Wednesday November 23, 2011
by ZORA CHAN: zora@thestar.com.my
PUTRAJAYA: Barisan Nasional will keep its promise to bring development to rural areas, particularly in Sarawak, to ensure progress throughout the country.
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak said the Government was committed to this through its ongoing Rural Transformation Programme.
“The Government understands the predicament of rural folk and their thirst for development.
“We’ll make sure that development in the country will be inclusive and people from every nook and corner will feel and enjoy the nation’s progress,” said Najib.
“When Barisan promises to do something, we are sure to deliver them,” he said when welcoming a delegation comprising Lun Bawang and Kelabit community leaders and village elders from the highlands of Ba’Kelalan and Bario to Seri Perdana here yesterday.
The 32-member delegation was led by Lawas MP Datuk Henry Sum Agong and it was, among others, aimed at thanking the Federal Government for upgrading an abandoned logging road from Long Luping to Ba’Kelalan using soil stabilisation technology, as well as to raise other urgent matters in Henry’s constituency.
The project, spanning 75km and included a few access roads to several villages, started in mid 2009 and was completed in September.
Ba’Kelalan is about 150km from Lawas. The stretch between Lawas and Long Luping remains a logging track.
Najib said the upgraded road between Long Luping to Ba’Kelalan was the first to use such a method, with help from the army through the Jiwa Murni community outreach programme.
He said if the Government used conventional method, it would cost about RM250mil and a few years to complete.
“This is a huge amount for a rural area with such a low population and deemed not feasible economically.”
“However, the people are desperate for the road and through the Jiwa Murni programme, the road has been sealed and this only costs RM52mil. This project also shows that the army and people are inseparable,” he said.
The upgraded road has shortened travel from Lawas to Ba’Kelalan from eight hours to three, and sometimes two days depending on road and weather conditions.
He said the impact of the project was tremendous to the people as villagers enjoyed lower transportation cost and cheaper daily necessities.
Giving examples, Najib said: “I was told that a can of soft drink used to cost RM3 but now it’s RM2, while a cylinder of gas that costs RM60 is now RM45 in Ba’Kelalan.”
Looking at this success, he said, more rural areas would benefit from the Defence Ministry’s Jiwa Murni programmes.
Therefore, more rural roads would be built with help from the army which is faster and cost effective compared to conventional methods by the Public Works Department.
Earlier, Henry said Lawas was in dire need of a new airport as the present one had limited space for expansion and was often flooded during bad weather.
“Lawas also needs a technical school that offers diploma courses because presently the area does not have such an institution for school-leavers.”
He said the highlands of Ba’Kelalan and Bario also required a primary school.
“The Bailey bridge over Sungai Pengalih along the Pan Borneo highway built under the Colombo Plan also needs to be upgraded as more and more heavy vehicles are using it.”
Henry added: “The people are also requesting for dirt roads / logging tracks connecting Ba’Kelalan and Bario, Ba’Kelalan and the border with Indonesia, and Lawas to Long Luping be upgraded as well.”
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