Villagers still waiting for 5km road

If the RM60 million for a proposed five kilometre stretch of road in Sarawak is actually released, it would then be 'the most expensive' road per km in the country.

SERIAN:  After patiently waiting for more than 20 years and witnessing two earth-breaking ceremonies for the construction of a 5km road stretch in Terbat-Mapu, the villagers and the business community have finally awakened to the reality that the government has forgotten its promises.

The villagers from Kampung Terbat, Kampung Mapu Tragu, Kampung Mapu Tantu and Kampung Mapu Mawang are now demanding that the Barisan Nasional  government  to walk its talk and fulfil their promise.

Currently the settlements are served by a poorly maintained gravelled road fitting only to be used by four-wheel vehicles.

The first earth-breaking ceremony was held before the parliamentary general election in 1990 by Deputy Chief Minister Alfred Jabu Numpang.

The proposed road has remained an elusive dream 20 years later, according to Serian DAP branch chairman Edward Andrew Luak.

Said Luak: “The proposed road has a unique history as it experienced two earth-breaking ceremonies.

“The hopes of the people were rekindled when Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak announced an allocation of RM30 million for the road at a mammoth rally dubbed ‘Sejiwa Senada’ held at the Serian town just before the state election in April last year.

“To further convince the people of the BN’s promise, Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin flew by helicopter to Kampung Mapu to perform another earth-breaking ceremony for the same proposed road during the election campaign.

“At the ceremony Muhyiddin announced an additional sum of RM30 million to be used for the construction of the road.”

Most expensive road
Luak said if the funds really came, it would make the five kilometre road the most expensive road in Malaysia with more RM10 million per km.

“Today, almost a year after Muhyiddin’s visit there is a huge sign board at the junction on the proposed road. A few heavy machineries are lying at an open space near a village shop,”  said Luak.

He said that the only work done so far was to widen and put gravels on the stretch of the road from the junction to a distance of 300 metres.

“The people’s initial happiness turned into anger when they found out that the work has stopped due to lack of funds.

“They felt they were cheated with empty election promises because they had voted for a BN-PBB candidate Martin Ben,” said Luak.

During the election Ben won the Kedup seat with a 2,265 vote majority defeating its nearest rival Lainus Andrew Luak of PKR in a three-cornered fight.

The residents expect the BN leaders to come back to them in the coming parliamentary election with the same promise and they know what to do.

Meanwhile, Natural Resources and Environment Minister Douglass Uggah said in Miri last week that 27 or 8.65 per cent of projects worth RM709.65 million have yet to get off the ground. No reason was given.

Apparently, the 5km-Terbat-Mapu road is one of them.

These projects were part of 312 projects announced during the walkabouts by Najib and Muhyiddin before the state election last year in order to ‘buy’ votes.

Project is on
However local dailies here in Sarawak had quoted state minister of Infrastructure Development and Communication Michael Manyin Jawong as saying that the project was still being carried out and the machinery was still in place.

He also denied that the project has stalled due to a lack of funds.

“The project is very much on,” Manyin was quoted as saying.

The main contractors of the project – Naim Holdings Berhad – has also said that the project was expected to be completed by early 2013.