Jakarta, hitclubapk3 Indonesia
—
Melaka state government,
Malaysia
, plans to build a bridge connecting neighboring countries and Indonesia, with a travel time of around 40 minutes.
The Chief Minister of Melaka, Ab Rauf Yusoh, said that studies regarding the construction of the bridge will begin in January 2026. What will be discussed is the construction of a 47.7 kilometer long bridge from Pengakalan Balak at the Tanah Mosque to Indonesia.
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Ab Rauf said the studies for this large-scale project would be perfected before being submitted to the National Physical Planning Council (MPFN).Later, MPFN will review the proposal and carry out an evaluation.
“After that, we will take this proposal to the Indonesian authorities to discuss joint implementation of the project,” said Ab Rauf.
“We believe that if this plan is realized, this bridge will have a significant economic impact on Melaka,” he added.
Ab Rauf said that the Melaka state government had disbursed a budget of RM500,000 (around Rp. 2 billion) for consultations on technical, economic and logistical aspects.
“This bridge will be the last world gateway connecting Malaysia and Indonesia, opening up opportunities for wider cooperation between the two countries,” said Ab Rauf.
Melaka opposition leader Yadzil Yaakub meanwhile questioned the purpose and benefits of building the bridge.He believes that this plan requires a large amount of money while the state currently does not have that amount of funds.
He underlined that Melaka’s annual income is mostly used for operational needs.He also highlighted the debt that Melaka still has, including to the federal government.
“If we cannot pay off existing debts, how can the state convince the people that the government can manage billions of ringgit in new money wisely?”he said, as quoted
Free Malaysia Today
(FMT).
“The reality is that the Melaka government is still very dependent on Putrajaya’s assistance. If we need federal assistance just to repair roads, how can we possibly afford the construction of a bridge across the Strait of Malacca?”he continued.
(blq/dna)
