An Open Letter To Michael Manyin - Alex Wong

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 Alex stmrock Wong

An Open Letter To The Infrastructure Development And Communications Minister, Y,B. Datuk Seri Michael Manyin.

Fight for us. Fight for Sarawak.

Dear Y.B., I refer to your various comments in the press of late, about the state of Sarawak’s roads and YB’s believe that there is no need for a Pan-Borneo Expressway.

They were disappointing statements, to say the least. We Sarawakians have had to put up with increasingly worsening roads, poor maintenance of existing roads and embarrassing newly-completed road quality. We are regressing in every respect of road bulding and maintenance.

The promise of a decent highway from Sarawak to Sabah has been a promise flaunted since I was in high school. Every year, complaints are made by the increasingly impatient public and every year the dream is deferred by the authorities. Now you, our own Sarawakian YB say we do not need such a high quality highway because it “will be underutilized based on studies” of current road usage. Are you kidding me? With due respect, some of YB’s comments are so ill-thought out it doesn’t warrant repeating here. YB, do not let Federal treat us like a poor cousin and please do not clap your hands when they throw crumbs on our floor. Tell them we will not accept crumbs. For Pete’s sake, without Sarawak BN, there would be no BN-UMNO government. As for State funds, we have plenty. Let’s build more and better roads. I’m sure there are other less worthwhile projects that can be put aside for such a worthy cause as basic primary infrastructure – good roads.

Build it and we will use it. Entrepreneurship and enterprise will ensure the expressway is used. Domestic tourism will increase. Inter-cultural activity will propagate. Social development will take a natural course. And if history eventually shows that it is indeed used less than we expected, so what? It’s still going to be money well-spent on a project of great socio-economic impact that will unlikely ever be labeled a white elephant by anyone, opposition or government.

I don’t care who makes how much on these road contracts. Make 20%, 30%, hell, even 40%. I don’t care. Good for them. Just make sure enough of a profit margin is left for subcontractors so that they can build roads of good quality. Ensure a bad quality road is not approved for handover. Check the materials and specs and ensure we are getting roads that will last and not sink within a month like many of late. Less greed equals better roads.

Fight for us please. Do not shoot down benefits for Sarawak. Fight for Sarawak. Demand for a real Pan-Borneo Expressway and stop calling the current one a highway. I have ridden my motorcycle through so-called Third World countries that have far better interstate roads then we have. We should be ashamed. You should be ashamed. Fight for us. Fight for Sarawak.

Yours Sincerely,
Alex stmrock Wong.