Corrupt Barisan Nasional l KUCHING: The contractors of a RM50 million flyover project here is flouting the law but the authorities appear reluctant to act, according to Sarawak DAP.
The party is now questioning the manner in which the construction of the Jalan Tun Jugah flyover is being carried out.
The contract was awarded to a company which is allegedly connected to family of Chief Minister Abdul Taib Mahmud.
Not surprising because the bulk of major contracts here are handed out to either Cahaya Mata Sarawak (CMS) or Naim Holdings which in turn subcontract it out to other Taib family or crony linked companies. Both CMS are Naim are directly linked to Taib.
State DAP secretary Chong Chieng Jen said the company awarded with the flyover contract seems to be ‘above the law’.
“The company seems to be above the law as it does not follow guidelines, procedures and security requirements set out by Public Works Department.
“We have received so many complaints from the public regarding the slowness of the project, the lack of planning, and the manner in which it is carried out disregarding the safety of road users, the traffic jams that it caused.
“There are no signboards to notify road users of the details of the project such as the name of the contractors, developers, engineers, and so on.
“The public want to know who are the contractors, the engineers, and the developers are,” Chong said.
He said even the buffer zone which is mandatory in such construction was inadequate.
Alongside these inadequacies were the streets lights along the road which were not working and which posed ‘a great danger’ to motorist at night and especially when it rains.
No engineers or supervisors
A visibly unhappy Chong was speaking to reporters after visiting the site of the project together with Pending assemblywoman Violet Yong.
“We cannot find the supervisor or engineer.
“I was told that the engineer or supervisor came in for a short while in the morning and by 10.00 am he had left the site already.
“All we see are workers of the sub-contractors, and as there is no supervisor, the road users feel insecure when they pass the construction site where there are piling machines and cranes lifting metals and heavy objects.
“There are machineries like excavators left idle at the site,” said Chong, who is Kota Sentosa assemblyman.
He said for a project that costed RM50 million, there should be proper procedures.
” This is totally unacceptable. It seems that the contractor is above the law.
“Why isn’t the Public Works Department and the City Council taking any action?
“Are they scared of the powers-that-be, which are behind the contractor?” he asked adding that one of the company’s directors is Taib’s sister.
Chong, who is also the MP for Bandar Kuching, said that he had written a month ago to the director of Public works Department regarding complaints on the project.
“But to date the director has not replied my letter.
“Nevertheless, we will see the director next week. We are making that arrangement,” he said.
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