Lundu-Biawak road ignored for 36 years

River transportation in Sarawak has always played a big role in moving the rakyat from places to places and road transportation is equally important. Sadly for the case of Sarawak, roads are greatly inadequate and in most cases, roads are not upgraded despite the growing presence of the community in that place.

The same fate fell on Lundu-Biawak, west of Sarawak whereby the roads by built in 1972 but 36 years have past and the roads is still gravel-surfaced. During the 36 years period, West Malaysian have enjoyed 10 stars roads and highways but the poor community in Lundu-Biawak could only content with bumpy, rocky and dusty gravel roads.

The state government meanwhile keep pouring promises to improve the roads but with one condition, to make the Lundu district more secured first with the establishment of an army camp. Lundu is very close to the Sarawak-Indonesia border so the government think that a threat or risk is there but at the same the government think the community lives in Lundu is not worth protecting (read: cheap). Or could this excuse is just another ploy by the BN for not "investing" in a Dayak-based district. Giving the absence of an army camp in Lundu as an excuse is Catch 22. No army camp, no better roads. Save money for the development of Malay-based district. Pretty obvious.

The Member of Parliament representing the Lundu district is also not from Lundu or staying in Lundu, so again, he don't feel the suffering of the community there. What the community should do next is to lobby for an MP from their own district. Better still if they can get Taib Mahmud to represent their constituency.

Related posts:
* Bario highlands dilemma
* What's is wrong with roads in Malacca

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From Selako Bato: Lundu-Biawak Road: Nothing much changed since 1972.

Lundu-Biawak Road has been in existence since the year 1972. It was built by the Engineering Corps of the Malaysian Armed Forces. The main purpose of the road (at that time) was to allow for easy movement of troops to fight the communist guerrillas and to make it easy for (Malaysian) folks living along that area to go to Lundu town to buy their daily necessities.