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The Batang Lupar Bridge 1 features a striking 598.8-metre cable-stayed main span with navigational clearance measuring 250 metres in width and 26 metres in height.Advertisement
By DayakDaily Team
KUCHING, May 22: The opening of the Batang Lupar 1 Bridge stands as a clear rebuttal to the Democratic Action Party’s (DAP) past claims that many Sarawak infrastructure projects were merely “hot air projects” and “crony projects”, said Kota Sentosa assemblyman Wilfred Yap.
In a statement today, Yap said the opening of the Batang Lupar 1 Bridge to public traffic on May 21 marked a major milestone for Sarawak and reflected the Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) government’s ability to successfully deliver strategic infrastructure projects under the leadership of Premier Abang Johari Tun Openg.
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“The bridge is not rhetoric. It is physical proof of delivery,” he said.
Measuring approximately 4.8 kilometres, the Batang Lupar 1 Bridge is now recognised as the longest river-crossing bridge in Malaysia. It replaces the long-standing ferry crossing between Sebuyau and Triso, significantly improving connectivity for communities in Sarawak’s coastal areas.
Yap said travel time that once depended heavily on ferry schedules and congestion had now been greatly reduced, benefiting residents in Sebuyau, Triso, Maludam, and surrounding areas.
At the same time, he reminded Sarawakians of the political climate during the Pakatan Harapan (PH) federal administration between 2018 and 2020, when several infrastructure projects in Sarawak came under review, delayed, or cancelled.
According to Yap, then Sarawak DAP chairman Chong Chieng Jen had publicly defended the federal government’s decisions at the time.
He pointed out that in October 2018, Chong claimed many projects announced under the previous federal administration were merely “hot air projects” because there were allegedly no approved allocations for them, while also alleging that certain projects were “crony projects” awarded without open tender.
Yap further noted that in May 2019, Chong had told the GPS government to “stop being a crybaby” over cancelled projects in Sarawak, while defending federal budget cuts as necessary measures to save the country from bankruptcy.
He also recalled that former federal finance minister Lim Guan Eng had declared in Kuching on June 21, 2019, that Sarawak would “go bankrupt in three years” under GPS rule.
“Those statements were not made by political bloggers or outsiders. They were made by senior DAP leaders holding federal power at the time,” Yap stressed.
Seven years later, Yap said, the facts had proven otherwise.
“Sarawak did not go bankrupt. Instead, Sarawak strengthened its finances, recorded strong revenues, expanded its infrastructure network, and successfully delivered strategic projects such as the Batang Lupar 1 Bridge,” he said.
He added that while DAP leaders were questioning Sarawak’s development agenda and defending federal spending cuts affecting the State, GPS remained focused on long-term infrastructure planning and implementation.
Yap said the bridge symbolised what Sarawak could achieve through political stability, disciplined financial management, and a government committed to prioritising development over political polemics.
“Sarawakians are politically mature enough to judge for themselves who consistently defended Sarawak’s interests and who chose to echo narratives originating from Kuala Lumpur,” he said.
He added that GPS would continue to build, connect, and develop Sarawak for future generations. — DayakDaily
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