Bridge, Highway & Hospital (Part 2)

Guong

Bridge, Highway & Hospital
What is the similarity between these three? All of them are yet to materialized. Just more of those lip services by the federal government?

Highway
It's a never ending story when it comes to highway in Sabah. The most lane one can find in Sabah's 'highway' are just two lane.

Anyway, let's be realistic. It is a very hard feat if we tried to construct a highway across Sabah given it's rough geographic landscape. If we tried to construct this highway along the coast, lack of budget will be the main problem.

But, what with this 'highway promises' by the federal government? Not one but two. That would be the Keningau Highway and Kalabakan-Sapulut Highway.

KENINGAU: Pembantu Menteri Pembangunan Luar Bandar Sabah Datuk Sairin Hj. Karno berkata, Perdana Menteri Malaysia telah meluluskan kira-kira RM80 juta untuk mengatasi kesesakan jalan raya di kawasan bandar Keningau.

Katanya, peruntukan itu yang akan digunakan untuk membina ‘laluan lebuh raya’, serta menaik taraf beberapa bahagian yang menyukarkan perhubungan ke Bandar itu, diperolehi melalui surat kepada Perdana Menteri yang ditandatangani oleh semua wakil-wakil rakyat di kawasan pedalaman. SK

RM80 million to solve Keningau road problems and also building a Highway in Keningau? It was said that the allocation was granted by our Prime Minister himself. I wonder if they will continue with this after (if) Najib is sworn in as the new Prime Minister of Malaysia.

BUT, the Kalabakan-Sapulut highway is very controversial.

Those in Sabah’s construction circles have reacted with surprise to Works Minister Mohd Zin Mohamed’s statement that a RM536 million 'highway' to Tawau had all along been envisaged as a gravel road. source

Maybe it is connected with the recent Perak crisis. Why?

The 145km Jalan Sapulut-Kalabakan was completed on May 15 last year by Gamuda Bhd as a sub-contractor. The Perak sultan’s daughter has a stake in the company.

The project then became the subject of two reports lodged last year with the Anti-Corruption Agency, since replaced by the Malaysian Anti- Corruption Commission.

Can you see the conection? You can read the reports here.
What did our work minister have to said about this 'highway' project?

Mohd Zin said in a statement yesterday that heavy logging activities had been going on along the entire length of the highway, “hence the decision to settle for a gravel road (at the time)”.

“It was a joint decision by the Ministry of Works, the Economic Planning Unit and the Sabah Public Works Department,” he said.

“If the asphaltic coating work on the road had continued (under the original contract), the heavy logging activities would have definitely damaged the new road and increased the reconstruction and repair works by another RM100 million.”source

This answer is so absurd. Then what happen to the RM536 million which was supposed to be used in constructing the highway. Is he saying that gravel road cost that much? Who the hell does he think he's fooling? It's so obvious that they makan the money among them self.

It is learnt from local companies eyeing the contract that it would take at least RM150 million to apply asphaltic coating/black top road surface to the highway, which is part of the Pan-Borneo Highway that is due to be completed under the 9th Malaysia Plan (2006-2010).source

RM150 million and RM536 million, you do the math.

Ministry of Works, the Economic Planning Unit and the Sabah Public Works Department must be questioned since they were directly involved. But then again, this case is still pending even though it was reported to MACC which was still called ACA back then. Damn! Lip Service again!

RM536 million highway turn RM 536 million gravel road project.

to be continued