Kuala Lumpur: Kota Belud MP Isnaraissah Munirah Majilis called for accountability over Sabah’s road maintenance issues, criticising concessionaires and the Government for failing to address long-standing problems.
Speaking in Parliament during her debate on the King’s address, she expressed frustration over roads riddled with potholes, substandard repairs and lack of oversight.
Advertisement“Why do we keep maintaining concessionaires that are incompetent? The same issues keep recurring in Sabah,” said the Warisan MP, pointing to the deteriorating roads connecting Kota Belud to Kota Kinabalu, Kudat and Ranau. She questioned the role of concessionaires responsible for their upkeep.
“The roads are full of potholes, they patch them up and by next week, the potholes are back. This has even led to deaths,” she said, stressing that it was not just people in rural areas who are suffering but also in Kota Kinabalu city, where a motorcyclist died hitting a pothole.
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“If a company under a Minister, the TYT (Governor) or anyone else is not performing, sack them and replace them with someone competent. Stop wasting public funds.”
AdvertisementMunirah also criticised the delay in delivering key projects in Kota Belud, including streetlights at Bukit Kelawat, Politeknik Kota Belud and Klinik Kesihatan Mantanani.
She highlighted the fatal accident at Bukit Kelawat on Jan. 19, arguing that having streetlights could have prevented the tragedy.
Advertisement (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});She also raised concerns about Klinik Kesihatan Mantanani, which was approved but yet to begin construction and Politeknik Kota Belud, saying the Government had made repeated promises but had yet to deliver.
Several road projects, including Kg Pinolobuh Road, Mengkulat, Podos and Kg Tanjung Batu Road, have also seen no progress despite her requests since 2023.
“It’s disheartening. We send letters and they go unanswered. We’re asking nicely. I know not every request can be met, but can we at least see some progress?”
She also took issue with federal agencies bypassing local representatives, citing the Fisheries Development Authority of Malaysia (LKIM) as an example.
“Last month, the LKIM Chairman visited Kota Belud for a project site inspection. But I only found out through his social media. We have leaders in Kota Belud. We have a representative.”
She questioned whether LKIM was acting as a political entity by only engaging with federal ruling parties while ignoring opposition MPs. “We’re the ones speaking up in Parliament for the fishermen.”
She demanded answers on the long-delayed fishermen’s resettlement project in Kg Bira-Biraan, which has been stalled for years and assistance for fire victims in Kg Kuala Abai and Kg Buah Pandai. “Are they not fishermen?”
Munirah challenged Sabahans to stop depending on election handouts and take control of their future.
“How long do we want to be a poor state? How long do we want our roads full of potholes, our electricity unstable? How long do we want to blame Malaya for everything? How long do we want to blame others for our fate?” she asked, urging Sabahans to break free from this cycle.
She pointed to Sarawak’s success, stressing that its achievements did not happen overnight.