By DayakDaily
KUCHING, July 15: Claims that federal allocations for three Sarawak bridge projects in 2018 were merely reviewed or channelled elsewhere should not distract from the fact that the projects were eventually cancelled, said Sarawak United Peoples’ Party (SUPP) Kuching branch acting secretary and youth chief Nicholas Wung Duk Ying.
He said Democratic Action Party (DAP) should address the issue based on official administrative records, rather than broad political explanations.
Wung believed Premier Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg had rightly pointed out that the cancellation of the Batang Lupar Bridge 1, Batang Igan Bridge and Batang Rambungan Bridge projects affected Sarawak’s development, forcing the State government to later proceed using its own funds.
“He (Abang Johari) said DAP’s claim that the allocations were not cancelled but merely reviewed, or that they were channelled to the Sarawak-Sabah Link Road Phase 1 (SSLR1), was difficult to accept.”
Wung also pointed out that Works Minister Dato Sri Alexander Nanta Linggi had clarified that it was inaccurate to say the SSLR 1 had “replaced” the three bridge projects, as both served different localities and development objectives.
“Since the Works Minister has made this clear, DAP should provide a clearer explanation instead of relying on broad statements that may confuse the public,” said Wung in a statement.
Wung said the SSLR 1 was meant to open access to the northern interior, while the three bridges directly served communities in western and central coastal Sarawak.
He said the progress of the three bridges showed that the Sarawak government had made the right decision to proceed with its own funding.
“What the people want are completed bridges, better roads and infrastructure that truly improves their lives, not political explanations or wordplay,” he said.
He also supported Deputy Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts Minister Datuk Sebastian Ting’s criticism of the Facebook page “ASM Network” for wrongly crediting Batang Lupar Bridge 1 to the Federal government.
Wung stressed that Batang Lupar Bridge 1 was fully funded and implemented by the Sarawak government, and no party should disregard that fact for political publicity.
He added that the bridge was not an isolated project, but a key node in Sarawak’s coastal road and second trunk road network.
“With this wider network taking shape, the Kuching-Sibu journey is expected to be reduced from about 396km to 252km. This is the result of Sarawak’s overall infrastructure planning, not the effect of a single bridge alone,” he said.
Wung said the projects proved that Sarawak had sound financial management and clear development priorities.
“Sarawak did not go bankrupt. Instead, it has the ability to fund bridges, roads and infrastructure projects to solve real problems faced by the people,” he said. —DayakDaily
