Govt taking Sabah hanging bridge issue too lightly: state philanthropists

KOTA KINABALU – The state administration is taking the hanging bridge issue in Sabah too lightly, and it is time that Kota Kinabalu and the community prioritise the safety and maintenance of these bridges in the state, said philanthropist Anuar Ghani. 

The managing director of North Borneo Explorer Sdn Bhd and trustee of non-governmental organisation (NGO) Sabar (Sabah Action Body Advocating Rights) said as much as Sabah would want to have total connectivity with proper roads and bridges, for the time being, hanging bridges still play an important role in rural life.

Many of these bridges are made of ropes and planks, and suspended across rivers.

“It is time that we highlight the issue and give importance to it. The government can appoint a task force that specifically looks into the condition of all hanging bridges in Sabah before somebody dies,” he said. 

Speaking at a forum titled Fixing Hanging Bridges: Government’s Job or Ours? organised by Sabah Way Forward and Kupikupi FM live on Facebook recently, the activist stressed that hanging bridges are important infrastructures in Sabah but have been overlooked by the government over the years.

Anuar explained that those living in the Land Beneath the Wind cannot escape from using the hanging bridges due to its current economic state.

He pointed out that it is clear these crossings are vital in remote and not-so-remote areas in Sabah, and have been a necessity and a fact of life for a very long time.

If the Limbahau constituency alone has 20 hanging bridges, and we have 73 state seats, we may well have over 1,460 hanging bridges in the state. It is utilised daily by Sabahans, including schoolchildren.

“We must prioritise (this issue),” he said. 

Anuar opined that as a way forward, the first step should be identifying the number of hanging bridges that need to be repaired and the level of maintenance that they require.

He recommended the local district offices identify hanging bridges that have problems and raise the matter with the respective district’s state assembly representative. The assemnlyman in turn should raise the issue and request allocations from Sabah’s Rural Development Ministry.

“This is where the government must prioritise the issue of hanging bridges by providing allocation as quickly as possible,” he said. 

Anuar said he also believes in taking matters into one’s own hands. 

He said other than getting allocation from the government, the district office can approach local NGOs such as 4x4 clubs and other charity foundations that operate in their local areas.

Besides requesting government assistance, the businessman recalled Malaysia’s tradition of community cooperation, better known as gotong-royong, to make working or repairing these bridges a lot more fun.

“Community involvement is very important. We can make it a gotong-royong session; it can be a family outing (activity) – set up a campsite, we enjoy barbecue and a singalong with the villagers. Get the community involved and have fun at the same time. 

“Make the activity ‘sexy’. Attract everyone to get involved,” he said. 

The forum was conducted following news about a dilapidated hanging bridge in Kg Nelayan Tengah, Sg Manila, Sandakan, which is utilised by schoolchildren daily, that had gone viral. 

Meanwhile, founder and chairman of Persatuan Jangakauan Kasih Pitas (Reach Out) Fauziah Stephens urged for the federal government to prepare an allocation specifically to fix hanging bridges in Sabah during the discussion.

Sabah cannot be this poor that we have dilapidated hanging bridges and disconnected villages without road access. We are rich in natural resources like oil, yet it does not show. Sabah is the poorest state in the country. 

“The federal government must provide allocation to Sabah that shows justice to the state,” she said, agreeing that Putrajaya should prioritise the condition of hanging bridges in Sabah.

She also hopes that the Sabah Foundation (Yayasan Sabah), which was reported to have recorded its largest-ever profit of RM500 million last year, can make a donation to Reach Out so the body can repair dilapidated hanging bridges in Sabah and conduct other charity work. – The Vibes, January 30, 2022