The construction of Cinta Mata Water Dam in Tawau to serve as the long term solution to ensure consistent and reliable water supply in the district seems to have been used as an election goodie to woo support for the government of day — Barisan Nasional, as the project is expected to take off in this coming August, when general election is speculated to held anytime after Hari Raya.
The date of the commencement of the project was revealed in an official written reply to the opposition lawmaker during the recently concluded state assembly sitting.
The written reply by the State Infrastructural Development Ministry headed by Deputy Chief Minister Tan Sri Joseph Pairin Kitingan stated that the project cost for the water dam had been optimised from the original budget set in 2013, RM415.4 million to RM470.39 million, after taking into account GST and the current material market price.
I remind the people of Tawau that Member Parliament, Datuk Mary Yap had promised the project to get off in June last year. As usual, BN government project would be delayed for some time before it is really on the board and now the latest date of construction started said to be August this year.
Can we trust this?
We can expect there would be a big event, ground breaking ceremony to mark the commencement of the project. We can imagine what BN leaders would tell us, appreciate the contribution by the current regime and continue to support them.
But they would never want the public to refresh their memory, for how many years we are waiting for this project, and how suffering of the people who always deal with water supply disruption.
It’s every government’s responsibility to provide people with the basic amenities, including consistent and reliable water supply, regardless of whom is the government of the day. As election is just around the corner, the earliest could be immediate after Hari Raya, it is most likely that the BN will turn the Cinta Mata Water Dam project into an election goodie.
Please bear in mind that, this water dam project has been highlighted as one of the manifesto in the last election by Tawau BN. Well, the promise is only seems to be fulfilled, when the term ends and renewal of mandate is needed. I think the people of Tawau have their own wisdom to judge the sincerity and commitment of any politician and their political party.