By DayakDaily Team
KUCHING, Dec 18: Sarawak Democratic Action Party’s (DAP) Michael Kong calls on authorities to take swift and decisive action following the collapse of a road at Lorong Apt 2, in Kota Samarahan, which gave way just hours after crushed stones were spread over a sunken section.
He criticised what he described as poor handling and delayed response by the authorities, saying the incident highlighted a failure to act promptly and professionally despite clear warning signs.
Kong, who is special assistant to Sarawak DAP chairman Chong Chieng Jen, said he had personally inspected the affected road on Monday (Dec 15) and had urged the relevant authorities to take immediate action to prevent the situation from worsening.
He said the incident showed a failure to act promptly and professionally despite clear warning signs.
“On Monday (Dec 15), I visited the sunken road at Lorong Apt 2 and strongly urged the relevant authorities to take immediate action to address the situation before it worsened.
“The condition of the road was already serious and clearly pointed to a failure of the road foundation and underlying soil.
“Yesterday, instead of carrying out a proper assessment and immediate repair, crushed stones were spread over the sunken section of the road, effectively adding more weight onto an already compromised foundation,” he said in a statement, today.
He added that the action was illogical and resulted in the road collapsing within half a day.
He also pointed out that the lack of urgency and intervention persisted even though the issue was already known to the authorities since Nov.
“This inaction and poor judgment have allowed a manageable problem to escalate into a full road collapse, making repairs more complicated and significantly more costly.”
Kong said the situation reflected a reactive approach to governance that should be avoided, stressing the need for timely, preventive and professional action.
He added that residents’ safety had been put at risk and public funds would now have to bear higher repair costs due to the delay.
Kong urged the authorities to stop temporary patchwork solutions and to carry out an urgent technical assessment.
He said the weak foundation must be stabilised and permanent repair works implemented without further delay.
“There must be accountability for how this matter was handled, and the authorities must stop dilly-dallying when public safety is at stake,” he said. — DayakDaily
