New road connecting Malaysia-Indonesia not yet a priority - Report

JAKARTA - The Indonesian government said a new route connecting its country with Malaysia through the Malacca Strait is not their priority at the moment, according to local media.

Bisnis.com reported that Malaysia's proposal for the new route has not been discussed by the Indonesian government until now.

A spokesperson for Indonesia’s Public Works and Housing Ministry was quoted as saying that the matter should be studied (by the Indonesian side) first so that it can be used as the basis of government policy.

"In recent years, I have never heard the ministry discuss this issue at the level of technical cooperation in the framework of Indonesia-Malaysia bilateral relations," said Endra S. Atmawidjaja.

Last week the Melaka state government announced plans to build a 120-kilometer new route (either tunnel or bridge) from Masjid Tanah, Melaka, to Dumai, Riau.

According to Bisnis.com, the proposal for the construction of a bridge was submitted by the government of Riau Province and Malaysia 10 years ago, but was not realized because it was not a priority of the Indonesian government.

"I haven't thought about it (the Melaka bridge)," said Indonesia's Minister of Public Works at that time, Djoko Kirmanto, adding that "internal matters of the country must be resolved first before things related to the outside.” - BERNAMA