LABUAN, Jan 3 — The Consulate General of Indonesia in Kota Kinabalu has invited investors and entrepreneurs from the duty-free island of Labuan to explore business opportunities in Kalimantan, Indonesia’s future new capital.
Consul General Rafail Walangitan said the business community from both Sabah and Labuan could seek and seize business opportunities in several industrial sectors in Kalimantan, such as hydropower, oil and gas, forest, bio-energy, fisheries, agriculture, and oil palm.
Malaysian businessmen in Sabah and Labuan could also venture into property, hotel, retail, and infrastructure, he added.
“The existing relationships with the people in Sabah and Labuan continue to be strengthened due to the similarity in the culture and spoken language.
“We believe the proximity between Kalimantan, Sabah, and Labuan augurs well for the future business linkages,” he said at a Chinese New Year event organised by the Labuan Chinese Chamber of Commerce at the Fishermen Harbour Restaurant here today.
However, he noted that the limited connectivity and the still-in-progress Pan Borneo Highway could be hurdles for investors to come to Kalimantan.
Kalimantan is divided into five provinces – North Kalimantan, East Kalimantan, South Kalimantan, Central Kalimantan, and West Kalimantan.
The Sabah government in 2021 proposed road connectivity between Sabah and Kalimantan as it has the potential to further stimulate economic growth for Sabah, with trickle-down benefits for Labuan.
In August 2019, Indonesia President Joko Widodo said Indonesia would relocate its capital from Jakarta to a site located in the East Kalimantan province.
— Bernama
