{
  "id": 15401873,
  "title": "Sabah Pan Borneo Highway progress higher than 11.4% in A-G report, says DCM",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/18/sabah-pan-borneo-highway-progress-higher-than-11-4-in-a-g-report-says-15401873",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-10-18T10:06:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Free Malaysia Today",
    "slug": "free-malaysia-today",
    "url": "https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2026/10/18/sabah-pan-borneo-highway-progress-higher-than-11-4-in-a-g-report-says-dcm"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "The Sabah Pan Borneo Highway project has progressed at a rate higher than 11.4%, despite the recent Auditor-General's Report suggesting otherwise, stated Sabah Deputy Chief Minister Dr Joachim Gunsalam. The 11.4% figure, according to Dr Gunsalam, only accounts for the number of fully handed-over packages, which is just four out of the 35 packages under Phase 1 of the project. While the handover rate is accurate, it does not reflect the overall physical advancements made on the highway. Dr Gunsalam highlighted that some alignments of the project have achieved physical progress rates of 90%-93%. He noted that eight packages covering 179km are scheduled to be opened to motorists by the end of the year, indicating positive construction progress. Regarding the Variation Order (VO) costing over RM514 million, Dr Gunsalam clarified that the responsibility for approving the additional cost lies with the federal works ministry and finance ministry, rather than the state government. The state government views the audit findings positively and has been working towards addressing the issues raised, aided by the strong collaboration between state and federal authorities. Dr Gunsalam explained that the delays in the project were due to several factors, including the termination of the previous Project Delivery Partner model, the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, the time-consuming land acquisition process, and challenges faced by some contractors.",
  "summary": "Dr Joachim Gunsalam points out the actual physical progress is much higher as the auditor-general only measured fully-handed over packages.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 5,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Bernama",
        "title": "General : 11.4 Per Cent Figure Does Not Reflect Actual Progress Of Sabah Pan Borneo Highway - Dr Joachim",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/18/general-11-4-per-cent-figure-does-not-reflect-actual-progress-of",
        "published": "2026-10-18T08:24:32.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "New Straits Times",
        "title": "11.4pct figure does not reflect actual progress of Sabah Pan Borneo Highway - Dr Joachim",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/18/11-4pct-figure-does-not-reflect-actual-progress-of-sabah-pan-borneo",
        "published": "2026-10-18T10:01:01.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Free Malaysia Today",
        "title": "Sabah Pan Borneo Highway progress higher than 11.4% in A-G report, says DCM",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/18/sabah-pan-borneo-highway-progress-higher-than-11-4-in-a-g-report-says",
        "published": "2026-10-18T10:06:00.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Malaysiakini",
        "title": "Sabah Pan Borneo project: Figures cited by AG report doesn't reflect actual progress - Sabah DCM",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/18/sabah-pan-borneo-project-figures-cited-by-ag-report-doesnt-reflect",
        "published": "2026-10-18T10:23:37.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}