KUCHING: Minister for Women, Childhood and Community Wellbeing Development Datuk Seri Fatimah Abdullah said that the special task force to plan the development of the Sarawak-Kalimantan border must include a representative from Sarawak as well.
“The task force must include a representative from Sarawak because it affects us directly. Apart from security issues, issues on drugs crossing border is of great concern to us too,” she told the New Sarawak Tribune yesterday.
Fatimah was asked to comment on the special task force that was formed by the federal government in view of the setting up of Indonesia’s new capital in Kalimantan.
The task force was one of the matters discussed during the first meeting of the Socio Economic Working Committee this year.
Sarawak was represented by Deputy Chief Minister and Minister for International Trade and Investment and Second Minister for Natural Resources and Urban Development Datuk Amar Awang Tengah Ali Hassan.
Awang Tengah disclosed in a news report yesterday (Saturday) that Sarawak had requested for additional funding from the federal government to develop more roads and build more Immigration and Quarantine complexes (CIQs) along the new border.
He added that the state had also requested for fundings in eight sectors, namely, poverty, infrastructure, utilities, healthcare, education, administrative and Borneonisation, land matters and financial matter.
