Efforts by IMT-GT to promote connectivity in the past show a mixed picture of
achievements combined with lack of implementation of other good initiatives. Some
recommendations of the earlier studies were carried out, notably expansion of the Belawan
port, development of the Satun-Kuala Perlis Highway, and some rural road maintenance,
rehabilitation and improvement programs. On the other hand, several proposed initiatives
could not be implemented, which may reflect the impact of the 1997 Financial Crisis. The
crisis affected the whole region but some countries were impacted far more than others, like
Indonesia. Consequently, infrastructure needs and gaps today are relatively higher in
Sumatra, Indonesia than in the Malaysian and Thai subregions of IMT-GT. With economic
recovery and a more stable economic climate, needed investments should be able to proceed
at a faster rate than they have in the recent past.