KUCHING: Criminal intimidation and threats of physical harm by previous transporters are said to be amongst the reasons behind the delay in the delivery of essential goods to Bario.
This was revealed by an investigation carried out by the Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Ministry.
Its deputy minister Chong Chieng Jen said from their investigation, besides the inaccessible road condition due to rain it was also revealed that “the newly appointed transporters for the Bario zone were intimidated by the unhappy previous transporters who didn’t manage to secure the contract this time”.
“The previous transporters even threatened to burn down the transport vehicles of the new transporters. This has caused the new transporters to be hesitant in supplying the goods.”
The essential goods, seven altogether, are LPG, diesel, RON95, sugar, rice, flour and cooking oil.
They were supposed to be sent to Bario under the ministry’s transport subsidy programme where the ministry would pay the appointed transporters the costs of transportation to the rural areas.
Chong said the subsidy was to ensure that prices of these essential items sold at the remote places are the same as those sold in the city areas, citing the price of a 14kg LPG cylinder which should be sold at RM26.60 each.
According to Chong, a total of RM140 million has been allocated for the subsidy this year, out of which approximately RM80 million was allocated for Sarawak.
“On April 1 this year, all the transporters have been selected through open tender system and awarded the contracts to transport these essential goods to the respective areas.
“In the open tender for the selection of transporters, approximately 1,444 applications were received, out of which, 79 were chosen and appointed as transporters for Sarawak”.
He said the previous transporters for the Bario zone, who were previously appointed through direct negotiation, failed in the intensely competitive open tender process.
On receiving the complaints from the new transporters, he said the ministry officers gave the assurance to the new transporters that it would not succumb to gangsterism.
Instead, the ministry would standby the new transporters to fight off such act and whatever sabotage these people might do to the subsidy programme, he added.
“We will not allow local thugs to control or influence our transport subsidy programme. That is the whole purpose of introducing the open tender system, only those that meet the best qualification points and prices will get the job.”
Chong said enforcement officers from the ministry would work closely with the police to ensure the programme would run smoothly and that the appointed transporters could carry out their obligations safely.
