Kota kinabalu: 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.
According to BERNAMA News Agency, Ramli emphasized that the state cannot continue to build ports, roads, logistics hubs, and digital systems in silos and expect the whole supply chain to function efficiently. He stated that 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.
Ramli warned that 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 pointed out that port expansion alone will not resolve congestion if gate operations, customs processes, road access, and hinterland connectivity are not improved simultaneously.
He highlighted that this fragmented approach sends the wrong signal to investors, businesses, and the federal government, creating uncertainty and leading to higher costs and unpredictable transit times. He urged that 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.
Ramli further explained that 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 stressed that the masterplan must be adopted as the official reference for all major logistics and transport decisions in Sabah.
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. 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.
Ramli concluded by stating that every delay in addressing structural bottlenecks means higher costs, weaker competitiveness, and lost opportunities. He emphasized that the cost of waiting is higher than the cost of planning, and 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.