KUCHING: Sarawak's Yang DiPertua Negeri, Tun Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar, said "a continuous commitment from the federal government" is needed if the state wishes to accelerate its socio-economic infrastructure projects.

In opening this year's first session of the legislative assembly, Wan Junaidi said this was especially so in infrastructure projects linked to education, healthcare, border security and major road networks.

Wan Junaidi, a former police inspector who had seen combat action during the communist insurgency in the 60s and 70s, specifically pointed to border security.

He said the security of Sarawak's borders with Brunei Darussalam and Kalimantan, Indonesia, "need urgent attention from the federal government".

He said a lot more Immigration, Customs, Quarantine and Security (ICQS) complexes, as well as border control posts needed to be built on the border with the two neighbouring countries.

The ICQS facilities that were already built, he said, needed to be upgraded.

"These facilities are crucial for ensuring national security and facilitating the control of goods and movement of people in cross-border trade," he added.

The Yang DiPertua Negeri also said the federal government's commitment was key to accelerating the construction of major trunk roads, telecommunications, water and electricity infrastructure works, flood mitigation projects, and control of river and coastal erosion.

These basic infrastructure projects, he added, would serve as a catalyst for Sarawak's socio-economic development.

On another longstanding issue, Wan Junaidi called on the state government not to give up on its demand for the return of eroded rights and the federal government to fulfil promises as agreed by the nation's founding fathers in the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63).

He said as Sarawak enjoyed close cooperation and cordial relationship with the federal government, he believed all the outstanding matters could be realised.

https://www.nst.com.my/news/nation/2024/05/1046905/federal-govt-commitment-needed-speed-infrastructure-works-says-sarawaks