KOTA KINABALU: A Parti Warisan assemblyman today questioned if the shoddy work of contractors involved in the Pan Borneo Highway project was among the reasons contributing to the recent floods in Penampang.
At the state assembly sitting here today (July 9), Datuk Darell Leiking (Warisan - Moyog) produced printed satellite images which he claimed showed Pan Borneo Highway contractors had cut down all the trees, subsequently affecting water levels in nearby rivers.
Leiking also said he did not see any mitigation measures implemented by the contractors to prevent flooding in the area.
"I can clearly see how the contractors for the Pan Borneo Highway do their work. They are one of the many causes of flash floods in Penampang.
"I would like to ask the Public Works Department about their contractors in Kiranau: Why did they leave steel beams in the river?
"I want the government to tell us if they have inspected their work. Don't protect these contractors," he said while debating the supplementary budget bill during the state assembly sitting here.
Leiking also said that he was made to understand that the delay in the implementation of the Pan Borneo Highway was due to land acquisition issues.
"How do you carry out these projects when all this has not been resolved? How can you start a good project when you do not address basic issues such as land acquisition, utility relocation, or land settlement?"
"How do you carry out these projects when all this has not been resolved? How can you start a good project when you do not address basic issues such as land acquisition, utility relocation, or land settlement?"
Leiking also questioned the absence of army personnel and the deployment of government assets to assist flood victims in clearing mud from their homes.
The former Penampang member of Parliament also said that when there were floods in Peninsular Malaysia, the federal government activated Op Murni, with over 18,000 soldiers on stand-by.
"Now after the flood, what are you doing? Have you deployed your assets to clean up places?
"In Penampang, we are just next to Lokawi (army base camp). I believe 1,000 soldiers could be deployed under the order of Yang Amat Berhormat as the chairman of the Sabah Security Council.
"Order them to assist with the cleaning works in Penampang using government assets, soldiers, and water pumps," he said, adding that some parts of the district were facing low water pressure and power outages after the flooding on June 30.