Mixed feelings on opening of new bridge

KUCHING: The opening of Batang Sadong Bridge for public use received mixed feelings from business operators near the Sg Buloh ferry point.

Rohaya Ibrahim, 49, for one, has been quite confused of what to do next as her business volume has declined to RM70 from more than RM200 daily after the bridge was announced to be fully operational on Oct 16.

On one hand, she is glad that the bridge is now operational and helps to cut short travelling time to other parts of Sarawak. On the other, she knows that she needs to make extra effort to adapt to the changes that are taking place.

It has not been easy for her because after a decade operating at Sg Buloh ferry point, her business was quite established and income was very stable. With changes taking place, the opportunity to make money for her family becomes uncertain.

“I have been operating business here since June 2006. Now with the ferry not operating, business is so badly affected. I still don’t know what to do next.

“I am thinking of moving my business somewhere near the bridge. But I am not so certain yet. I will stay put for a week and see how it goes first,” Rohaya told The Borneo Post when met at her stall near the ferry point yesterday.

There are about 10 stalls there and only three of them are still in operation. The other stalls were demolished or abandoned.

To Rohaya, the stall is not only a source of income but it is also the place where her customers place orders for her ‘lemang’ (coconut glutinous rice) and other local delicacies.

“During festivals such as Hari Raya and Hari Raya Haji, I got a lot of orders from villagers, also those from nearby villages and even from Kuching. Business was okay. I just don’t know if the change of venue for my business operation will affect my business in the future.

“For the time being, I need to think and make some decisions. I am giving myself a week and then decide what to do,” said Rohaya.

But definitely she would not want to stay at home and do nothing, she added, considering that the business has been a useful income supplement for her family of five children.

Her husband is a lorry driver and the extra income she makes at the stall has been useful in getting them a better life.

“And I will surely miss this place. We (she and other stall operators) have been operating here for so long. We are now like family. I feel nostalgic already to see most of the stalls being vacated,” said Rohaya.

Meanwhile, another stall operator Khamis Suip, 49, who also has been trading there since 2006 said business has almost come to a standstill.

“In the good old days, especially during festivals, earning RM100 or more was quite common. But after the bridge was open for public use last Sunday, you can see for yourself, there are only a handful of you.”

However, he admitted that he has to take changes positively by relocating to the new stall site next to the bridge.

“I have been in this line for quite some time. Before this, I was also doing similar business but elsewhere. So I hope the relocation would be for the better because I need the business to be viable to support my family,” said Khamis.

The RM211-million Batang Sadong Bridge was open to the public on Oct 16. The 1.48km bridge is the longest bridge in Malaysia across a river and it has completely replaced the Sg Buloh ferry service to cross the Batang Sadong River.