SARAWAK PKR has urged the state government to put on hold the mega projects that are non-essential.
This follows Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi’s admission that rural Sarawak still lacks basic infrastructure and amenities.
State PKR chairman Roland Engan said that while Sarawak leaders might have big plans for the state, they must first meet the basic needs of the people.
"The state has many development plans with numerous regional bodies set up to oversee these mega projects,” Roland said.
"However, it is very clear that the rural areas need attention first.”
He said there was the costly Pan Borneo Highway linking coastal Sarawak but the roads in the rural districts were still in very bad condition.
He said the development plans have overlooked the rural areas.
"The huge amount of money should be channelled to resolve basic infrastructure problems in rural Sarawak first," he said in a statement.
Zahid had yesterday promised to help rescue sick infrastructure projects in Sarawak that are crucial to one million rural residents of Sarawak.
"We acknowledge there are still areas in the state that doesn not have electricity and water supply. There are infrastructure projects related to roads and bridges that are still in bad shape. Longhouse repairs also to be given attention," Zahid said in Sibu last week.
Zahid said he would talk to Works Minister Datuk Seri Alexander Nanta Linggi about the delayed projects in Sarawak that needed urgent attention.
The Public Works Department has identified 95 important projects worth RM10.357 billion in Sarawak that have been delayed.
These projects include government clinics, schools, teachers’ quarters, village roads and bridges.
The Long Busang clinic is another such project.
The Long Busang Clinic is a government clinic project in launched 2018 to serve the thousands of natives living upstream of the Bakun Dam in central Sarawak.
Long Busang is one of about 6,000 rural villages in the state. – May 20, 2024.
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