KINABATANGAN: Long-delayed basic infrastructure projects, particularly schools, health clinics and water supply systems, must be urgently implemented to ease the long-standing hardship faced by rural communities in Kinabatangan.
Warisan’s parliamentary candidate Datuk Saddi Abdul Rahman
(pic) said residents had repeatedly raised concerns over projects that were announced years ago but remain unimplemented, leaving communities without access to basic services.
Advertisement
He said one of the most pressing issues was the absence of a secondary school in Kampung Paris, Sukau, despite repeated proposals and allocations over the years.
“The people here have been talking about a secondary school for decades. Allocations were mentioned many times, but until today, the school does not exist,” he said, adding that villagers have come to refer to it sarcastically as a “ghost school” because of the prolonged delays.
However, he did not say what he did about these problems despite being as assemblyman before for several terms.
According to Saddi, the lack of a secondary school has forced students to rely on limited facilities or travel long distances to continue their education, compounding the challenges faced by rural families.
He said similar problems were also seen in other parts of Kinabatangan, where the construction of a secondary school had begun but progress remained slow, with no clear timeline for completion.
“Even when land has been identified and preparation works have started, the construction pace is very slow. People do not know when the school will finally be completed,” he said.
Saddi said this when met during a visit to Kampung Paris as part of Warisan’s campaign trail in Kinabatangan, which was also attended by party president Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal, on Friday.
Saddi said healthcare infrastructure was another major concern, particularly in Batu Putih, where residents continue to depend on facilities that he described as being closer to basic village-level services rather than a fully equipped health clinic.
“The clinic in Batu Putih has not been upgraded for years. The land has already been prepared, but the health authorities have still failed to build a proper health clinic that meets current standards,” he said.
He added that residents had repeatedly voiced their frustration over the lack of progress, especially as healthcare needs in the area continue to grow.
Water supply issues, he said, remained a long-standing grievance in Kampung Paris and surrounding villages, despite the existence of infrastructure such as pipelines.
“There are pipes along the roadside, but there is no water. Projects worth millions of ringgit were announced, yet water still does not flow,” he said, questioning where the failure in implementation had occurred.
Saddi said the problem was not a short-term disruption but one that had persisted for years, forcing residents to rely on water deliveries using tanks brought in from outside.
“Even today, during our programme here, the house where the event was held had no water. Water had to be transported using rented or purchased tanks just to make the programme possible,” he said.
He said the situation reflected a wider issue of stalled or poorly executed projects in rural Kinabatangan, where residents continue to live without reliable access to water, proper roads or stable electricity supply.
“We are already living in the millennium era, but rural communities are still dealing with pothole-filled roads, intermittent electricity and no clean water,” he said.
Saddi said these shortcomings highlighted the need for new leadership that prioritises the completion of long-delayed and abandoned projects.
“If basic needs like water, schools and clinics cannot be resolved, when will the people be able to truly enjoy the benefits of development?” he asked.
He said that if elected as Kinabatangan’s Member of Parliament, his focus would be on ensuring that fundamental infrastructure needs were addressed without further delay
.“These are basic necessities. They should have been resolved a long time ago. This is what I intend to prioritise if I am given the mandate,” he said.
