Lousy Roads in Sarawak

If you were to ask any Sarawakians who have been to KL about the condition of our Sarawak roads or its infrastructure as compared to those in West Malaysia, you will get a "negative" answer. They will agree that the West Malaysian roads in peninsular are a lot better than what we have here in Sarawak. Besides being well constructed with our oil money, their roads are well maintained too.

You would agree with me that a high percentage of our roads here in Sarawak are in a deplorable state. By all measure, many have definitely engineering flaws that resulted in bad construction. They have claimed hundreds of lives and some unfortunate victims could still be alive today had the roads been built well. Indeed some stretches are death traps with pot holes that have ruined tires, rims and taken lives.

Many are in a state of neglect, the Sibu ones being notoriously dangerous. I don't need to mention where they are, there is no need to because you have travelled on them and you know how bumpy the ride would be even for a short outing to Santubong from Kuching. In terms of infrastructure, our roads fall short of lighting, road signs and drainage. Look around you to believe me. Forget about proper rest stops along highways, ours here are run down shacks offering quick meals and filthy toilets.

Such is the condition of our roads in Sarawak, I would not want to delve on those unsealed ones like the infamous "Lapok Road" in Tinjar, Baram which the late Datuk Luhat Wan didn't do much about during his long tenure in office as a Deputy Federal Minister. The present Baram BN MP who is also enjoying the same status has promised many times over that something would be done to get this supposedly "trunk" road tar sealed. It has been 15 years now and nothing has materialized. And the road seems doomed.

With the Elections coming soon as predicted by some inner BN circles, our bumpy Sarawak roads will once again be a solid subject to talk about in derailing BN's popularity. Of course, PM Najib is focusing in on Sarawak which has over the past 40 years been raped and robbed of its wealth by the UMNO goons. Of late he has been scrambling for funds and pouring them into the State. Everyone in their right mind knows why he is doing this. He knows our roads are lousy, he's not a fool. We are his bastion.