KUCHING, April 5: Sarawak Democratic Action Party (DAP) member Michael Kong has told Kota Sentosa assemblyman Wilfred Yap not to conveniently ‘taichi’ (pass the buck on) the Mile 6, 7 and 10 flyovers’ construction delays to the Opposition.
Kong, who is also a special assistant to Sarawak DAP chairman Chong Chieng Jen, said this in responding to Yap’s recent remarks urging the Opposition to bring up the flyovers’ construction delays issue to the federal government as it is a federal project.
However, Kong asserted that it is incumbent on Yap as an elected member of the State Legislative Assembly to bring the collective concerns of the people of Kota Sentosa to the relevant authorities like Public Works Department (JKR) and Ministry of Works, instead of pushing the matter to Opposition MPs on the pretext it is a federal project.
“It seems that Wilfred Yap has over the past three months after his election (win) mastered the skill of ‘taichi’.
“Just last month, Wilfred Yap tried to push the local drainage issue (which falls under local councils) to Opposition MPs. Now again he is conveniently pushing the matter to the Opposition again,” he said in a statement today.
Furthermore, Kong added, it is even easier for Yap to reach out to Minister of Works Dato Sri Fadillah Yusof to seek explanations on the delay of the projects as both leaders are from parties within the Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) coalition.
He noted that shortly after Yap took office as the Kota Sentosa assemblyman, the latter had urged the public to be patient with the ongoing construction as they are expected to be completed by April 2022.
However, he doubted that the flyover projects, especially the ones at Mile 6 and Mile 7, would be completed in April as assured by Yap.
“For years, the people living in Greater Kuching, and particularly those within Kota Sentosa, have consistently complained about the slow rate of construction. Any road commuter passing by the said flyovers will be able to tell that works will not be completed in April.
“It is time that Wilfred Yap starts taking his job seriously. Stop pushing the buck around (sic) and take the people for a ride,” he said.
Meanwhile, in Jan 19 this year, JKR Sarawak had in a statement said that contractors have given assurance that works for the three flyover projects would be completed by early May.
However, today, Deputy Premier Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah Embas, following his visit to the sites, disclosed that the Mile 10 flyover is expected to be completed in May, followed by Mile 6 and 7 in June. — DayakDaily
