Nanta slams SRB on Song express boat services

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KAPIT: The Sarawak Rivers Board (SRB) has been slammed for painting an incorrect picture on the state of express boat services to Song.

Deputy Minister of Rural and Regional Development Datuk Alexander Nanta Linggi said SRB’s statement that there are normal services to Song is untrue.

“I am unhappy to hear the view of the Sarawak River’s Board’s controller William Jinep as though there is no problem with the convenience and safety of the travellers to and from Song, especially during the Gawai festive season,” he said.

“I agree that on normal days the express boat service schedule has a stopover at Song. But during festive seasons, such as Gawai Dayak, the express boat service that is supposed to stop over at Song does not stop at Song as scheduled.

“On paper the express boat has a scheduled stop at Song but in reality each time during festive seasons, such as Gawai Dayak, those express boats do not stop at Song.”

Nanta said in fact the express boat operator actually declined to issue tickets to passengers for Song as they “preferred to sell the tickets to those passengers going to Sibu from Kapit or Kapit to Sibu”.

“There are complaints by the people from Song that the express boats either from Sibu-Song-Kapit or Kapit to Song are already full and that there are not enough express boats for the people to go to Song.

“What the people from Song want is that there are express boats from Kapit to Song and Sibu to Song. This is the time SRB needs to look seriously into the matter. SRB must understand the real situation and the needs of the people of Song,” he stressed.

He said SRB was being insensitive to the needs of Song folk, causing much inconvenience, hardship and anger.

Nanta pointed out that many applications have been made by a Song company to operate express boats based in Song but these were denied the required permits.

“They are only given permits to operate on an ad hoc basis, not scheduled operations like the other operators. This arrangement is not good enough. The Song express boat operator should be given the same kind of permit as those of the other operators — a permit to operate with a specific timetable of departures,” he said.

The Kapit Member of Parliament called for entrepreneurs to be given the opportunity to operate public transportation.

He also urged SRB to ensure there is no overcrowding or a shortage of express boats serving the people of Kapit and Song during the Gawai holiday period.

Nanta warned that the board should not just listen to the views of the association of boat operators but also those of the people, especially from Song.