Batang Lupar Bridge Project Cancelled, Not Delayed: Sarawak Premier
SEBUYAU: Claims that the Batang Lupar Bridge construction project was only delayed by the Pakatan Harapan Government instead of being canceled are untrue, Sarawak Premier Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri (Dr) Abang Abdul Rahman Zohari Tun Datuk Abang Openg stressed.
According to him, the narrative was deliberately employed without being based on real facts to mislead the people on the history of the implementation of the project.
He said that the allegation that the allocation of the project was diverted to finance the construction of the Sabah-Sarawak Link Road (SSLR) was also unfounded because the project only commenced work a few years later.
"But I would like to state here, if it is true that the funds were allocated for SSLR, the fact is that the project only started to be worked on last year.
"With the close unity of the people of Sarawak and our agreement in the Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS), we successfully resolved the funding issue and continued efforts to connect rural areas. Not only the Batang Lupar Bridge, but all the bridges we build using Sarawak's own funds," he said.
He said this at a press conference after completing the Batang Lupar 1 Bridge Opening Ceremony, here on Thursday.
Commenting further, Datuk Patinggi Abang Zohari said the decision to cancel the construction of three main bridges at the time, namely the Batang Lupar Bridge, the Igan Bridge and the Rambungan Bridge, put pressure on the Sarawak Government which at the time was on the opposition side at the Federal level.
"It was decided that this bridge did not need to be constructed because the funds were proposed to be used for the Sabah-Sarawak Link Road project. At the same time, the newly established GPS was on the opposition side at the Federal level, despite leading the Sarawak Government.
"The decision was meant to make it complicated for the state government, but my colleagues and I in the GPS leadership are determined to find solutions to continue this project despite facing difficulties,” he stressed.
He added that the commitment of the Sarawak Government eventually enabled the strategic bridge projects to continue using the state's own funding in order to improve the communication network and boost rural development in Sarawak. -UKASnews
