Baru Bian
KUCHING (June 16): Ba Kelalan assemblyman Baru Bian has called on the state government to stop the Autonomous Rapid Transit (ART) system project before it’s too late.
He noted that when the LRT (light rail transit)/ART project was first spoken of, it was greeted with incredulity and the vast majority of Sarawakians made light of it.
He said no Sarawakian really believed that the state Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) government should undertake such mega project with questionable socio-economic benefits.
He pointed out that at the moment, the Malaysian experience is limited solely in Kuala Lumpur (KL) and history recalls that for the first two LRT lines built in KL (STAR LRT and Putra LRT), both lines had to be bailed out by the government in less than five years due to lower-than-expected passenger ridership.
“They had to be acquired at great cost by state-owned Prasarana Malaysia Bhd in 2002. Similarly, the KL Monorail had to be taken over by Prasarana in 2007 as well, four years after it began operating.
“Just like the earlier LRT projects, low passenger volume was cited. In fact, almost 10 years after bailing out the monorail project, Prasarana is struggling to turn a profit for the three lines despite the higher ridership volumes.
“These facts are from ‘Questions raised on viability of KL-Klang BRT line’ first appeared in The Edge Malaysia Weekly, on March 6- 12, 2017,” he said in a statement yesterday.
Baru, who is also Selangau MP, noted that Kuching city’s population is now 711,500 while Kota Samarahan’s is 102,700.
This, he said, is definitely well below the density in the Klang valley and the passenger ridership of Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari Tun Openg’s proposed LRT/ART will surely fall below economic efficiency.
He pointed out that a good indication of whether or not the ART will be fully utilised is by looking at the electric buses which are in use in Kuching city now.
“At any given time on any given day, a casual observation reveals none of these buses is even one quarter full,” he added.
The Parti Satawak Bersatu (PSB) presidential council member said reportedly three LRT lines were supposed to be implemented; namely Kota Samarahan to Sungai Baru for Line 1, Serian to Senari (Line 2) and City Dispersal Line (Line 3) which involved a total cost of about RM10.8 billion.
This, he said, was a massive chunk of the state’s reported reserves of RM32 billion.
He pointed out that on June 11, The Borneo Post featured a front page report which revealed that the Sarawak government had taken out advertisements to invite vendors to bid for the supply of rolling stock for the project.
He believed that the general Sarawak public have no knowledge if the GPS government has entered into any binding agreements with regard to this project, observing from the SEDC advertisement the closing date for the vendor registration is July 1, 2021.
“So there is still time for the state to reconsider their position before becoming contractually obligated.
“Other than the cost-benefit issue, there are at least another two major reasons why this project must not proceed; namely untried technology and the duties of a caretaker government,” he said.
Baru said it was reported that the Sarawak ART will be powered by hydrogen fuel cells and is said to be the first in the world. China’s ART is powered by electric batteries.
He said for a commitment amounting to a third of the state’s financial reserves, the fact that it is the first in the world means that it is untried and untested elsewhere; the unquantifiable risk that comes with this fact alone is enough cause to postpone this project.
He said Sarawak simply cannot afford a ‘white elephant’, when the priorities of a post Covid-19 economy look increasingly uncertain.
He said following the natural end of the 11th State Legislative Assembly on June 6, Sarawak is now conventionally and in all practical sense, under the governance of a caretaker government until the 12th state election is held.
He said while it is conceded that this project was approved within the tenure of the present government, seeking vendors at this point is questionable, as this would be wrong priority in the midst of the whole nation and state fighting Covid-19.
He believed all excess funds ought to be utilised and/or held in contingency in this great challenge facing our state.
“The duties and responsibilities of a caretaker government as defined by ground rules or conventions followed by democratic governments all over the world preclude such a government from making major policy decisions except on the most urgent of matters that have the potential of greatly affecting the well-being of the rakyat.
“It is also precluded from making any decision or any policy that may affect or pre-empt the exercise of authority of the future elected government.
“Committing Sarawak to such an undertaking will fall under the ambit of the ‘prohibitions’ in the accepted conventions,” he said.
Baru said it was reported in July 2020 that a UN study on incidences of hardcore poverty in Malaysia shows that Sarawak was among three states in Malaysia where incidences of hardcore poverty is above the national average.
He lamented that some of the poorest districts in Malaysia are also to be found in Sarawak, a situation which surely has grown worse during this pandemic.
He said the number of BRIM and BSH recipients from Sarawak in 2019 and 2020 indicated that easily 60 per cent of the total households in Sarawak are the B40 households, the majority of which are rural based.
He believed that the Covid-19 has also exposed the frailties of medical infrastructure, and also internet connectivity.
“The point being that everywhere in Sarawak, there are more urgent priorities than this ART project.
“These are all manifestations of the misplaced priorities and policies of the GPS government (previously BN Sarawak) and during these very difficult times the government must not aggravate an already bad situation by allocating resources to projects with dubious benefits.
“Now is the time to show prudence and not be reckless. The future hangs in the balance,” he said.