On Monday, the Road Works Department of Sarawak (JKR Sarawak) found themselves caught in the midst of a public outcry after they had unveiled a newly constructed jetty located in a small village in East Malaysia. Despite appearing rather simple in its structure and materials, JKR Sarawak claimed that the cost of the 15-metre long jetty amounted to a whopping RM50,000.
Malaysians baffled by RM50,000 cost for wooden jetty
Predictably, that left many Malaysians to allege that an influence of corruption must have been involved in the project, given the seemingly astronomical amount involved. Some have wondered how many sub-contractors had been called in to hike up costs, while others jokingly suggested that the wood used to build the jetty could withstand intense heat and rain for hundreds of years to explain its RM50,000 price-tag.
In fact, the project drew so much attention that even the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission, otherwise known as the biggest graft-busting body in the country, had to step in to determine if any elements of corruption were found in the project. And according to national news agency BERNAMA, a source from MACC confirms that they did not find any signs of corruption or irregularities in the project, after inspections were concluded on 12th April 2022.
MACC says no element of corruption found
Sarawak’s MACC division adds that their findings were consistent to the statement released by the Road Works Department in the wake of the public furor, which attributed the exorbitant cost of the jetty to the use of genuine belian timber wood. This was in addition to other factors that were encountered during construction, such as the condition of road access into the village and logistics planning. They also noted that added safety precautions were required as the river in which the jetty was built was infested with crocodiles.
It is worth noting that a steel jetty was initially been proposed, but had been scrapped due to the higher than expected cost of expenditure, which would have resulted in a shorter jetty structure. The village chief had also initially requested for a 30-metre long jetty structure complete with a small shed (pondok), but was informed that it would be impossible due to budgetary constraints. Moreover, JKR claims that they were also able to procure the belian timber wood at below market rates.
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