Signature drive against the Pan-Borneo highway
Published on: Tuesday, July 11, 2017
Penampang: Kg Kolopis villagers are resorting to a signature campaign upon learning that the Pan-Borneo Highway project will cut across their flood-prone village and split the community.Their spokesman Paulinus Mojiun said they were told unofficially that the project will go ahead despite the villagers' concern that building the highway across the village would likely cause future floods to rise more than 20 feet.He said the villagers are not against development but disagreed with the proposed route as the low-lying village situated in a long valley would experience worse flooding in future if the highway is built according to plan.
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Kg Kolopis is known to be among the flood-prone areas in the district and has been hit countless times over the years, some of which were life-threatening.One of the most devastating floods was in 1999 that forced Sabah Electricity Sdn Bhd (SESB) to abandon its semi-completed sub-station project in the village. The project was later relocated to higher ground.Other than the signature campaign, village leaders have again sought help from Penampang Barisan Nasional chairman Datuk Donald Peter Mojuntin in the hope of finding a solution. A meeting between village leaders and the relevant authorities may be held end of the month.
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During a community meeting in February, Donald had said villagers were unhappy over what they claimed to be non-transparency on the part of those involved in the project after they found out that the highway alignment will go right through the middle of the valley in their village from Kg Kivatu.He was told by villagers 80 per cent of the plan to construct the highway across the valley in their village had been decided.
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They have formed an action committee headed by Datuk John Maluda to seek a win-win solution. The committee had reportedly met Project Delivery Partner (PDP) Managing Director cum Chief Operation Officer Ir Shahelmey Yahya to express their concern.Following the meeting, villagers said a group of 12 comprising PDP representatives and their consultants came to the village and were shown the critical flood prone locations.They claimed it was the first time villagers were consulted about the flood situation in the village.Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express’s Telegram channel.
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