20 suspension, 8 concrete bridges proof of development in Simanggang, says rep

KUCHING: Twenty suspension bridges and eight concrete bridges have already been built in the Simanggang constituency to connect the many longhouses located along rivers, said its assemblyman Datuk Francis Harden Hollis.

Harden, who is also Assistant Minister of Welfare, Community Wellbeing, Women, Faimily and Childhood Development, said the bridges would also facilitate the development of idle land and areas with agriculture potential to improve the people’s income.

“I have foreseen the need for these bridges years ago as I believe they will provide longterm benefit to the people, especially those who are eager to develop their land.

“Handing out cash aid is a temporary measure. It only provides short-term benefits to the people

“If you give a hungry man a fish, you feed him for a day, but if you teach him how to fish or give him proper tools to fish, you will feed him for a lifetime,” he said in a statement yesterday.

He alleged that opposition parties, unlike Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) government, could promise many things but cannot deliver their promises.

He also claimed there certain ‘tuai rumah’ (longhouse chiefs), who were disappointed because many of their needs were not fulfilled, even went against the GPS government by conspiring with the opposition.

“They (opposition) would say they are not able to do this and that because they are in the opposition but they continue to promise the sky and the moon to the people.

“Their political style will cause the people to suffer and be deprived of development.

“My advice is - be aware of the oppositions’ tactics. You may see them distributing rice in order to win the people’s heart, but everyone knows it will only benefit them in the short-term. Only the GPS government is able to provide the allocation that brings long-term benefits,” said Harden.