The government's priorities have been questioned over a 9th Malaysia Plan project to build a 1.7km long bridge between the east coast of Sabah and Bum Bum island.

DAP Kota Kinabalu branch head Dr Hiew King Chen said the RM100 million allocation would be better spent on a 10km bridge from the south-east coast of Sabah to the Federal Territory of Labuan.

"This would provide a link to a duty-free zone, offshore financial centre and a popular tourist destination, and create a greater impact on tourism and the economy," he told malaysiakini.

In contrast, he described Bum Bum island as a place "where a large number of the 25,000 inhabitants are known to be illegal immigrants, mainly from southern Philippines and Indonesia".

There are five government secondary schools and two primary schools on the island. An undersea pipeline is being laid to carry fresh water from the mainland, Hiew said.

However, Barisan Nasional assemblyperson for Sulabayan Mohd Lan Allani criticised Hiew, saying legal action could be taken against him for alleging that the population mainly comprises illegal immigrants.

In response, Hiew said he was prepared to be sued and invited the immigration and national registration departments to carry out a thorough screening of all inhabitants to prove or disprove his point.

He said the bridge to Bum Bum could end up costing more because the waters off the east coast could be as deep as 30 metres.

A bridge connection to Labuan has been talked about for many years. Sources said the more expensive option is a RM1.4 billion bridge from Menumbok, the ferry point, over a distance of about 8km.

The less-expensive option would be to build the bridge from Pulau Penyu, across mainly shallow waters.