KUCHING, Aug 3: The Movement Control Order (MCO) should not be an excuse to put construction work on hold when the Sarawak government Covid-19 prevention measures have allowed construction work to proceed.
Infrastructure and Port Development Minister Tan Sri Dr James Jemut Masing said this after he was caught by surprise today when a development project in Bakun was reported to have remained stagnant during the MCO.
“I was there (Bakun Lake) on a surprise site visit today. I was inspecting Bakun Lake for possible sites for the Power Boat race which has been put on hold for one year due to the Covid-19 pandemic. So I dropped in to see the progress of the Bakun Alternative Road and the construction of the Bakun Jetty.
“Even though it was a working day, no one was on site,” said Masing, who is also Deputy Chief Minister, on his social media today.
It was his hope that the MCO would be not used as an excuse for contractors not to proceed with the projects especially since Sarawak is achieving a high vaccination rate.
“I hope the MCO is not the factor for not conducting any construction work. If it is, then contract works on JKR (Public Works Department) projects in Sarawak are in serious trouble.
“Sarawakians have reached a vaccination rate of over 65 per cent, and the government has allowed working sites to be opened for work. I was, therefore, surprise to see no one was at the construction site of the projects.
“I hope the past few months of the MCO have not given the public and private sectors the excuse of not working full time,” said Masing. — DayakDaily
