‘Samarahan bridge set to bring bigger change to Samarahan’
KOTA SAMARAHAN: Samarahan is set to see a bigger change with the completion of Samarahan bridge, expected to be in June next year.
Tourism, Arts, Culture, Youth and Sports Minister Datuk Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah said the completion of the bridge will complete the road network for the coastal highway from Kuching to Sebuyau.
“At this time, for us to go to Asajaya, it takes about an hour. With the completion of this bridge, it will cut the travelling time by half,” he said in his welcoming speech during the Samarahan Division Hari Raya Aidilftri event at Samarahan Civic Centre here on Wednesday.
Abdul Karim, who is also Asajaya assemblyman, said the completion of Samarahan bridge will make it easier for people of Samarahan to go to Kuching, especially the farmers to bring their products to sell in Kuching.
He attributed the rapid development experienced in Samarahan to the past and present visionary leaders, particularly from Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu ( PBB) as well as the cooperation from the people of Samarahan.
“Samarahan has changed. Every year, we see vibrant changes ( here). Last time, we never thought that there would be multi-storey buildings in this area and today, there are many of them in Samarahan.
“Last time, we never thought that Samarahan will have shopping malls but today we see them all here. Previously, we never thought our area will have a university but today we have a few of them here.”
Abdul Karim said unlike before, the roads from Samarahan to Kuching and vice versa are congested every day, which showed that Samarahan is changing and developing.
Another evidence that Samarahan is developing, he said, is that many people in Kuching want to migrate to Samarahan.
“Last time, very seldom we saw Kuching people wanting to migrate to Samarahan to buy house.”
In addition, he said previously those staying in the villages in Samarahanwouldwanttomigrate and buy a house in Kuching when they get employment there.
“The situation has changed today. Many Kuching people want to buy a house in Samarahan. All these are due to the struggle of our leaders and careful planning and how we want to develop our area to be what it is today.”
Abdul Karim said the people of Samarahan will never forget the struggle of the leaders in PBB, who had developed Samarahan to what it is today.
“I dare to say, the people in Samarahan will continue to stand solidly behind our Chief Minister Datuk Amar Abang Johari Tun Openg.”
He noted that since 1991, there has never been any seat in Samarahan that went to the opposition, adding that the area will continue to be a stronghold for PBB/ BN in the coming general election.