By DayakDaily Team
KUCHING, Aug 29: Serian District Council (MDS) chairman Dato Peter Minos has welcomed the latest announcement that the Autonomous Rapid Transit (ART) will finally link the five local councils of Kuching North City Council (DBKU), Kuching South City Council (MBKS), Padawan Municipal Council (MPP), Kota Samarahan Municipal Council (MPKS) and Serian District Council (SDC).
Responding to Premier Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari Tun Openg’s recent announcement, Minos said it was groundbreaking and exciting news, especially as it concerns the Kuching-Serian ART line which he believes will bring “many good things to the people.”
“ART will definitely bring transport convenience to the people of the five councils. This is welcome. Time is saved, and so is petrol cost.
“Indirectly, tourism and businesses will see a rise and a boom along the way, as roads, rail lines, ART, LRT (Light Rail Transit) and MRT (Mass Rapid Transit) do,” Minos said in a statement today.
He acknowledged that in order to enjoy such convenience, the necessary infrastructure must first be built, which requires financial support.
However, to him, if the Sarawak government can afford it, there should be no reason to reject such a project, which is good for the people.
“We have to keep up with progress and modernisation in our mode of transport, like all other industries.
“We cannot remain as we were in the 1950s and 1960s, when simple roads and simple modes of transport were acceptable,” he added.
Citing Indonesia as an example, he said the country has been spending heavily on new roads, bridges, railroads as well as a high-speed train from Jakarta to Bandung, all costing billions.
To him, the spending is worthwhile as these developments will eventually bring “a lot of good” for Indonesians in the years to come.
The same principle, he said, applies to Peninsular Malaysia, which is evidently “doing much better” than Sarawak and Sabah, especially when seamless land and air transportation is a must for modern progress.
Abang Johari said on August 28, 2025 the ART system will not stop in Kuching but extend to Serian and beyond Samarahan as part of Sarawak’s long-term plan to develop smart and green cities. — DayakDaily
