GRS MPs to submit memorandum to PAC, seek expanded Pan Borneo probe

Seven members of the Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) parliamentary party will present a memorandum to the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) next week, requesting a broader investigation into the Sabah Pan Borneo Highway project. The move comes after the PAC decided to examine the project's management, financial governance, and physical implementation following the release of the Auditor-General’s Report (AG’s Report) Series 2/2026.

According to Armizan Mohd Ali, GRS secretary-general and Papar MP, the expanded investigation should delve into the reasons behind the termination of the Project Delivery Partner (PDP) model in September 2019. Armizan explained that this factor is crucial as the AG’s Report Series 2/2026 contains only limited information regarding the termination's implications, while earlier statements from the Works Ministry in the Dewan Rakyat on August 2, 2022, and October 19, 2026, had already cited the PDP model's termination as one of the causes for delays.

The GRS leader also highlighted the need for clarification on the underlying rationale behind the Federal Government's decision to discontinue the PDP model in 2019, and whether a thorough assessment was conducted prior to the decision. The third factor focuses on the uncertainty surrounding the status of the PDP model and contractor appointments following the change of government in May 2018, which allegedly led to a prolonged halt in construction work lasting over a year before contractors were reappointed under the conventional implementation method in 2019.

The fourth factor emphasizes the disruption caused by shifting from the PDP model to the conventional method, leading to a prolonged appointment process for contractors and a delay in commencing Phase 1A packages until 2021. Armizan stressed that the GRS memorandum aims to ensure that policy decisions concerning public infrastructure projects are not swayed by partisan political considerations, rather than seeking to blame any specific party or individual.