Why was the response to provide necessary infrastructure so slow when YB’s have allocation of RM1.5 million?

The recent rainy season has caused more similar stories of children going through treacherous means to get to school in other parts of Sabah to resurface.

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Article on Daily Express dated 1st August 2022

LABUAN: Elected representatives should not wait for approvals for minor projects which if not addressed immediately could result in death or injury.

“Instead, they should resort to using the huge yearly allocation given to them by the State Government,” said activist Datuk Patrick Sindu.

He was commenting on the statement by Tulid Assemblywoman Flovia Ng, who said application for the construction of a suspension bridge in Kg Mansiang was submitted in February, but was only approved by the Rural Development Ministry on June 3.

“How much does a suspension bridge cost…RM20,000. Perhaps maybe RM30,000. What about the RM1.5 million allocation as minor development funds for Assembly members and RM1 million for Members of Parliament approved in the last Sabah budget? The public was assured that the huge allocation was meant for emergencies like repairing damages to bridges, clear roads during landslides and during floods” he said.

“Prior to that a separate allocation was given to help those affected by the Covid-19 pandemic in their areas and nobody knows how even this was used.”

Patrick said in another incident in Nabawan early this year, parents decided to improvise a zip line for students to get across the river when suspension bridges there were destroyed by floods.

“They decided they could not wait. The elected representative  there Datuk Arthur Joseph Kurup applied for allocation to repair the bridges. 

“But the least he could have done in the meantime was to provide sampans for the students to cross safely which would not have cost more than RM3,000,” Patrick said. He said by right all the YBs should be doing an audit on the suspension bridges in their constituencies and repairing dilapidated ones without waiting for the problems to be highlighted in social media.

He agreed with State Local Government and Housing Minister Datuk Seri Masidi Manjun that civil servants in these areas were also not doing what was expected them.

“Waiting for funds is no longer a logical or acceptable explanation in these days of advanced technology.

“What is needed is a drastic review of the service delivery system, elimination of red tape and the YBs responding immediately. The risk of not acting immediately may damage the State Government’s image. It is also most unfair for these rural pupils to face such risks just to attend school unlike their urban cousins who enjoy better amenities. Is the State Education Department also sleeping on the job?” he asked.

Meanwhile, residents of Kg Mansiang Baru said they were not comfortable with the idea of the pupils crossing the swollen Biah river by clinging onto a pipe trunk.

They told Daily Express that the scene in the video which went viral on social media happened when it was getting late and they had no choice. Most times, those like Kamlee Wong, 39, preferred to wade across the river while carrying their children.

“At times, we have to wait until the water level recedes before we decide to cross the river, carrying the kids.

“When the video was taken, we could not wait for the water to subside as it was getting dark. Thus, the pupils had to cling onto the water trunk,” he said adding it was fortunate none of them fell into the river while doing so. 

The father of three said if it rains in the morning, he would not allow his children to go to school for fear that if the river is swollen in the afternoon, the pupils would be stranded on the other side. “This has been going on for years. Whenever it rains heavily, our children don’t go to school,” he said.

He said within a month, there would be three or four days when the children cannot go to school. He said the teachers are aware of the the situation.

“When the water level rises to three meters, even heavy vehicles cannot cross the river. Sometimes, we just sit on the river bank while waiting for the water level to recede,” he said.
The pipe trunk which serves as an alternative when the Biah river is swollen.

“At times even motor vehicles have to be left on the other side of the river to be collected the next day due to the situation,” he said, and hoped the promise by the people’s representative (YB) to build the suspension bridge would not take too long.

“I hope the Government is not waiting for someone to fall into the river before acting,” he said.

Another resident, Steven Aloy, 64, hoped a proper bridge would be built soonest, pointing out that when water level rises even vehicles cannot cross the low-level crossing.

“If a proper bridge is built, it will also be easier for the villagers to also bring their agricultural produce like oil palm and rubber.”

“For the long-term we hope a proper concrete bridge can be built so that vehicles can pass regardless of the water level,” he said.

He said the villagers had been suffering for decades due to the non-availability of a bridge.