KUCHING: Bintulu MP Datuk Seri Tiong King Sing has cautioned against any plans to open a section of Jalan Sultan Iskandar – Jalan Kemena in its current state.
“For the sake of people’s safety, there is no way the road as it is now should be opened to the public,” he said in a statement posted on his Facebook, Monday (April 17).
He stressed that prematurely opening the road section would not be in compliance with established policies as there has not been any preliminary investigation, evaluation and even transfer of ownership of the project.
He also questioned who will take responsibility should accidents happen.
Tiong who is Tourism, Arts and Culture Minister said he had contacted the Bintulu Development Authority (BDA), contractors involved, developers and the Public Works Department (PWD) to hold an urgent meeting on the matter, particularly to solve the problem of entry and exit from the Bukit Orang area.
“We all know that road closures have caused much inconvenience in this area to many people.
“However, remember that this is a busy intersection with vehicles often travelling at high speeds. Without proper road planning, it is undoubtedly a risk to human life to allow vehicles to move at such speeds.
“Due to this, my conscience vehemently prevents me from agreeing with opening the road now ‘just to be fast with the job’.
“We cannot have such lax attitude when it comes to these projects or we will regret it later,” he said.
Towards this end he said road planning should put safety first and not compromise it in favour of saving time.
“Although an inconvenience for many people, the road closures are a necessary evil in order to ensure proper planning and safety,” he said.
Tiong urged all authorities involved to focus on the right priorities and allow for more patience and time.
“Patience and time are needed by the BDA, PWD, developers and contractors to draw up and agree on a proper road plan that can lead to greater road safety for road users,” he added.
