By Ashley Sim
KUCHING, July 24: “Only one person is not here to witness this bridge, even though Bintulu was her birthplace, my late wife. But Allah loved her more. Tonight, I brought my daughter to witness the opening of this iconic bridge in Bintulu, the birthplace of my wife. May her soul rest among the righteous.”
Sarawak Premier Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg delivered a heartfelt tribute during the official launch of the Bintulu–Jepak Bridge in Bintulu last night (July 23), now officially named Jambatan Tun Taib Mahmud, as he recalled the sacrifices made by his late wife, Puan Sri Datuk Amar Juma’ani Tun Tuanku Bujang, throughout his years of public service.
“As Premier, and before that as Minister, I had to divide my time between the people and my family. Thankfully, my wife made sacrifices, allowing me to serve the people. That was her contribution,” he said.
“She didn’t get to see the bridge tonight, but she knew we were going to build it.”
The RM466.7 million cable-stayed bridge, which links Bintulu town and Jepak across the Kuala Kemena River, was renamed in honour of the late Tun Pehin Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud, Sarawak’s longest-serving Chief Minister and former Yang di-Pertua Negeri, for his foundational contributions to Sarawak’s modernisation and growth.
Abang Johari recalled making three key promises to the people of Bintulu during a 2017 town hall session held after the passing of the late Pehin Sri Adenan Satem.
“At that town hall, I pledged to continue their development efforts. I promised to build an iconic bridge like the one in San Francisco (Golden Gate Bridge) to connect Bintulu and Jepak.
“I also promised to spearhead Bintulu’s second wave of development and to relocate the Resident’s Office and administrative centre from the Bintulu town to Jepak.”
“Tonight, I’ve fulfilled those promises,” he said.
He also announced the construction of a new four-lane road linking the bridge to Bintulu Airport, paving the way for urban expansion with modern residential and commercial zones, including affordable housing.
The Premier announced that Jepak will be the next area to benefit from piped gas infrastructure, allowing households to switch from gas cylinders to a direct supply system, an initiative made possible by Sarawak’s own energy company, Petros.
Earlier yesterday, he officiated the launch of piped gas supply for households in Bintulu’s Sungai Plan housing area.
“Just as Peninsular Malaysia has gas pipelines from Terengganu, we in Sarawak also have abundant gas reserves. That is why we established Petros, to develop our own modern infrastructure,” he said.
Abang Johari further highlighted Bintulu’s growing power generation capacity, noting that a new 500-megawatt gas-powered plant is currently under construction.
With the existing 500-megawatt plant and another in the pipeline, this addition will raise Bintulu’s total power generation capacity to 1.5 gigawatts. — DayakDaily
