SANDAKAN: The latest Auditor-General’s Report should be a wake-up call for both the Federal and Sabah governments to resolve the long-running delays affecting the Pan Borneo Highway, said Tanjong Papat Assemblyman Alex Thien.
Thien said it was important to acknowledge that the Sabah Pan Borneo project had already fallen behind schedule before the Project Delivery Partner (PDP) arrangement was terminated in 2019.
“However, almost seven years have passed since then, and the present Sabah Government has been in office since 2020. The termination of the PDP cannot continue to be used as the main explanation whenever questions are raised over the project today.”
Audit findings expose continuing delays
According to the Auditor-General’s Report Series 2/2026, only four of the 35 work packages under Phase 1 had been completed as of March 31, 2026, while nine were classified as sick projects and another 13 were behind schedule. The audit also highlighted serious contract-management issues, including RM513.99 million in Variation Orders approved beyond authorised limits.
Thien said the comparison with Sarawak should also be examined objectively.
“Sarawak’s PDP arrangement was also terminated in 2019. Yet as of March this year, 10 of its 11 work packages had been completed, while the remaining package had reached 99.9 per cent.
“Sabah and Sarawak do not have exactly the same conditions, but this shows that PDP termination by itself cannot be the permanent explanation for continued delays.”
He said the issue now was not only contractor performance, but also whether bureaucratic delays and coordination problems between government agencies were being resolved quickly enough.
“Land acquisition, utility relocation, technical approvals and other administrative issues involve multiple agencies. When one department waits for another and decisions take months to move, the construction programme is affected.
Thien said there was no need to establish another task force or committee, as an existing monitoring and coordination mechanism was already in place.
Earlier this year, the Works Ministry told Parliament that the Sabah Pan Borneo project was being closely monitored through a monthly Steering Committee together with JKR Sabah, while meetings and site visits had also been held with the Sabah Works and Utilities Ministry, contractors and relevant agencies to identify and resolve project delays.
“The issue is therefore not the lack of another committee. The issue is whether the existing mechanism has sufficient urgency, accountability and measurable outcomes,” Thien said.
He proposed that every delayed work package should have a clear constraint register, identifying the specific cause of delay, the agency responsible, the date the issue was raised and the deadline for resolution.
“Contractors are measured against construction schedules. Government departments involved in land acquisition, utility relocation and approvals should also be measured against clear delivery KPIs.
“If a matter remains unresolved beyond a fixed period, it should automatically be escalated to senior decision-makers rather than being passed repeatedly between departments.”
He said such KPIs could include land handover deadlines, utility relocation timelines, approval turnaround times, recovery targets for sick projects and actual progress against scheduled construction milestones.
Thien also called for stronger maintenance of existing roads and temporary access roads affected by Pan Borneo construction.
“The public still has to use these roads every day while construction continues. Potholes, uneven surfaces, inadequate signage, poor drainage and damaged road shoulders can lead to burst tyres, sudden evasive manoeuvres and accidents.
“During heavy rain, slope instability and landslides can create an even greater risk.”
He said JKR and contractors should conduct regular inspections of temporary diversions, pavement conditions, drainage, road shoulders, signage and high-risk slopes, with dangerous defects rectified within defined response times.
“Road safety during construction must be treated as part of project delivery, not as a secondary matter.”
Thien said the latest audit findings should now be used to drive corrective action rather than another round of political blame.
“Sabahans want to know why individual packages are delayed, who is responsible for resolving each problem and when the highway will actually be completed.
“We do not need another committee. We need the existing system to work — with clear deadlines, measurable KPIs and accountability when those deadlines are not met.” he added.
