THE RM176.27 million Sri Aman hospital in Bandar Sri Aman – some 127.5km from Kuching – is one of the “sick” federal government projects that have been given the priority to be completed “as soon as possible”.

The promise to build the 108-bed hospital, made some 12 years ago by former prime minister Najib Razak, is only 59% complete when it should have been ready according to its scheduled completion date of August 3 this year.

The hospital has a series of “new completion dates” during those 12 years and the latest new date is next year.

Works Minister Baru Bian, after co-chairing the state action council meeting in Kuching today, said the hospital was among the six sick federal projects in Sarawak that had gone top on his Works Ministry list to be salvaged.

The other co-chairman of the council who monitors and coordinates the implementation of federal projects in the state is Sarawak Deputy Chief Minister Douglas Uggah.

The five other projects are the proposed RM148.98 million immigration post and staff quarters on the Sarawak-Kalimantan border at Ba’ Kelalan in Baru’s state constituency; the RM1.4 billion access road to the Baleh hydroelectric dam site in remote Kapit; the RM23.14 million proposal to replace 18 classrooms and other key facilities at SMK Lutong in Miri; the RM9.75 proposal to build the Heart of Borneo interpretation centre and the RM48.27 million proposal to build a new 36-classroom secondary school in Tudan, Miri.

The stalled 300-bed hospital in Petra Jaya has also been included in the list of sick project list. 

These projects are between 17% (Tudan school) and 55% (Ba Kelalan immigration post) behind schedule.

Baru said on average, of the 631 projects that are being implemented in Sarawak as of June 23, 60.5% of them are behind schedule.

In comparison, he said, it is only 42.15% in the peninsula.

Only 10% of the projects that have a total value of RM4.31 billion have been completed.

The works minister said the contractors’ inability to continue with the projects as well as inability to manage their cash flow and projects are the main causes that many of the projects fell behind schedule.

In the worst-case situation, they are abandoned altogether.

Baru said since the federal government had pumped so much money into the projects, they “must be salvaged”.

Uggah was also informed at the meeting that Putrajaya had a change of mind over the funding of the perimeter survey of native customary rights land in the state.

He said the federal government has now decided to allocate RM10.75 million for a continuation of the survey.

In thanking Putrajaya for assistance in the state programme, he said he hoped it could over time resolve the land dispute between the state government and native land owners.

What was important with the joint action council, he said, was for Petra Jaya and Putrajaya to work together for the benefit of the people.

He said both he and Baru are committed to get as many projects for Sarawak as possible. – June 28, 2019.