Masing: Baram people shouldn’t be denied roads
KUCHING: Minister of Infrastructure Development and Transportation Tan Sri Datuk Amar Dr James Jemut Masing said the people in Baram must not be denied proper roads to connect them to major towns.
The Deputy Chief Minister wants the 160.7km long logging road linking Long Lama to Long Bedian and Long Iman in Baram to be upgraded to gravel road as requested by Telang Usan assemblyman Dennis Ngau.
He said based on the estimate by Public Works Department (PWD) the upgrading work would cost RM136.6 million.
“My advice to YB Dennis is that as long as you are the YB ( elected representative) of this area ( Telang Usan) do not do nitpicking. Propose roads to all communities regardless of their political alliance.
“After doing all these, if they choose not to support BN at the next election, the guilty conscience is on them, not on you ( Dennis). You ( Dennis) have delivered,” advised Masing.
Masing said the government could not deny the rural folks in Baram accessibility.
To those who rejected roads just because they were instigated by few personalities to go against the Barisan Nasional ( BN) government, Masing said they are to be left alone at the moment until they choose to have roads.
The about 10,000 to 15,000 folks – representing one-third of the people living in the middle Baram area - plying the Long Lama-Long Naha’ A logging road would have benefited from an upgraded road project if they did not oppose it, said Masing.
He was referring to an illegal blockade installed by some people at Long Lama junction, thereby denying people depending on Long Lama-Long Naha’A route a better road condition.
But there are other people in Baram – two thirds of the total population – who need good roads, Masing stressed.
“If those in the middle area reject roads, we still cannot deny the two-third of the people there of good roads. We can go east and we can also go west (from Long Lama junction),” he said.
Meanwhile, Dennis said logging roads existed in Baram since the 1970s and according to an expert in the area, logging or timber companies have contributed significantly to build a total of 10,000km of roads.
However, logging activities are now reduced in intensity if taking into account that one sawmill was forced to close down because there was not enough wood to feed the sawmill, he added.
Apart from the upgrading of the Long Lama-Long Bedian-Long Iman road, Dennis said he would also propose to the government to upgrade the Lapok-Long Subeng Ulu Tinjar road which is around 100km long and estimated to cost RM90 million to benefit the Iban and Orang Ulu communities there.
Dennis was met after paying Masing a courtesy call at his office at Masja in Petra Jaya.
“My visit to Tan Sri Dr James Masing today ( yesterday) is to brief him on the overall situation of my constituency Telang Usan, one of which is to build and upgrade as many roads to connect the numerous longhouses within the state constituencies of Telang Usan and also Mulu.”
Also present at the courtesy call was engineer Othman Ali.