Liow: Road, rail projects to boost Bentong
BENTONG: The Central Spine Road project and the East Coast Rail Link (ECRL) will further boost the development of Bentong, says Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai.
The Bentong MP and Transport Minister, in a video posted on Facebook on Tuesday, recounts the development of Bentong that he has witnessed since serving it in 1989.
“Bentong was a shanty hilly town, but I always saw it as a land of prosperity with beautiful scenery.
“We’ve seen Bentong transform into a prosperous town with vigorous economic growth and infrastructure development,” he says.
Liow, who is also MCA president, says Bentong’s development included an upgraded road network and the currently ongoing Central Spine Road project and ECRL.
The Central Spine Road, which is to be completed next year, is a 411km, tollfree road linking Pahang and Kelantan.
The 600km ECRL, meanwhile, connects Wakaf Baru in Kelantan to Gombak and on to Port Klang in Selangor, and will be completed in 2024.
There will be a station in Bentong. Bentong also has beautiful natural tourist spots like the Chamang waterfalls and hot springs, and agricultural products like Bentong ginger and Musang King durians to draw tourists in.
On top of that, there is an estimated 60 homestays here.
Liow has also introduced Bentong Walk – a weekly event that brings Jalan Chui Yin to life every Saturday night with street food, live performances and stalls offering trinkets – as well as Go Bentong, a website providing information on cuisine, attractions and accommodation in the town.
Liow says he strives for an urban transformation of Bentong, to create economic platforms and encourage the return of youths.
The state and federal governments, he says, have a five to 10year master plan for Bentong.
“We hope to work together with local associations and folk to push for development here,” he says.
Liow, a fourthterm Bentong MP, will face DAP’s Wong Tack in GE14.
It was the third video posted by Liow since the dissolution of Parliament.
The first drew attention to Bentong ginger, a highly soughtafter product of Bukit Tinggi.
The second was a heartwarming Mandarin song titled Just Like You to express his appreciation to his mentor and former Bentong MP Tan Sri Lim Ah Lek, also a former MCA deputy president.
In it, a montage of clips shows Lim and Liow in a walkabout in Bentong, as well as Liow attending events in the constituency.
It ends with an old photo of a freshfaced Liow accompanying Lim at the opening of Kampung Ulu Perting community hall, followed by a recent clip of both of them sitting in a hall.
Patting Liow on his shoulder, the whitehaired Lim says: “My mind is at ease passing the baton to you.”
He then gives Liow the thumbsup: “Thank you, very good.”