KUCHING: DAP Tasik Biru has doubts over the five-year development blueprint for Tasik Biru announced by incumbent Datuk Peter Nansian.
Its chairman Mordi Bimol said the RM300 million worth of projects pledged would remain a pledge until they were completed and proven to benefit the people.
He recalled that the RM500,000 bridge project promised for the people of Kampung Selampit (when it was under Tasik Biru) was abandoned.
“Four terms (as the assemblyman) is long enough for him to prove to the people his capability.
“Will the project really benefit the people economically and socially? Take Redeems Centre for example, does it helps to boost the economy of the people in Singai?
“Those structures might be the pride of the Bidayuh community but are they what the people really need? With the poor progress of basic infrastructure development in rural areas, coupled with the high cost of living, Nansian has proven he failed to prioritise the needs of the people in Tasik Biru.
“A mega structure that can remind people of him seems to be more important than the real needs of the people,” said Mordi in a statement here Friday.
Mordi added that Nansian seemed to forget there were many Bidayuhs in Bau, in Lundu and Sematan, still struggling to bring food to the table and still do not know how to provide their children with the best education.
“Some do not even care about their children’s education because feeding them was more important. Many are still worried about their jobless children, the future of their children, the job opportunities in Bau, Lundu and Sematan. They can’t even find part time jobs in these areas,” he said.
Mordi, tipped as DAP’s potential candidate for Tasik Biru, said churches and temples in the constituency had to raise funds on their own every year for maintenance.
He also questioned the benefit of Redeems Centre to the people in Tasik Biru.
“How many times do they use Redeems Centre in a year? What type of job opportunities and how does it contribute to the economy of the people? Does it bring tourists the whole year round like Pasar Serikin? If it is just a place for an event, the civic centre in Bau is good enough for the purpose,” he said.
He also said Nansian, despite being an assistant minister, had not done enough to influence the government to bring more projects to boost the local economy.
“Bau town is the best example of how far the Bidayuh community has been left out by the current government compared to Santubong, Petra Jaya and Kota Samarahan,” he said.