Wong (front row, left) with others at the meet-the-people session.
SIBU: The upgrading of Kong Yit Khim Road here to dual carriageway will bring changes to the economic outlook of the area.
Pointing this out, deputy chairman of Sibu Rural District Council (SRDC), Wong Ching Yong, said the proposed four-lane road starting from Sibu Water Board to Durin Bridge would enhance the value of land in the area.
“The four-lane road will link up Sibu, Sibu Jaya, Sarikei, Tanjung Manis, Kuching and other places. The area around Kong Yit Khim road is still sparsely populated.
“We hope that with the completion of the four-lane road, the government will invest more money to upgrade the basic facilities there, such as improving the wireless internet access,” he stated in his address at the meet-the-people session at the basketball court of Citizen Secondary School, Jalan Kong Yit Khim here yesterday afternoon.
The meet-the-people session was organised by Sarawak United People’s Party (SUPP) Dudong branch.
Wong, who is also the chairman of SUPP Dudong branch, said it should be noted that although the Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari Tun Openg had announced that Kong Yit Khim road would be ungraded to a dual carriageway under the 12th Malaysia Plan the premise is that a people’s representative from the ruling Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) government is required to continue to monitor and implement it.
Saying that this was a matter of political reality, he illustrated with an example that it was difficult to implement a project in an area which had no people’s representative in the government.
“At Rongan area opposite Kong Yit Khim road, the state government had already approved RM40 million to upgrade this rural road into a tar-sealed road.
“But after Datuk Dr Soon Choon Teck, the former Dudong assemblyman, retired, the RM40 million fund was transferred to another state constituency in Sibu and the fund was used to construct a road in a very sparsely populated area,” he said.
After Dr Soon retired in 2011, Wong pointed out the infrastructure in Dudong constituency deteriorated and there were many local problems particularly in the longhouses.
The biggest reason is that the subsequent elected representatives of Dudong are not representatives of GPS, the ruling party in Sarawak, he said.
Touching on the Kong Yit Khim road, he said from 1900 to 1970, it was a piece of barren land.
He related that when Dr Soon was the assemblyman, the development of the road started to take off from 1991 to 2011 but stagnated from 2011 to 2020.
“From 2020 to 2025, we hope the development of the road will take off again.
“Based on reliable information, the design of the four-lane road will include solving the flood problem at Kong Yit Khim Road, and street lights will be installed along the road,” he stated.
Wong also stressed that the Dudong constituency had always been a traditional seat of SUPP.
“I also want to thank the SUPP Dudong branch committee and the SUPP Central for their trust and support in unanimously recommending me as the only candidate for this constituency.
“I hope that all my compatriots can give me great support and the opportunity to upgrade Kong Yit Khim Road as dual carriageway,” he added.