Villagers retrace century-old trail as RM73 mln Musi–Buso Road project kicks off

Harry (standing front row, eighth left) in a group photo with local villagers at Musi-Buso Bridge during the ‘Walk Down The Memory Lane: Musi-Buso Walk’ programme in Bau on Nov 30, 2025.

By Shikin Louis

BAU, Nov 30: Before heavy machinery begins carving out the new RM73 million Musi–Buso Road, some 170 villagers today revisited the century-old trail their ancestors once travelled entirely on foot, by sampan and later by bus — a nostalgic walk marking the start of a major infrastructure upgrade for the Singai community.

Deputy Minister of Transport Sarawak (Riverine and Maritime) Datuk Henry Harry Jinep, who joined the community walk, said the symbolic event served as a tribute to the resilience of earlier generations who relied solely on the trail for schooling, trade and daily necessities.

“Long ago, people from Singai walked from the mountain down to Musi, then continued to Buso. At the river, they took a sampan to cross before boarding buses to Bau.

“The whole journey could take two to three hours a day,” he told reporters during the ‘Walk Down The Memory Lane: Musi-Buso Walk’ programme held at the site today.

He added that many of the elderly participating in the event today, those in their 60s and 70s, experienced this themselves as children.

Harry (standing front row, eighth right) in a group photo with local villagers during the ‘Walk Down The Memory Lane: Musi-Buso Walk’ programme in Bau on Nov 30, 2025.

Harry, who is also Tasik Biru assemblyman, further said the Musi–Buso route represented the longstanding unity among the Bidayuh, Chinese and Malay communities in the area.

“In Musi, you had Chinese shops; in Buso, the Malay families operated the sampan. The three races lived as friends and families. Sometimes they would stop at each other’s houses to eat and drink. It was very nostalgic,” he elaborated.

At the same time, he said the Musi–Buso Road project has commenced, but he instructed the contractor to temporarily pause tree-clearing in certain sections to preserve remnants of the historic trail.

“I told them, wait first. Don’t cut the trees because there is memory left there. The old road is still visible. Do it manually first,” he said.

The new 3.7km to 4km single-lane road will connect Musi and Buso to Bau and eventually link to the Pan Borneo Highway. The project includes the construction of a new concrete bridge to replace the existing ferry bridge used by villagers.

He said the project is expected to take about two years to complete.

After a brief pause for the symbolic walk, construction works are expected to resume tomorrow. – DayakDaily