Not a single decent road in oil-rich Sabah

The federal government had failed to build a modern road network in Sabah despite 47 years of nation-building, says a former minister.

KOTA KINABALU: Sabah is clearly not in the nation-building plans of the Barisan Nasional government in the last 47 years. For todate, “not a single decent trunk road or highway” has been built for the state.

A former Sabah minister, Kong Hong Ming, said the federal government had failed to build a modern road network in the state almost half a century since the formation of Malaysia.

He said Sabahans were still begging for infrastructural development despite regularly giving away 95% of the state’s oil and gas resources to the federal government.

Kong, now a PKR leader, has accused the Umno-led BN federal government of taxing Sabahans and treating Sabah as a backwater.

“With all our oil and gas resources, there is not a single decent trunk road or highway in Sabah after 47 years.

“Worse still, almost all the trunk roads linking the major towns in Sabah are in bad shape due to lack of maintenance despite billion of ringgit spent on the task.

“Meanwhile, we watch and admire the modern and expensive communication system and networks in Peninsular Malaysia built and enjoyed by the people there.

“Obviously, what we have in Malaysia is one country with two systems of administration, with Sabah given lower priority in every aspect of development,” Kong said, adding that the BN government had nothing to shout about in so far as development in Sabah was concerned.


Unserviceable roads 

Kong, who is PKR’s Tawau division chief, was commenting on numerous public complaints over the deteriorating condition of the controversial Sapulut-Kalabakan Road, constructed at a cost of RM565 million.

Kong, who happened to be the “whistle-blower” of the controversial project, also warned that the government might end up wasting another RM270 million of taxpayers’ money on the “upgrading” of the road.
“It is almost certain that RM565 million of public funds spent on Sapulut-Kalabakan Road has gone to waste.

“It is also likely that the government will be throwing away another RM270 million for nothing without a proper study of the current resent deplorable conditions of road.

“It appears that the supposedly new road is now already beyond repair and re-construction is necessary,” said Kong, a civil engineer.

He noted that the federal government had pledged in Parliament in April last year, an additional allocation of RM270 million for upgrading the road, which is meant to link Tawau to here.

However, to this day no upgrading has been done.

Kong said that in less than five years after Sapalut-Kalabakan Road had been completed, the gravel road has become unserviceable, unfit and unsafe for road users.

“More than 10 sections of the trunk road meant to serve Tawau and Kota Kinabalu are impassable.
“Major landslides and erosion problems, coupled with the lack of proper maintenance, have caused extensive damage to the road.

“It is a nightmare for the people who have to travel on this road and suffer such inconvenience,” he said.
According to Kong, he had received complaints that the road is “worse than the logging” paths maintained by timber companies.

“It is a scandal as well as a complete waste of public funds,” he said.

He questioned the silence of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) over the two reports lodged by him on the matter in 2008.

Recently, a group of 63 tourists from Limbang, Sarawak, highlighted their disturbing journey along the route in their bid to get to the east coast town of Semporna.

The group was forced to turn back after their vehicles risked becoming bogged down in the road that had turned into a quagmire.