PROTEST: The villagers assemble in front of the project site to express their disappointment.
KUCHING: A sizeable crowd held a peaceful demonstration at Kampung Gersik here yesterday morning to protest against the delay in completing the village surau.
They carried banners which among others said ‘Dah lama kami tunggu … bila lagi nak siap?’ (We have waited so long, when is it going to be completed?).
According to a notice board in front of the project site, the date of commencement of the project was May 6, 2011 and the completion was supposed to be March 5 which is next month.
But, at closer inspection, the site seemed deserted without indication of any progress, and the dissatisfied villagers decided to demonstrate there to express their disappointment over the delay.
The group of 200 demonstrators were led by Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB) Kampung Gersik sub-branch chief Kushairi Aman, who said they demonstrated not to oppose the government but to find out the cause of delay.
“We were never told of the reason for the project to be interrupted … Now we want to know when the project would resume.
“The agency given the responsibility should go to the ground and monitor the progress of this project,” he said to reporters here.
Because of the delay, he said the villagers had no other choice but to use individual houses as temporary surau.
He was also worried that the non-existence of a proper surau would paint a bad image of Gersik, which is now beginning to be known as a tourist attraction for the iconic Kek Lapis Sarawak.
“This situation is making it difficult for tourists to perform their prayers while on their visit here,” he pointed out.
He was also sad that the villagers had to pray separately instead of ‘berjemaah’ (congregating) during Ramadan and Aidilfitri because the temporary surau at individual houses could not accommodate big numbers of people.
It was learnt the project was estimated to cost RM1.3 million and once ready, would be able to accommodate up to 300 people at one time.
Meanwhile, Santubong MP Datuk Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar, whose constituency covers the area, revealed the delay was due to unsuitable soil condition as there were old cables underneath the site.
He nonetheless was disappointed that the Public Works Department (JKR) did not inform the villagers which resulted in them holding the demonstrations.
“The relevant officer should have informed the villagers the reasons for the delay, and not just remain silent on the matter,” said the Dewan Rakyat Deputy Speaker when met later.
He also opined that the villagers should be represented in any meeting regarding the progress of the project.
“They should not be afraid of inviting the villagers. Two-way dialogues are important so that there is no discontent among the people,” he said.