KOTA KINABALU – Three main basic amenities and the lack thereof could leave Sabah totally unprepared when Malaysia opens its borders from April 1 onwards, said Datuk Junz Wong (Tanjung Aru-Warisan).
During his debate at the state assembly today, Wong pointed out that bad roads, water shortages, and poor electricity supplies are among the state’s major issues.
He stressed that these three problems were completely unheard of when the Sabah-based party contested and campaigned in the recently concluded Johor polls.
“I see three issues. They have never been raised in the peninsula, but each time an election is coming, these three problems are constantly raised,” said Wong.
“I know that when I was travelling to Bekok in Segamat from Johor Baru, we arrived there in less than two hours…in Sabah, driving to Kimanis would probably take longer,” added Wong.
On the water issue, Wong said some residents endure more than five weeks of water disruption in places like Tuaran and Sepanggar.
“We don’t understand why this problem happens. Imagine…the endemic phase will start on April 1. Imagine when we reopen our borders and the tourists start coming to Sabah.
“What will happen to us then when tourists find out that we have a water problem?” he asked.
On electricity, Wong claimed that he had received numerous complaints from residents of damaged electrical appliances due to the constant power disruptions.
In another development, the Warisan vice-president said he noticed an uptrend of children dropping out of schools in recent years.
He said he had received hundreds of requests from parents to help settle school fees.
“I myself have received hundreds of requests. They are asking this because they cannot pay for their children’s school fees,” he said. – The Vibes, March 21, 2022
