KUCHING, Jan 2: Sarawak earned billions of reserves, but the state government still fails to build bridges and continues to allow fellow Sarawakians to travel through ferries.
This is the view of Sarawak Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) Women as it called on the authorities and management of the ferry wharf to take immediate action in installing safety bars to ensure the safety of ferry users.
It also requested for police and Fire and Rescue (Bomba) Sarawak squads to be stationed near ferry wharves to better facilitate any emergency calls, unlike what had happened yesterday (Jan 1) at Triso Ferry, Shibuya.
Bomba Simunjan and Saratok were deployed immediately after a distress call was made but Bomba Simunjan which is the nearest station to the site of the incident is about 62km away, and Bomba Saratok is 98km away.
Expressing resentment and sympathy for the nine victims who drowned after their 4-wheel-drive (4WD) rolled off and sank into the water, Sarawak PKR Women opined that this incident signifies the ignorance of the Sarawak government towards the safety of Sarawakians.
“Sarawak PKR Women sees this incident as if the state government is ignoring the safety of Sarawakians and has failed to provide the necessary infrastructures and developments to the people of Sarawak.
“Sarawak has earned billions in reserves, but it still fails to build bridges and has let on the use of ferries which has previously caused accidents and claimed the lives of many,” it lamented in a statement today.
Thus, it urged the government to take into account the safety aspects of all transportation infrastructures in the state as all lives are valuable.—DayakDaily
