving several government-linked institutions, which have seen several politicians arrested or called in for questioning.

These include figures linked to Umno, which is part of the ruling federal coalition but has recently openly challenged Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s Pakatan Harapan coalition.

Focus on finishing 706km highway

In her speech, Isnaraissah also urged all parties in Sabah to set aside their differences and focus on completing the Pan Borneo Highway, which spans about 706km across the state.

The highway covers routes from Sindumin to Kota Kinabalu and Kudat, Ranau to Mile 32 Sandakan, and Mile 32 Sandakan to Tawau.

She said Sabahans, who need safer and better roads, have been waiting for too long for the mega infrastructure's completion.

"This is a right that has been denied for far too long. People do not care who started it or who took over.

"What the people of Sabah want to know is whether the roads will be completed, whether their tyres will no longer be damaged, whether their journeys will be safe, and whether Sabah’s economy will grow as a result of having a good road network," she stressed.

Billions poured in

The Pan Borneo Highway project began on April 11, 2016, and was initially scheduled for completion within 69 months, by Dec 31, 2021.

However, prolonged delays have pushed the total contract cost for Phase 1 from RM17.91 billion to RM18.96 billion, an increase of RM1.05 billion, or 5.9 percent.

The audit identified several weaknesses in project planning and implementation as contributing factors, including the failure to ensure project sites were ready before work began, weaknesses in implementation under the project delivery partner model, shortcomings by contractors and consultants, design changes and utility relocation.

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COMMENT | The Sabah I know and the progress people deserve