All the farmers want is a decent road

Four decades of empty promises by BN assemblymen have left Selakau villagers disillusioned.

KUCHING: For 48 years now, 13,000 Dayak Selakau farmers from 11 villages in Sematan near Lundu have been dreaming of a decent road through which they can transport their agricultural produce to the market in order to supplement their income.

And throughout this time they have had one Barisan Nasional assemblyman after another promising to “make real” their dream.

Many Merdeka Day celebrations have since come and gone but their 18km road known as “Biawak Road” has remained a dirt track.

The last time they saw a “new road” was in the 1960s when the military built a track to ease its passage to protect the Sarawak-Indonesian border from insurgents during the “Indonesian Confrontation”.

Four decades later Biawak road is a danger to road users. Its condition has deteriorated. During the dry seasons the road is dusty and when the monsoons hit, it is slippery and muddy.

Life has become more unbearable and miserable for the villagers now what with the sky-high cost of living.

Said Mordi Bimol, a special assistant to state DAP secretary Chong Chieng Jen: “They do not ask for first-class road or a world-class highway.

“They just want a comfortable road so that they do not have to breathe the dust every day, so that they do not have to drive in yellow mud every time it rained, so that they can easily go out and sell their produce faster, easier and cost effectively.”

“They have waited for more than 40 years… in fact, they deserve to have a first-class road,” he added.

Unkept promises

Bimol said that apart from the 11 Selakau villages, there are five primary schools and the RM15- million customs, immigration and quarantine (CIQ) centre at the Biawak bazaar.

“Even retail stores that used to operate well in the bazaar have now shut down because there is no business.

“The Biawak bazaar is now very quiet,” Mordi said.

The Dayak Selakaus are strong BN supporters and have consistently elected candidates fielded by BN partner, Sarawak United People’s Party (SUPP).

Over the years, Biawak has elected SUPP representatives like the late Chong Kim Mook and Ramsay Jitam.

Both did not deliver on their promise to convince the government to upgrade and tar-seal the Biawak Road.

They had expected more from incumbent Ranum Anak Mina but he too has failed to deliver.

In the 2006 state election, they voted Ranum, who is a Selakau himself. They had high hopes that he could do something for his own community.

He was a disappointment. Then again at the recent April 16 state election, they decided to give him another chnace.

But aside from using the road as a “bait” to woo their votes, he has not been seen in Selakau since.

“But now they feel they have been cheated, and are taking their complaint to Sarawak DAP,” said Mordi.

Looming polls

According to Mordi, the Biawak road resurfacing project was supposed to have been completed in February 2011.

“But until today, only 16% (4km) of the 18-km road had been paved.

“The question now is, when will the 84% of the balance of the project be completed or whether the project would ever be completed at all.

“The project now appears to be abandoned and the people are becoming sceptical of the government’s seriousness on this road project,” he said.

Mordi, who went to Biawak to have a first-hand look at the situation, was told that the contruction work had stopped because the workers have not been paid their wages for the past seven months.

“I was told that even the privately-owned trucks used in the project have been claimed back by the bank because they could not pay for the instalments,” he said.

With a looming general election, it is certain that the BN will once again return to woo the Selakau community with promises to upgrade the road, said Mordi, who is tipped by DAP to contest the Mas Gading parliamentary seat.

Modi will be writing to the Public Works Department and the Opar (Ranum) assemblyman as well as the MP for Mas Gading Dr Tiki Lafe seeking an explanation to the Selakau situation.