SIBU: Sarawak United People’s Party (SUPP) Youth Central Chairman, Kevin Lau Kor Jie, has accused Sibu Member of Parliament, Oscar Ling Chai Yew, of distorting the facts surrounding a former federal government’s cancellation of three major bridge projects in Sarawak by conflating the issue with the implementation of the Sarawak-Sabah Link Road (SSLR).
Lau said Ling’s attempt to justify the cancellation of the Batang Lupar, Batang Igan and Batang Rambungan bridge projects, by citing a parliamentary written reply on the reallocation of funds to Phase 1 of the SSLR, had created “a smokescreen” that misled the people of Sarawak.
“The facts are clear. The SSLR was never a new initiative introduced by the Pakatan Harapan (PH) government. Feasibility studies for the project had already commenced as early as 2007, long before PH came into power,” he said in a press statement today.
According to Lau, although the federal government approved the implementation of Phase 1 of the SSLR in 2019, it did not change the fact that the federal government had earlier decided not to proceed with the three bridge projects that had already been announced for Sarawak.
He said this was further supported by an official statement issued by the Public Works Department (JKR) on December 10, 2021, which stated that the Ministry of Finance under the PH administration had postponed the three bridge projects on August 3, 2018, before they were subsequently cancelled.
“These are official records that cannot simply be rewritten to suit a political narrative,” he said.
Lau said the Sarawak Government was ultimately compelled to finance and implement the Batang Lupar, Batang Igan and Batang Rambungan bridge projects using its own resources to ensure the infrastructure projects were delivered.
He rejected the argument that the cancellation merely involved a reallocation of funds, saying the original plan was for Sarawak to receive both the SSLR and the three bridge projects.
“Replacing one set of projects with another does not change the reality that the three bridge projects were cancelled,” he said.
Lau also highlighted Sarawak’s contribution to the national economy, saying the state had become the country’s fourth-largest contributor to federal tax revenue, contributing an average of about RM10 billion annually between 2023 and 2025.
“Given these contributions, it is only fair that Sarawak receives equitable infrastructure development, and that commitments already made to the people are honoured,” he said.
He stressed that Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) had never sought to politicise the issue but was merely stating the facts surrounding the cancellation of the projects.
“Our priority remains ensuring that more infrastructure projects are implemented, more rural connectivity is improved, and more opportunities are created for the people of Sarawak.
“The people deserve facts, not revisionist narratives. Sarawak deserves fair treatment, fulfilled commitments, and continued investment in its future,” he added.
