Council told to buck up after MP nearly falls into drain

TAMPARULI: Tuaran member of parliament Datuk Seri Wilfred Madius Tangau has taken the Tamparuli District Council to task for the poor condition of the basic amenities in the township here.

“The Tuaran District Council must buck up,” said Tangau after noticing the shoddy maintenance and appearance of the drainage in the town area.

Speaking after leading more than 100 volunteers from various NGOs and Barisan Nasional component parties in the MyBN NBOS gotong royong programme for the Tuaran parliamentary constituency, he also expressed disappointment with the poor workmanship of the drainage, particularly near the wet market and Dewan Tun Hamdan.

Tangau who is also Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation, nearly fell into the six-foot deep main drain after stepping on some zinc sheets apparently used merely to cover the top part of the drain.

“This is so dangerous. Anyone passing by this area will be in danger,” he exclaimed.

He also criticised the relevant authorities for the low water pressure near the Tamparuli Clinic.

Firemen assisting in the gotong royong were forced to look high and low for a water source to pump water and clear the clogged drainage.

He also noticed that the stall operators nearby had to stock up water in big bottles due to the problem.

“The relevant authorities, especially the District Council, need to be vigilant with all these issues, which are affecting the people,” he said.

As for future action, Tangau said he would be employing technology to clear up the clogged drainages.

During the gotong royong, various items such as a gallon container, a mattress and broken plates were found clogging the drainage.

It took nearly two hours for Tangau and the volunteers with assistance from the firemen to take out the discarded items and finally eased the water flow.

In this respect, he advised residents here to also share the responsibility and refrain from discarding rubbish indiscriminately.

“Our mindset needs to progress positively in parallel with our country’s progress,” he said.