KUCHING, May 12: The implementation of the Second Trunk Road (STR) was crucial and necessary as it will serve as a ‘gateway’ to provide better connectivity for the large hinterland between Samarahan right up to Sibu, said political secretary to the Chief Minister Charles Chad Nissom.
“The STR will cut across a large portion of hinterlands between Samarahan, Simunjan, Sri Aman reaching Betong, and connecting Sibu via the Sarikei-Bintangor link supposedly giving benefits to the scattered settlements along its routes once materialised. This will provide a ‘gateway’ to open more settlements, plantations or even food basket areas in the future,” Chad said in a press statement issued here today.
His statement came as a response to PSB’s stance echoed by its Youth Chief, Johnical Rayong that the STR project was redundant and served little purpose.
“We would not want the vast population along the STR to suffer like those in Bawang Assan where the first JKR road was built was the Jalan Sg Bidut, Sabedil and Bungan in the Bawang Assan constituency only after the general election in 2016 under the new ministry but not done during the PSB President’s helm, who was a minister of infrastructure for some years then,” stressed Chad.
He also asserted that the implementation of STR would also intensify development in rural areas.
“We will be guilty of not bringing road access and depriving the rural communities a substantial share of connectivity development if we shelve STR. Ample road networks within the state will accelerate economic development and growth and thus the STR projects shall be allowed to pick up,” he said.
Chad stated that the ruling Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) government would not want to emulate PSB which seems to be anti-rural development.
“We cannot prevent PSB from adopting a policy which is clearly anti rural community development but we in GPS will surely prevent PSB from acquiring power to prevent the implementing of STR,” he said.—DayakDaily
