SANDAKAN – The people here are furious with the Sabah government’s decision to not repair the badly damaged road connecting Mile 28 to Mile 32 near Telupid here.
This is after Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Seri Bung Moktar Radin asked Sabahans to be patient as the Pan Borneo Highway replacing this stretch of road is expected to be completed in less than three years.
“Two years is a long time! Who is going to pay for our cars’ maintenance cost?” said resident Rizwan Bakar.
He said it is impossible for one to not be angry, especially frequent users of the said road.
“If people don’t understand what we mean, try driving on that road once, and you will understand. It has been like this since 2019, but it is becoming worse.
“I believe only 4WD can use that road now. Smaller vehicles will not be able to survive; they will either get stuck in one of the potholes or see their car tyres punctured.”
Checks by The Vibes last month found that there were about 20 to 30 potholes along the 6.4km stretch, making it impossible to not stumble into one of the potholes, which could be 1ft to 2ft deep.
The road condition has deteriorated so much that locals refer to it as “jalan bulan”, as it resembles the surface of the Moon.
Another local here, Chan Tzun Hei, said not only is the situation is bad for the drivers, it is also bad for business in the east coast district, as the road is the only one that connects Sandakan, Tawau and Lahad Datu to west coast districts such as Kota Kinabalu and Ranau.
“Considering the deputy chief minister’s reasoning for not fixing the road, it is still wise to repair the road from the economy, business, and cost management standpoint. It is not like we have an alternative road.
“This is the only road that Sandakan people can use, from small vehicles like motorcycles to 22-wheel trailers that are on the road. We use it for business, leisure, and social travel.
“This is not simply a matter of comfort but road safety, as well as the cost that business operators and people need to bear for car maintenance. This can all be avoided with proper road and infrastructure planning by government agencies.
“As flights are limited and expensive, not everyone can afford them, and flights are only an option if the people want to go to Kota Kinabalu. What about people travelling to and fro between places like Sandakan, Telupid, Beluran and Ranau?” he told The Vibes.
Another road user from Tawau, who only wants to be known as Gan, said that he had requested for his employer to relocate him to Kota Marudu, as he could not stand his car’s maintenance cost.
He said his job in a palm oil estate company requires him to go to Kota Marudu about once in two weeks, but he had to change his 4WD’s tyres once in a couple of months due to the impact from the damaged road.
“I think that maybe in three more months, only flying cars can use that road.
“Every time I drive on that road, there are two or three smaller cars stranded at the side. Either the engine had stopped or the tyres were punctured.
“I cannot stand driving the ‘jalan bulan’ anymore, so I asked to be transferred to Kota Marudu (Sabah’s west coast) and I was transferred last month.”
‘Bad planning’ to repair Mile 28-32 road: Bung Moktar
Meanwhile, Bung Moktar had said that the Mile 28-32 road had already surpassed its lifespan that was supposed to end in 2018.
“But we cannot be spending hundreds of millions of ringgit to repair the road when we are going to demolish it again in the next two years, when the Pan Borneo Highway project (Package 28, 29 and 30) is completed. That is bad planning.
“I also use the same road. I see it too, and my heart aches too. My tyres were also punctured.
“However, I see that we don’t have a choice in this, because this road will be upgraded into the Pan Borneo Highway project,” said Bung Moktar, who is also state works minister.
However, Tg Papat DAP assemblyman, Datuk Frankie Poon Ming Fung, said it does not make sense that the government is leaving the road unrepaired.
He told The Vibes that if it is because of the Pan Borneo Highway project, then the government should make sure to include a clause in the contract to include repairs of the existing road.
“I suggest that the minister check with the Public Works Department on the terms of the contract so that any anomalies can be rectified.
“Even though this kind of contract is overseen by the federal ministry, we should not just let it be and receive whatever that has been dished out by them. Sabahans are stakeholders. It is the federal government’s responsibility to undertake repair works for this road.
“Hence, the minister should instead engage with the relevant federal ministry without further delay to rectify this and to get the necessary funds to repair the road, if such repair works are not included in the Pan Borneo contract.”
Poon said he is disappointed to hear Bung Moktar’s explanation, as road users have already suffered an economic downturn during the pandemic, stressing that they are also taxpayers.
“Our people have suffered long enough. No more excuses.” – The Vibes, March 26, 2022
