Government making sure projects completed in time — Minister
KUCHING: ‘Sick’ rural development projects reflect the government’s inability to deliver and can affect the Barisan Nasional ( BN)’s performance in the coming general election.
In highlighting this, Rural and Regional Development Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob urged all stakeholders to monitor and manage ongoing rural development projects constantly, closely and seriously to ensure no project catches a cold and become sick.
“If a project is sick, the people are not happy and the government gets the blame. We know that the people have high hopes on the government to bring development and progress to their areas,” he said.
“We want to do away with such negative perception because when people are sick (unhappy), it can affect the way they vote come election,” he warned.
Ismail emphasised the severity of the issue at the ministry’s Excellent Service Award ceremony at Pullman Hotel here yesterday.
He thus called for immediate and constant supervision to be carried out to keep track of the issues and tasks throughout the life of a project.
“This way, we can rectify and take corrective steps at different stages to put the project on track and ensure its successful completion,” he stressed.
“The special taskforce which has been set up before will continue to follow closely the progress of every project. We expect them to report on a weekly and monthly basis so that any problem arising at any point of time can be addressed immediately before the project becomes sick,” he said.
Contractors involved in projects, Ismail added, are now required to submit monthly progress and status report to ensure delivery of project according to schedule.
“Contractors involved in sick projects will be blacklisted from taking up future projects under the ministry,” he warned.
Ismail revealed that from 2010 to 2015, half of the 90 electrification projects approved and implemented with a total cost of RM490 million throughout Sarawak were ‘sick’.
“But fortunately, all the sick projects have now been completed before the Tanjong Datu byelection took place. So currently there are no more sick projects in Sarawak involving electrification,” he explained.
As for rural water supply project under the 10th Malaysia Plan, he said out of the eight projects costing RM2 billion, only two were ‘sick’ - one in Tapah due to land issue and one in Santubong because of change of design.
“But we are confident the problems can be solved,” he assured.
For this year, Ismail informed that seven major water supply projects involving RM537.12 million will be implemented throughout Sarawak, including those recently announced by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak in Lundu costing RM129 million for Tasik Biru and Tanjong Datu.
As for rural road projects in 2016, 17 projects were successfully completed and this year will see 30 new projects implemented, he added.
From the overall RM5-billion allocation under Budget 2016 for rural development, he said 25 per cent has been allocated to Sarawak, another 25 per cent for Sabah and the rest for the entire Peninsular Malaysia.
“The allocation is for rural development projects involving water and electricity supply, roads, hardcore poor housing projects (PPRT) and many others,” he said.
The ministry, he added, will focus on giving out more ‘ touch point’ projects this year which can be implemented and completed in a short period of time.