KUCHING: Approximately 1,000 kilometres (km) of logging and dirt roads in the Telang Usan state constituency are in critical condition and urgently require government attention.
Speaking on the sidelines of a recent infrastructure engagement, Telang Usan assemblyman, Datuk Dennis Ngau said that these roads, many of which were initially constructed as part of logging companies’ corporate social responsibility efforts, serve as the main access routes for 88 longhouses inhabited by the Penan, Kayan and Kenyah communities.
“Since logging operations ceased nearly three years ago, no maintenance has occurred.
“I receive daily complaints about damaged roads, landslides and broken bridges,” he said.
While he welcomed the government’s development of the Sabah-Sarawak Link Road (SSLR), which aims to connect Sarawak and Sabah without passing through Brunei, Dennis stressed that the main highway does not address the needs of deeply remote communities in Baram, who rely on branch roads and logging tracks to access basic services.
“The SSLR is a great step forward, but does not solve the immediate problem.
“These villages are scattered far from the main route,” he added.
“We need a dual strategy to develop the highway, yes, but also address the side roads people use daily.”
According to Dennis, only about 160km out of the total 1,000km have been upgraded under the Highland Development Agency (HDA) programme in the last five years, while the rest remain vulnerable to extreme weather, with some areas becoming impassable during rainy seasons.
“During heavy rain, the roads get washed out.
“When it’s dry, they’re nothing but dust, but these roads are dangerous and failing the people who rely on them,” he opined.
He called on the state government, particularly the Deputy State Secretary for Economic Planning and Development, to convene a special taskforce focused specifically on resolving rural access road issues, using faster, more responsive solutions, beyond the lengthy government procedures currently in place.
“We’re not asking for highways but for access so that teachers can get to schools, patients can reach clinics, and so that basic services can function,” he stressed.
“If a bridge collapses today, people are stranded. And they wait hours, days, hoping someone will come, which shouldn’t be the reality in 2025.”
Dennis also highlighted the limited role of rural aviation, pointing out that the few airstrips in Baram only serve isolated villages and do not replace the need for proper road access.
“Even if we had planes landing in Long San or Long Akah, most villagers still need to travel by road. Air services can’t solve a ground problem,” he said further.
Additionally, he said that while environmental concerns over logging are valid and supported, the closure of timber operations has left behind neglected infrastructure, particularly logging roads that once served as lifelines.
“No new logging licences are being issued, which is good for the environment, but now the people are left with no road support.
“These roads are collapsing and cost too much to rebuild from scratch. We need creative, scalable solutions now,” he added.
Dennis urged the state government not to overlook the rural heartlands in its development push.
“Our people are not asking for luxuries. They are asking to be connected, safe and heard, and I hope the government will listen,” he concluded.
