PBK: Batang Lupar Bridge 1 symbolises Sarawak’s true wealth, economic strength

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By DayakDaily Team

KUCHING, May 23: Batang Lupar Bridge 1 is not merely a river crossing but a symbol of Sarawak’s long-standing economic strength and the principle that the State’s wealth should first and foremost benefit Sarawakians, being used to develop Sarawak rather than other parts of Malaysia, especially Peninsular Malaysia.

Highlighting this, Parti Bumi Kenyalang (PBK) president Voon Lee Shan said the bridge, officially opened on May 21 at a cost of RM848.7 million, has been widely promoted as one of Sarawak’s major infrastructure achievements.

However, he questioned who ultimately financed the project, pointing to its origins and subsequent changes in funding arrangements over the years.

He noted that the Batang Lupar Bridge 1 project was initially announced under the Barisan Nasional (BN) administration as a federal project, with expectations that Putrajaya would play a central role in financing the strategic infrastructure.

However, following the 14th General Election (GE14) in 2018 and the change of federal government, several major Sarawak projects were reviewed, deferred, or delayed by Putrajaya due to financial constraints, including the Batang Lupar bridge project.

“What happened next speaks volumes. Instead of abandoning the project, the Sarawak government under Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) decided to proceed using Sarawak’s own financial resources. In other words, Sarawak had to use its own money to ensure the bridge became a reality.

“This raises a deeper question that every Sarawakian should reflect upon: if Sarawak can fund multi-billion ringgit infrastructure projects on its own, what does this reveal about the true wealth of Sarawak?

“A bridge funded by Sarawak’s own resources should remind every Sarawakian of one simple truth: Sarawak is rich. Sarawakians must benefit first from Sarawak’s wealth. The wealth of Sarawak should not be used to develop other parts of Malaysia, especially Malaya, but Sarawak,” he said in a statement today.

Voon pointed out that for decades Sarawak’s oil and gas, timber, hydropower, and other natural resources have contributed significantly to federal revenue.

“Billions upon billions have flowed out from Sarawak to build and develop other parts of Malaysia. Yet when Sarawak urgently needed strategic infrastructure, we were told there was ‘not enough money’,” he said.

He argued that the Batang Lupar Bridge 1 reflects a broader political and economic reality, where Sarawak has the capacity to finance its own development but remains constrained by federal financial arrangements.

“Batang Lupar Bridge is therefore not merely a bridge across a river. It is a symbol of a larger political reality: Sarawak has long possessed the economic strength to stand on its own feet,” he said.

He viewed that the key issue is not whether Sarawak is economically weak, but how the State’s wealth has been centralised, controlled, or drained over decades, while Sarawak continues to lag behind in rural infrastructure, roads, healthcare, education, and utilities.

Sarawakians, he stressed, should reflect on why they should be “endlessly grateful” for partial returns of what has been generated from the State’s resources, and instead must pursue stronger control over Sarawak’s wealth derived from its own land.

Stretching 4.8 kilometres across the Batang Lupar River, the Batang Lupar Bridge 1 is now recognised as Malaysia’s longest river-crossing bridge. Built to JKR R5 standards, it features 87 river piers and a 4,884-metre span, connecting Samarahan to Betong via a two-lane single carriageway.

The bridge replaces the long-running ferry service, providing a safer, faster, and uninterrupted connection for communities between Sebuyau and Triso, and is regarded as one of the most significant infrastructure projects in Sarawak’s recent development history. — DayakDaily

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