WHAT IS HAPPENING?: Chiew shows the half-removed lamp post at Jalan Landeh, 10th Mile, Kuching.
KUCHING: Batu Kawah assemblywoman Christina Chiew wonders whether the removal of all the electricity poles along Jalan Landeh near Kota Padawan here “is an act of revenge by the BN government” after the state seat fell to the opposition in the last state election.
She told a press conference here yesterday that the lamp posts were removed one by one since June. However, she wasn’t clear who the party behind it was.
She claimed that the poles were installed by a local contractor years ago but they were merely a decoration as “the street lights were only working for a short period.”
Without the street lighting, the stretch of road, about two to three km long, is posing a threat to road users as well as residents living around the area.
“According to residents nearby, on average, at least one road accident occurs every day at Jalan Landeh since the road has no street lights,” she claimed, adding that she had raised the issue at the State Legislative Assembly (DUN) sitting twice.
She said Assistant Minister of Local Government Datuk John Sikie Tayai in his reply at the DUN sitting had said that “there is no time frame for the government to settle the issue.”
She claimed that she had also approached Padawan Municipal Council (MPP) over the matter, however, its chairman Lo Khere Chiang argued that the matter was under the jurisdiction of Public Works Department (JKR).
“So, I approached JKR since MPP had pushed away the responsibility. Sadly, JKR did not get back to me.
“This case clearly shows that the BN government has failed to provide the most basic infrastructure to the people. This is against the so-called ‘Janji Ditepati’ (Promises Fulfilled), which to me, is merely to fish the votes,” stressed Chiew.