Florance (standing, fifth left) with the villagers who planted trees in the middle of muddy Paitan-Pitas road.
KOTA KINABALU: With millions of ringgit worth of projects and assistance announced by the government ahead of the Kimanis by-election, villagers in Sugut Paitan are hoping they are not forgotten.
After many years of voicing their concern on the worsening condition of Paitan-Pitas muddy main road but left unheard, a group of disappointed villagers from Kg Paitan “planted” trees in the middle of the road as a symbol of protest.
“With all the development and assistance announcement made by ministers in Kimanis, we are hoping the government to set aside some budget to channel immediate project here. We need help.
“We have many sad stories caused by the muddy road.
There were mothers who lost their battle on their way to Pitas hospital, and recently we cannot buy school necessities for our schooling children because we cannot access the road. Not all of us own a four-wheel-drive vehicle, and many are depending on those with cars to go to nearby town to buy supplies.
“This road has been like this for the past seven years, and it became even worse recently during the rainy season. Many cars broke down. We had enough. We want attention. That is why we planned the protest to catch the attention of netizens, so that it will reach those who have the power to help us,” said Florance Johnny, who led the protest.
When contacted yesterday, Florance, who is also Sugut community development officer, said they took pictures of their group planting trees and acting putting up traditional fish trap which had received mixed reactions in the social media.
However, they haven’t received any good news from the government.
Some of the trees planted on the dirt road by the villagers.
“We are hoping with the photos in social media, our voices will be heard because we cannot continue living like this anymore.
“We cannot do business, our children will have problem going to school and we will be facing financial difficulties if we keep repairing our vehicles,” he added.
The Paitan-Pitas road is also connecting Pitas to Sandakan, where it became the main route of express buses for the past decade.