David (left) briefly goes through the proposal with Azmi. Chong is at the centre. — Photo by Chimon Upon
KUCHING: Three DAP elected representatives from Sibu submitted their proposal for a Sibu Outer Ring Road to the special admin officer of the Chief Minister’s Office, Azmi Bujang, yesterday.
Pelawan David Wong (Pelawan), Dudong assemblyman Yap Hoi Liong and Sibu MP Oscar Ling, who were accompanied by state DAP chairman Chong Chieng Jen, had wanted to submit the proposal to the chief minister but they did not get to see Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Adenan Satem as they did not make an appointment to see him.
They were instead met by Azmi outside the security booth at Wisma Bapa Malaysia. Azmi acknowledged receipt of the proposal.
The proposal, said David, was to build three new roads and upgrade an existing road in Sibu for about RM70 million.
“One of them is at the Jalan Wong King Huo roundabout, connecting to JPJ, which is about 4.5km. There will be a bypass in the middle. We estimate it cost about RM30 million. Another one is connecting a residential area to another by constructing a bridge across Sungai Merah. That would cost around RM10 million.
“Another one is Teku Road to Sibu Golf Club area. A lot of those in Kampung Dato and Kampung Nangka will be relocated to this golf club area, so that road would be around 7km, costing some RM20 million,” he told reporters after handing over the proposal to Azmi.
David opined that one of the oldest roads in Sibu – Jalan Oya – needed upgrading, too. The stretch from SMK St. Elizabeth to the traffic junction, he said, needed to be upgraded to a dual carriageway. That would cost about RM10 million.
He alleged there had been no new roads built in Sibu in the last two years, which led to massive traffic congestions during peak hours.
“What we are proposing is something good for the people of Sarawak, especially Sibu, and should be good for our chief minister and the state government.”
He said Bawang Assan assemblyman Dato Sri Wong Soon Koh, who is also Second Finance Minister and Minister of Local Government and Community Development, had announced last March his proposal to build two roads in Sibu at a cost of RM106 million.
David claimed Soon Koh’s proposal for the new road from Jalan Wong King Huo to JPJ would cost RM35 million while the other new road, which would connect directly from Sungai Merah to the golf club area, would cost RM71 million.
“His (Soon Koh) two roads cost RM106 million, but the ones we are proposing totalled only RM70 million.”
He said their proposal also included urging the state government to source for 500 acres of state or NCR land along Teku Road for low-cost housing development.
“There is a lot of ‘un-surveyed’ land there. If we can have that new ring road, we will have more ‘un-surveyed’ land coming up. The state government can acquire and allocate them for low-cost housing projects, which would be good for Sibu people.
“I hope Dato Sri Wong Soon Koh does not just carry the name of Second Finance Minister but cannot do anything (with it). He should have some authority, or at least he should support our proposal. Whatever is good for Sibu … we should put politics aside.”
To a question, David said they did not make the appointment because “what we want is to submit this proposal to his office and make sure that he receives it.”
“I do not think the chief minister knows the conditions of Sibu like myself and my colleagues. So, he will need people from JKR (Public Works Department) and Land and Survey Department (LSD) and other authorities to source for the information that he needs.”
He said the DAP had approached LSD Sibu for the information necessary to draft the proposal, stressing: “We do not just pluck the figures from the air. What we propose is credible and workable, for as long as it is through open tender.”