When the Penang
Bridge was originally
proposed in the 1970s, the opposition party strongly opposed and protested
against the project. They said it was
unnecessary and a waste of public money.
With the benefit of hindsight, few people would agree with this view today as Penang Bridge 2 is set to be launched at the end of the year to accommodate escalating traffic. Furthermore, those who opposed the construction of
The same can be said of many development projects
which have taken place since and are still yet to come.
When the Subang Airport
was proposed, the opposition party said it wasn’t needed as there were no
planes yet. Similarly they were quick to point out the faults of KLIA even
though air traffic has gotten so high that LCCT had to be built, followed now
by the construction of KLIA2.
This is not to say
that the opposition party should be prohibited from raising valid points about
developmental projects.
However, time and
time again, they have proven to be short sighted and cynical in relation to
many of the major developments that many Malaysian’s now see as essential parts
of their lives, such as the North-South Highway, the iconic KLCC, the biometric
system and the railway double track project.
It should come as
no surprise then that the opposition are voicing out yet again against more Federal
government-led projects such as RAPID which will create an petrochemical hub in
Johor and Langat 2 treatment plant in Selangor which will increase treated
water for the Klang
Valley by 20 per cent.
Whether or not the
opposition are making noise for the sake of doing so, the government has to act
decisively because Malaysia
can not afford to lag behind in terms of progress
and development.
The opposition should learn to give credit where and
when it's due. For the sake of
development, please Pakatan Rakyat, give the rakyat a break.