By DayakDaily Team
KUCHING, July 11: Puncak Borneo MP Datuk Willie Mongin has rubbished claims by certain parties that the cancellation of three major bridge projects in Sarawak in 2018 was intended to divert their allocations to the Sarawak-Sabah Link Road (SSLR) project, describing the allegation as unfounded, misleading and unsupported by official government records and Parliamentary Hansard.
In a statement today, Willie said the claim contradicted the actual chronology of events, official federal government decisions and records contained in the Dewan Rakyat Hansard.
He stressed that the Batang Lupar Bridge, Kuala Igan Bridge and Rambungan Bridge projects were among hundreds of development projects reviewed and cancelled by the Pakatan Harapan (PH) federal government in 2018 due to financial constraints.
“Official records clearly show that the three bridge projects were cancelled in 2018 as part of a broader review of development projects. Neither Parliamentary Hansard nor federal government statements ever stated that the allocations for the bridges were transferred to SSLR,” he said.
Willie pointed to reports published in October 2018 indicating that approximately 400 government projects nationwide were cancelled following a review by the Ministry of Finance, including projects that had yet to be tendered or had not commenced despite being awarded.
He also cited statements by then Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng, who had explained that several mega projects across the country were either cancelled or restructured because of the federal government’s financial position at the time.
Referring to the Dewan Rakyat Hansard dated Oct 14, 2019, Willie said then Works Minister Baru Bian had confirmed that the Batang Lupar, Kuala Igan and Rambungan bridge projects were cancelled by the federal government before the Sarawak government decided to proceed with their construction using State funds.
According to Willie, Baru’s reply in Parliament did not indicate that the allocations earmarked for the bridge projects had been redirected to SSLR.
“Instead, the minister merely stated that the allocation would continue to be used for other projects in Sarawak. SSLR was never specifically identified as the recipient of those funds,” he said.
Willie argued that the timeline of events alone disproved the allegation.
He noted that while the bridge projects were cancelled in 2018, SSLR only emerged as a priority federal project in 2019 and subsequently received fresh federal funding approval for its first phase in 2020.
“This means SSLR had not even received federal funding approval when the bridge projects were cancelled. Therefore, it is inaccurate to claim that the bridges were sacrificed to finance SSLR,” he said.
Willie also addressed a statement made by Baru in April 2021 suggesting that the bridge allocations had been “redirected” to SSLR as part of development prioritisation.
However, he maintained that the statement did not alter the official record showing that the bridge projects were cancelled in 2018 and that SSLR later obtained separate federal funding through its own approval process.
“The SSLR Phase 1 project had already begun its procurement (tender) process as early as 2017 when Datuk Amar Fadillah Yusof was serving as Minister of Works. Subsequently, the project was officially approved in 2020 with an allocation of RM1.2 billion while the Ministry of Works was headed by Baru.
“This chronology demonstrates that SSLR was not financed through the reallocation of funds from the three bridge projects cancelled in 2018. Rather, SSLR was a new project that received new funding from the federal government,” he added.
The Puncak Borneo MP further said the importance of the bridge projects had long been recognised as part of efforts to complete the Sarawak Coastal Road network.
He cited a June 2015 Dewan Rakyat Hansard in which Kota Samarahan MP Datuk Rubiah Wang had called for the implementation of several major bridge projects, including Batang Lupar, Kuala Igan and Rambungan, to improve connectivity along the State’s coastal corridor.
“This demonstrates that the bridges were part of a long-standing development agenda and not projects that were intended to be replaced by SSLR,” he said.
Willie said the people of Sarawak ultimately did not lose out despite the cancellations, as the Sarawak government under Premier Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg decided to finance and proceed with the projects using State funds.
He described the move as evidence of the Sarawak government’s commitment to ensuring strategic infrastructure projects continued for the benefit of Sarawakians despite the federal government’s decision at the time.
“It is therefore unfair to distort the facts by claiming that the three bridges were cancelled to make way for SSLR when official records and the established chronology clearly indicate otherwise,” he stressed.
Calling for an end to what he described as misleading narratives, Willie urged all parties to base discussions on Sarawak’s development on official records, Parliamentary Hansard and established facts rather than speculation and political accusations.
“Development discourse should be grounded in facts and evidence, not narratives that are inconsistent with official records and the actual chronology of events,” he said. — DayakDaily
