LDP: Road repairs must not slow after ellections

KOTA KINABALU (Dec 30): Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) President Datuk Chin Su Phin said the execution and delivery of road resurfacing works and basic infrastructure services must be carried out consistently and must not weaken due to election cycles.   He said that during the election period, road resurfacing works and related actions in public housing areas were carried out almost daily. However, once the election ended, the pace of execution slowed significantly. This, he said, should not be treated as normal and must not be allowed to continue.

“Road resurfacing is not a seasonal exercise. These are issues residents have raised for a long time, yet in some cases it takes up to a year before action is taken. This is unacceptable,” he said.

Chin said residents in Kota Kinabalu and other parts of Sabah continue to face four long-standing bread-and-butter issues – electricity supply, road conditions, street lighting and water supply.

He stressed that these are basic services that directly affect daily life, public safety, public health and economic activity.

On roads, he said many residential roads have already exceeded their service lifespan and should no longer be addressed through repeated patching works. When road structures are already severely deteriorated, continuous patching is ineffective and leads to wastage of public funds.

“In many residential areas, roads have long exceeded their usable lifespan. What is truly needed is not piecemeal repairs, but full road resurfacing works,” he said.   Chin urged the government, particularly in residential areas, to allocate dedicated funding for comprehensive road resurfacing projects and to move away from short-term measures that fail to address long-term structural problems.   On street lighting, he said inadequate lighting remains a serious issue in many neighbourhoods. Proper street lighting is critical to public safety, especially at night, and poor lighting significantly increases security risks. Authorities must therefore prioritise the installation and repair of streetlights to safeguard residents.

On water supply, Chin acknowledged that several new water dams are expected to be completed by 2026, which will increase overall water supply capacity. However, he cautioned that increasing supply alone will not resolve the issue if distribution infrastructure is not improved simultaneously.   He explained that water from the new dams will be delivered at higher pressure, placing significant strain on ageing water pipelines across Sabah. Many existing pipes are already old and were not designed to withstand higher pressure levels.

“If these ageing pipelines are not replaced, higher pressure will lead to more leakages, greater water loss, and serious wastage. No matter how much new water supply is added, it will never be sufficient if large volumes are lost through leaking pipes,” he said.

Chin stressed that upgrading and replacing old pipelines must be carried out in parallel with new dam projects, warning that failure to do so would undermine the effectiveness of new water infrastructure investments.   On electricity supply, Chin said power issues remain a recurring problem in Kota Kinabalu and many parts of Sabah. While infrastructure upgrades are ongoing, unexpected power outages continue to disrupt households and businesses.   He noted that Sabah has begun receiving additional electricity through the Sabah–Sarawak power interconnection, which is now operational and currently provides an estimated 30 to 50 megawatts of additional power to enhance grid stability.

However, he stressed that this development must be supported by proper planning, transparent communication, and continued infrastructure upgrades to ensure long-term reliability.

“The public welcomes any improvement in electricity supply, but expectations are high. These measures must translate into real stability on the ground, not just announcements,” he said.

Chin said many complaints continue to arise from tourist attractions, public toilets and restaurants, including cases of poor hygiene and food poisoning.

He stressed that enforcement and public service delivery must therefore be strengthened through both system reform and accountability to ensure real improvements on the ground.

Chin said many district offices and other local ministries in Sabah are still not efficient in delivering services to the public. He noted that DBKK is a clear example of improvement, with its online licence renewal system meeting public expectations. Other district authorities, he said, should follow suit by implementing online licence renewals to reduce face-to-face interactions, minimise discretion, and prevent corruption.

He also stressed that enforcement efforts must include unannounced spot checks, as inspections conducted with advance notice often result only in temporary improvements and do not reflect actual conditions.

On government-linked companies (GLCs), Chin said LDP supports the Chief Minister’s efforts to restructure and improve the performance of underperforming entities, adding that organisations which fail to deliver must be held accountable.

“Waiting five years is not reasonable. Two years performance window is sufficient to assess whether a GLC can deliver results. If it fails, it should be restructured, management replaced, or operations discontinued, with qualified professionals appointed to ensure measurable outcomes,” he said.

Chin said LDP will continue to engage actively with the public on bread-and-butter issues, particularly water supply, electricity, roads, and basic infrastructure. Members of the public facing such problems are encouraged to lodge complaints directly with LDP, including through its headquarters, so that follow-up action can be taken with the relevant authorities.   “LDP represents the people of Sabah. If issues affect daily life, the public can approach us directly. We will follow up, raise these matters with the authorities, and push the government to address and resolve them,” he said.

He said the public is watching closely and expectations are high. He called on the government to act decisively, communicate transparently, and ensure consistent delivery of basic services across all districts.

“The time for action is now. Electricity, roads, street lighting, and water are not political issues, they are basic necessities. If we are serious about solving these long-standing problems, infrastructure upgrades must be comprehensive overall,” he said.