SARAWAK Governor Abdul Taib Mahmud, Chief Minister Abang Johari Openg and other VIPs were unhurt when they were struck by a shower of misdirected fireworks during a display at the opening of the RM35million “S” pedestrian bridge at the Kuching waterfront last night.

The only “casualty” was the black and gold shirt of state legislative assembly Speaker Mohamad Asfia Awang Nassar, which suffered three burn holes in the bacl.

As he was walking to the bridge afterwards, Asfia was overheard telling State Secretary Morshidi Abdul Ghani that he didn’t know how he had got burnt, saying jokingly, “I’m going to sue the state secretary”.

“No I was not afraid,” an unflustered Abang Johari said of his experience, although he had had to dodge a sparkler whizzing past him to land under his chair.

“They came and covered us,” he said of his and the governor’s security detail which rushed to form a human wall to protect them from being hit by the fireworks.

State Local Government and Housing Minister Dr Sim Kui Kian, however, said he was afraid, his fear was for those sitting in front of him because the sparklers were shooting in their direction.

“I was afraid (for those in front of me),” 

Press photographers also had some near misses and had to be deft on their feet to avoid being hit by stray fireworks.

Even though nobody was hurt in the incident, it made for a rather inauspicious opening, especially as organisers had pains to ensure good feng shui by having the governor launch the bridge at exactly 11 seconds past the 11th minute of 11pm on the 11th day of the 11 month .

Taib was given the honour of opening the Darul Hana bridge, which was his idea when he was the chief minister, to connect the “culturally lively” north bank of the Sarawak River, where the Astana, the legislative assembly and the Malay villages are, with the commercial hub on the south bank.

Chief minister Abang Johari in his address said the construction of the bridge had been “executed with beauty, harmony and balance”.

He said the bridge signified a racially and culturally diverse Sarawak and of unity, as the components of the bridge were connected seamlessly but that each would not be able to stand without the others.

The bridge, built in “S” shape, is a curvilinear steel cable stay pedestrian bridge with a span of 355m.

It was built on three sets on in-river bored pile foundations – two for the hybrid concrete and steel towers and one for the southern approach’s span strut.

The two hornbill shaped towers echo the traditional bridges built by the Bidayuhs while the “S” shape reflects the state’s meandering rivers.

Construction started in 2013 with PPES Works (Sarawak) Sdn Bhd, the engineering arm of the Sarawak Economic Development Corporation (SEDC), appointed the main contractor.

Abang Johari said the bridge’s futuristic design and engineering innovation “symbolised the dynamism of modern Sarawak”. – November 12, 2017.