Sabah Needs Integrated Logistics Masterplan To Give Holistic Direction

LABUAN, June 30 (Bernama) -- Sabah needs an integrated logistics and transport master plan to address challenges at the structural level instead of relying on fragmented, project-by-project solutions, a logistics expert said.

Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport (CILT) Malaysia former president Datuk Dr Ramli Amir told Bernama today that port congestion, poor road conditions, high transport costs and rising prices of goods are symptoms of a deeper weakness in Sabah’s logistics planning.

“It cannot continue to build ports, roads, logistics hubs and digital systems in silos and expect the whole supply chain to function efficiently,” Ramli, who is also a former vice-president of CILT International for Southeast Asia said.

“The logistics master plan must become the ‘horse’ that pulls all future logistics and transport projects in the right direction, instead of allowing individual projects to move ahead without a common architecture,” he said.

Ramli said without a unifying plan, logistics decisions will remain reactive rather than strategic, with port expansions, road upgrades, rural hubs and digital systems implemented without proper alignment.

He said port expansion, for example, will not fully resolve congestion if gate operations, customs processes, road access and hinterland connectivity are not improved simultaneously.

“This fragmented approach sends the wrong signal to investors, businesses and the federal government.

“To investors, it creates uncertainty. To businesses and consumers, it means higher costs and unpredictable transit times. To the federal centre, Sabah may appear to be making scattered requests instead of presenting one coherent logistics strategy,” he said.

Ramli said an urgent master plan should map actual cargo and passenger flows, identify strategic corridors and nodes, and define the role of each port, road, airport, industrial park, and rural hub in Sabah’s logistics ecosystem.

The masterplan should cover key supply chains, including food, fuel, containers, agro-products, tourism and industrial cargo, while also addressing governance, regulations, digital systems and institutional responsibilities, he said.

“The masterplan must not be treated as just another study. It must be adopted as the official reference for all major logistics and transport decisions in Sabah,” he said.

The first phase should focus on identifying cargo flows, bottlenecks, costs, institutional gaps and priority corridors, followed by high-impact quick wins such as port flow optimisation, critical road improvements, key digital systems and institutional reforms, he said.

The urgency is driven by rising logistics costs, supply chain vulnerability, global uncertainties, fuel price volatility and the need for Sabah to position itself as a competitive logistics, industrial and maritime hub.

“Every delay in addressing structural bottlenecks means higher costs, weaker competitiveness and lost opportunities.

“The cost of waiting is higher than the cost of planning. If Sabah is serious about becoming competitive, resilient and inclusive in the next decade, the logistics and transport masterplan must be treated as the first order of business,” he said.

-- BERNAMA