Dilemma for transporters as wet season sets in
KUCHING: The livelihood of transporters in Ba Kelalan and Long Semadoh is going from bad to worse in view of the current wet season.
With the Ba Kelalan- Long Semadoh road already in bad shape even before the wet season, these transporters now face the dilemma of either providing transport to some 3,000 people of Ba Kelalan to go to Lawas town at the risk of high maintenance cost for their four-wheel- drive (4WD) vehicles, or temporarily halting their services.
But for ardent and seasoned transporter like Agong Padan @ Saweng, life goes on as usual as he considers his job as providing a service to the people, who are mostly Lun Bawang.
According to him, the stretch of road from Ba Kelalan to Long Semadoh, which is about 50km, has deteriorated so much due to big lorries still using the road to transport material to Ba Kelalan.
“We have to think of the people of Ba Kelalan who need to go to Lawas for all sorts of needs such as for medical treatment, banking and education. But with the current road condition deteriorating badly, it’s very challenging and risky to bring passengers as the road is so muddy.
“So we would like to appeal to the relevant authorities to come and assist us at the soonest possible. Please do not punish us like this as we too are Malaysian citizens,” Agong told The Borneo Post yesterday.
He said in cases of emergency, the transporters normally charged RM800 per trip from Ba Kelalan to Lawas town, but the rate will increase during night time.
We have to think of the people of Ba Kelalan who need to go to Lawas for all sorts of needs such as for medical treatment, banking and education. But with the current road condition deteriorating badly, it’s very challenging and risky to bring passengers as the road is so muddy.
“But for those who are poor and could not afford it, then they normally have to wait until the next day for the use of ordinary 4WD service as it would be cheaper.
“And due to such hardship, there have been a few cases when patients died on the way to Lawas Hospital,” disclosed Agong.
A transporter from Long Semadoh, Singa @ Lion King said fellow transporters have erected a structure to prevent lorries from using the road near Long Semadoh to prevent its condition from getting worse.
“The road is now reduced to a very narrow passage due to landslide caused by heavy rain. For drivers who travel on the road from Long Luping to Buduk Nur in Ba Kelalan, it’s a gamble and very risky too.
“For the passengers, it’s also a nightmare. And we are very worried that if we are cut off from getting our daily and basic needs, it will be a nightmare for the people of Ba Kelalan,” stressed Lion.
When contacted, Ba Kelalan assemblyman Baru Bian appealed to the relevant authorities, especially the state Public Works Department (JKR) to make good the promises to upgrade the road at the soonest possible so that the people could at least have a safe journey from Ba Kelalan to Lawas town.
Meanwhile, Deputy Chief Minister and Minister of Infrastructure Development and Transportation Tan Sri Datuk Amar Dr James Jemut Masing said his ministry is waiting for the proposal from a timber concessionaire in the area to upgrade the road to R1 standard.
“We hope things can get started after we study the proposal from the said timber concessionaire. On our part, there is no political discrimination in infrastructure development. It’s based on needs and the availability of funds. This principle also applies to Ba Kelalan,” said Masing.
The total distance from Ba Kelalan to Lawas town, via Long Luping, is about 150 kilometres.
At press time, Lawas Member of Parliament Datuk Henry Sum Agong could not be reached for comment.
Agong Padan @ Saweng, ardent and seasoned transporter