Nabawan villagers forced to fix roads with bare hands

By Olivia Miwil - June 29, 2019 @ 11:51am

Villagers in Nabawan, Sabah, have to repair their own road and build bridges using felled trees. - NSTP/Courtesy of reader

NABAWAN: The villagers of Kampung Saliku here are used to repairing their own roads.

The condition of the road in the village, which is located about 150 kilometres from the nearest town, is poor and is made worse after heavy rain.

Recently, pictures and videos of a group of schoolchildren from Sekolah Kebangsaan Saliku clearing mud with their bare hands were circulated via WhatsApp.

It is understood the children cleared a path to allow four-wheel vehicles to pass through.

The school's Parent-Teacher Association deputy chairman Ambier Angusah said such events were commonplace in the village.

“Those children and villagers were clearing the muddy road after heavy rains so that cars can pass through.

“Clearing roads using hoes is our routine especially on weekends when people, including teachers, return home,” he told the New Straits Times, adding there are five other schools at the village.

Ambier said the road that connects the village and town is never repaired.

This, he said, prompted the villagers to find solutions and fix it themselves by erecting bridges using trees.

Every day, he said, schoolchildren have to walk for about an hour to go to school using the same route.

“Because of the muddy road, their clothes get dirty and for the same reason, some of the pupils stop going to school.

“It is very inconvenient when there is an emergency,” he said, adding that many villagers died from various illnesses as the village is inaccessible, making it difficult for them to seek medical care.

Ambier said he hoped that the government would look into their longstanding plight.