KUCHING, May 31: The current state of the Pan Borneo Highway deserves its moniker bestowed by locals: the ‘Pain’ Borneo Highway, according to Dayak National Congress.
Its president Paul Raja said the construction of the Pan Borneo Highway which is the main means of transport between the major towns is “super slow”.
“In spite of the interval announcement by the Minister of the percentage of completion, it only pains the road users. All those announcements instead of pacifying the people are making it seemingly painful as it tends to show that there is no seriousness in expediting the completion.
“The government must make it a priority to complete it urgently,” said Paul in a statement today.
He reminded the authorities not to forget their duties and responsibilities to the people while they are struggling to survive as a result of the pandemic.
To him, the government must be proactive in providing assistance to the people whenever it is needed.
Those who are worst affected are those in rural areas where food supplies are not only difficult to obtain but soaring prices have really affected them, he added.
Paul also pointed out that Dayak students in the rural areas who need to attend institutions of higher learning are also facing financial burden on their fees.
“Those traveling by air are facing difficulties with the airfare tickets that are totally unreasonably priced. Urgent action must be taken by the Ministry of Transport to control the price of the airfares which is not a luxury but an essential service,” he said.
He noted that Malaysia has just come out of the Covid-19 pandemic and wished to remind everyone to be cautious and vigilant at all times, whether driving on the road or staying safe during gatherings.
“Please follow the SOP for the health procedures to ensure that our Gawai celebration does not turn into a tragedy,” he cautioned.
He added that the Malaysian economy is generally on the downturn now with prices of goods and services skyrocketing, and reminded Sarawakians to be thrifty in their spending as it is necessary to prepare for the rainy days ahead.
“We are facing many challenges which we have never experienced before. In light of that, we must be prepared by improving, preparing and equipping ourselves in whatever ways possible.
“We sincerely wish that this Gawai Dayak 2022 will usher in prosperity, health and peace to the Dayak community,” said Paul. — DayakDaily
