After an extended silence, the long-debated proposal to construct an almost 50-kilometer bridge from Malacca in Malaysia to Dumai in Sumatra, Indonesia is being discussed again. The idea of constructing a bridge between the 2 countries was first raised in 1996 by former Malaysian Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad when he met then Indonesian President Suharto in Kuala Lumpur. The project was subsequently thwarted by the regional economic crisis in 1997 and subsequent environmental concerns.
In 2006, plans for this megaproject were revived after an announcement by the Export-Import Bank of China (Exim), which agreed to finance 85% of the full cost of the merger, then estimated at $13 billion. Again, the plan was abandoned later after strong opposition from several quarters and environmentalists.
After a break of seven years, on October 15, 2013, the Government of Malacca resumed the plan, nevertheless it hit a wall again when Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono (SBY) announced that the development of the planned Sunda Strait bridge (connecting Sumatera with Java) would have priority. He said he rejected Malaysia’s request to support the development of a bridge across the Strait of Malacca because constructing such a bridge would facilitate the depletion of Sumatra’s resources by Asia.
Now a 5-year break has passed. There are several online discussions about reviving the plan. Neither Indonesian nor Malaysian officials have received any response right now. It is comprehensible that it could take a few years to achieve agreement on a project of this scale. The bridge will likely be 48.7 km long and have a further 71.2 km long expressway from Pulau Rupat (Indonesia), where it ends, to Dumai in Riau province, famous for its oil palm plantations.
However, there have been some reservations on either side.
Indonesia’s side mustn’t make this ambitious plan a priority, citing that the combination of the Indonesian economy is more vital than the development of such a dangerous megaproject. Hatta Rajasa, the then Coordinating Minister of Indonesian Economy, said that the Indonesian government (SBY administration) placed more emphasis on the development of the Sunda Strait Bridge.
In turn, in 2015, the administration of President Joko Widodo (SBY’s successor) is not going to implement the plan to construct a bridge between the islands of Java and Sumatra.
Dr Mohd Hazmi Mohd Rusli, a researcher at Universiti Sains Islam Malaysia who conducted research on the bridge proposal, said planners would need to determine the impact on the environment and navigation. He also said there are limited economic advantages beyond palm oil. “Unlike Malacca’s proximity to Kuala Lumpur and even Singapore, Dumai is just not near any of Indonesia’s major cities… The bridge remains to be not functional enough.”
From an environmental perspective, such an enormous project wouldn’t only have an antagonistic impact on coastal ecosystems on either side of the bridge; it could also impact the complete Strait from hydrological, environmental and economic perspectives.
The existence of piers supporting the bridge would change the movement and speed of the currents and will potentially change the character of the Strait.
Additionally, once accomplished, the bridge will connect the Malay Peninsula with the Indonesian island of Sumatra, which is situated within the Pacific Ring of Fire – an area with high seismic activity and vulnerable to earthquakes and tsunamis.
So should we restart the plan?
