KUALA LUMPUR
WHEN the Works Ministry was asked to reduce grass-cutting expenses, Works Minister Baru Bian put his more than 25 years of experience as a lawyer to good use to negotiate and turn down the request.
Although the government emphasised prudent spending, Bian felt that ensuring the people had a positive perception of the administration was also important.
The Selangau member of parliament recalled a day when he was heading from the Miri airport to the city. He was embarrassed to see overgrown grass that was up to 4ft high.
Federal and protocol roads, which include roads leading to airports and ports, are under the jurisdiction of the ministry.
“I remember saying to myself, ‘Malu la’. (It’s embarrassing.) The first thing that people will notice is the condition of our roads and whether the grass along the roads has been cut.
“This is why I feel the ministry should be given an adequate allocation,” he said in an interview with the New Straits Times.
The greatest challenge faced by the ministry, he said, had always been an inadequate budget, particularly for the maintenance of federal roads.
He said the ministry was given only half the budget required to carry out maintenance.
“This ministry is an implementing agent of the government. Implementation is subject to budget and allocation. If there is enough, then we can implement projects. That is really my greatest challenge until today.”
It was reported that the ministry was dealing with a 30 per cent backlog in maintaining federal roads due to insufficient federal allocation and increasing traffic volume.
The backlog is expected to rise to 40 per cent if road maintenance is not conducted accordingly.
INSTALLATION OF WEIGH-IN-
MOTION SENSORS
To address this, the ministry planned to go all out to enforce weight restrictions by installing 25 Weigh-In-Motion (WIM) sensors on several federal roads.
Installation of the WIM sensors is pending approval from the Economic Affairs and Finance ministries.
Once approved, Bian said, his ministry planned to install 25 WIM sensors beginning 2021.
Findings from a study conducted by the ministry showed that many roads were severely damaged due to overloaded vehicles.
“Hence, enforcement of weight restriction orders and weight limitations must be carried out.
“The ministry understands the police and Road Transport Department (RTD) are short-handed and cannot carry out enforcement effectively and diligently.
“That is why we want to use technology to carry out enforcement via the installation of WIM sensors on our roads to determine if vehicles are carrying excessive loads.”
Bian did not provide a timeline for the WIM sensor installation.
“We will collaborate with the police and RTD to issue summonses against these (overloaded) vehicles.
“With WIM sensors, we are confident there will be better compliance from transport operators, which will prevent overloading and prolong the life of our roads.”
The ministry, he said, was also considering the use of perpetual pavements in the construction of new roads, especially in areas where there were many vehicles carrying goods, such as roads leading to ports and quarries.
Commonly used at airports, perpetual pavements are thicker and designed to take heavy loads.
“That is why we never hear of airport pavements experiencing structural failures,” Bian said.
He said this option would require the cooperation of the Economic Affairs and Finance ministries and approval of higher allocations for new projects.
Other ways the ministry had considered to address the backlog in federal road maintenance include streamlining annual programmes for road maintenance work, as well as resurfacing several roads with new rubberised road techniques using cup lump modified asphalt.
“This technology is expected to be more durable and, in the long run, reduce maintenance costs by prolonging the life of roads.”
ENHANCING THE ‘HEART OF
BORNEO’ ROAD CONNECTIVITY
Besides the multi-billion-ringgit Pan-Borneo Highway and Sarawak-Sabah Link Road (SSL Road) projects, Bian said the ministry was also looking into enhancing road connectivity from Sarawak and Sabah to other countries within the Heart of Borneo.
This follows reports that Indonesia will relocate its capital from the megacity Jakarta to a new location on Borneo island.
State media reported that Indonesian President Joko Widowo was expected to make an announcement on the location of the republic’s new capital this month, with Palangkaraya in Central Kalimantan and Bukit Soeharto in East Kalimantan being contenders.
“If and once this (relocation of Indonesia’s new capital to Borneo) happens, it will spur economic activity and development in Kalimantan, and the spillover will benefit Sarawak and Sabah.
“During my discussion with Sabah Chief Minister Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal recently, I learnt that the Indonesian government has started constructing roads leading to the Northern Kalimantan-Sabah border in Simenggaris. I am looking forward to this good news,” said Bian, who is also Ba’kelalan assemblyman.
Ba’kelalan is a constituency about 4km from the Malaysia-Indonesia border separating northeastern Sarawak and Kalimantan.
Bian said the Pan-Borneo Highway would connect Sarawak and Sabah to Brunei and Kalimantan through the 415km SSL Road.
“It will bring great prospects to Sarawak, Sabah, Brunei and Kalimantan.”
He said the SSL Road project was his greatest achievement after assuming his role.
He said SSL Road would provide much needed connectivity between the hinterland in northern Sarawak to economic centres in the state and Sabah.
Since the early days of independence, Bian said, the hinterland in Sarawak had been connected only through river transportation or logging tracks built by timber companies.
But river transportation is not a reliable option as it is hindered during floods or strong currents during wet spells and low water levels during the dry season.
Logging tracks are no better. Bian described them as nothing more than dirt roads with a layer of crushed rocks on top that
is dangerous to navigate during the wet season and very dusty during dry spells.
“With the SSL Road, rural folk in the interior of northern Sarawak can move conveniently to economic centres in Lawas (Sarawak) and Sipitang (Sabah).
“It will stimulate economic activities in the hinterland, such as agriculture and tourism, as the hinterland in Sarawak has beautiful places and scenery to offer to tourists.”
It was reported that construction of the SSL Road project would commence in the first quarter of next year, with an estimated cost of RM5 billion.
On the progress of the Pan-Borneo Highway, Bian said the construction of 12 out of 35 packages of the mega project in Sabah was ongoing.
On the Sarawak side, progress was at 43.63 per cent, with one package out of 11 involving the Telok Melano-Semantan route completed on Jan 6.
SARAWAK PAKATAN HARAPAN
IS NOT ‘ULUN MALAYA’
Leaders in Sarawak Pakatan Harapan have been championing and fighting for the people whose rights have been oppressed.
Bian, who is state PKR chairman, said parties in Sarawak PH were neither local political entities nor ulun Malaya, which meant slave to the people or political parties in the peninsula.
“Our political rivals will always turn this into a big issue. I think they are short of valid and legitimate issues.
“Regardless of whether we represent local-based political parties or parties from the peninsula, the important question is who is fighting for the rights of the people?
“I always ask Sarawak PH detractors this: who were the ones who formulated policies that fight against attempts to take away their rights?
“I remind critics that all this while, we have been the ones championing their rights.”
Bian is a lawyer by training and is known for fighting court cases to defend native customary land rights in Sarawak.
Bian took to task those who repeatedly call for Sarawak to secede from Malaysia.
“During a dinner recently, I was asked to comment on the issue. My response was simple — such a call is nonsense. It is better for Sarawak to be associated with the federal government.”
He said the cohesiveness of leaders in Sarawak PH had improved after the coalition ousted Barisan Nasional and formed the federal administration following the 14th General Election (GE14).
“We have been given a mandate by the people to lead the nation. We must be responsible and disciplined, as well as listen to the people’s grouses.
“I have no problem working with leaders from DAP, Parti Amanah Negara and Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia.”
Bian said there was tremendous support from the people in Sarawak for PH after GE14.
This had boosted the confidence of leaders in the coalition as they prepared for the next state election, expected to be called by mid-2021.
“I know this because I have been meeting members of various races in Sarawak, be they from the Iban, Bidayuh or Orang Ulu communities.
“I have also met Malay-Melanau people and their support has been exceptional.
“For the past 60 years, Sarawak folk have always sukung perintah (support the government of the day). However, as we have witnessed during GE14, Sarawak PH managed to secure more parliamentary seats.”
Sarawak PH won 12 out of 31 parliamentary seats in the state in GE14, compared with only six in the previous general election.