Infrastructural development is an integral and crucial element in a nation’s economy. And, its level of development is a measure of a country’s economic stature, whether it is underdeveloped, developing or developed.
One basic infrastructural development is connectivity in the form of land, sea and air transportation. For, connectivity is essential to generate economic activities, especially trade and communication between agrarian and manufacturing centres. It acts as catalyst for bringing development to various parts of the country, especially areas rich in natural resources.
The government undertakes infrastructural development to allow for accessibility, to tap these resources to increase the government’s funds to benefit the people and enhance their quality of life.
In an underdeveloped country, infrastructural connectivity is usually rudimentary, depending mainly on riverine transportation as the most economical means of communication as villages are mostly located near such waterways, which provide them with life-giving water.
Land transportation in such an economy is in the form of jungle tracks at worst or unpaved paths at best. Sea transportation, on the other hand, connects coastal villages and towns by way of boats, which ply routes using the ancient form of navigation, as well as the innate intuition of seafarers.
Before the advent of steamships, explorers travelled in ships and galleons, which used trade and monsoon winds to propel them to and from chartered and unchartered destinations.
Tanah Melayu went through these phases of transportation development: riverine, land, coastal and ocean. Land transportation later developed into a matrix of connectivity, linking villages and major towns. Then, came rail and air transportation, which spurred this country’s economic development.
Malaysia is now blessed with good connectivity whether by land, sea or air — the legacy and foresight of our founding fathers, who built on the land and rail systems laid down by the British to serve their economic interests. Later, leaders improved on this connectivity, creating inter- and intra-town and city transportation to develop the country and serve the populace.
Although intra-city connectivity in major towns and cities, like Penang, Kuala Lumpur, Ipoh, Seremban, Malacca, Johor, Pekan and Kuala Terengganu, affords access to all parts of these areas and those outlying, it has become increasingly time-consuming to commute during specific times of the day and night because of the increasing density in populated areas and the dramatic increase in car ownership, which clogs the limited arteries of communication and causes thrombosis-like effects.
It is only in Kuala Lumpur and the Klang Valley that the modes of transportation are being upgraded. All other cities lag behind in the development of connectivity. And Penang, as the second largest and oldest city, is in dire need of a transportation system upgrade. It needs a Mass Rapid Transit system to alleviate ever-increasingly clogged roads, especially during holidays, festivities and floods.
With limited resources, Penang faces an acute problem and is struggling to cope with developing a seamless intra-city connectivity. Kota Kinabalu and Kuching, also face increasing gridlock.
Despite these problems, which are attendant to increasing housing and economic development, our intra- and intercity connectivity is among the best in Asia. The North-South and East Coast Expressways and East-West Highway provide linkages between towns and cities along the length and breadth of the peninsula.
This is augmented by the North-South double-track and single-track East Coast rail systems, which facilitate commerce and the movement of people. Except for interior Orang Asli settlements, all others are accessible, mostly by road, and by air for remote areas.
In Sabah and Sarawak, connectivity is good based on the distribution of small populations. All towns and major villages are linked by road, while remote areas are accessible by air. Riverine transportation plays an important part in establishing connectivity, especially along Sungai Baram up to Mulu, linking villages like Long Panai and Long Traban. And, the magnificent Sungai Sarawak provides a lifeline for heavy freight up and down the Kuching-Samarahan areas, and serves as a tourist attraction.
Sabah, the “Land Below the Wind” with Mount Kinabalu, the highest mountain in Southeast Asia at more than 4,000m, enjoys good coastal and interior road linkages. Except for the Tuaran Ranau and Sandakan interior paved roads, other areas are served by a combination of paved and dirt tracks (accessible by four-wheel-drive vehicles) that link Beaufort, Weston and Menumbuk, and even Nabawan.
But, the Tuaran Taman Negara Kinabalu road along the Crocker Range ridge is a magnificently scenic and safe drive. Before this road, one could access Taman Negara Kinabalu only through Tambunan in a cross-country-like dirt road and logging tracks. Riverine transportation, such as Sungai Kinabatangan, plays an important part in connectivity, as well as the logging tracks in Sabah and Sarawak.
Considering the size and nature of the distribution of populations in Peninsular Malaysia, Sabah and Sarawak, populated areas are well served by land, air and water connectivity.
Mohamed Ghouse Nasuruddin is an emeritus professor of Performing Arts in the School
of Arts at Universiti Sains Malaysia, Penang