KOTA KINABALU: While there is an on-going campaign to clean the Moyog River, there is no serious attention given to the erosion that is affecting many villages and roads that dot or run along the riparian.
Whether the villages are communal lands or titled lands, the government must do something to protect the villages, the people and roads from the effect of erosion.
Sabah DAP visited two areas where erosion of the Moyog River has affected the lives of those living around the area. A village in Kg Tanaki comprising of at least eight houses has been practically divided into two by the erosion.
According to its secretary, Dr Edwin Bosi, part of the small village road had been lost. A path has been created to allow the people to walk to their houses leaving behind their vehicles on the other side of the road.
According to the affected residents, this problem had been sitting there for years and no one from the government was concerned. Even after many official complaints, nothing happened. The problem was now compounded with no functional street lights in this village.
Another area of concern is the erosion on the main Penampang-Lok Kawi road near Kg Nambazan.
According to Henry Mogindol, the DAP Sabah Moyog chief, the problem was very minor but the authority did not undertake remedial works immediately. Now, the problem was much larger taking at least half of the road. As the road became narrower and constricted, it was now a danger to motorists using this road.
Sabah DAP, he said, urges the government to practise what it preaches. Umno and BN say they are concerned about the wellbeing of the rakyat with their 1Malaysia slogan of People First. Then by all means show it by solving these problems that the rakyat are facing now.
It is unacceptable for the government to wait for the whole village to slide into the river or for the whole road to be impassable before sending in contractors to repair the affected areas.
Such attitude only gives the people an impression that Umno and BN will only undertake mitigation works when the damage is big and where there will be more money to be made.
According to him, Sabah DAP wants to remind Umno and BN that people’s life is precious and a duty of the government of the day to ensure the safety of its people, including their properties.
Moyog River which starts from the southern part of the Crooker Range and meanders through the Penampang plain, exits to the South China Sea in Petagas. The river which was once used to bring much needed goods and supplies to the inland inhabitants of Moyog, is now too shallow for even a small “perahu” to navigate upstream.
For example, big supply boats were able to reach as far as Inobong and Kasigui where barter trading was very active using the Moyog River in those early days.