Benedick (in blue cap) speaking to villagers during his visit to Kampung Terian and Kampung Buayan, two serene villages tucked deep inside Sabah’s Crocker Range.
KOTA KINABALU: Kampung Terian and Kampung Buayan are two serene villages tucked deep inside Sabah’s Crocker Range in the Penampang district near here.
Residents comprise those from the Kadazandusun community, with a majority depending on farming and livestock for their livelihood.
But despite being only 30km away from Donggongon town, considered Penampang’s “capital”, the trip to these villages can turn into a nightmare, especially after a downpour.
The dirt road consisting of red soil would turn muddy. Even those with the best four-wheel-drive vehicles would find the journey treacherous.
Travellers also have to contend with the hilly terrain as well as having to cross rivers – which become impassable during the wet season.
According to the villagers, the dirt road connecting Kampung Buayan was completed in 2013 while the stretch to Kampung Terian was done in 2007.
Challenging ride: Even for a four-wheel-drive vehicle, the trip to remote Penampang villages is an arduous one.
However, they said these routes are almost impossible for smaller and lighter vehicles to pass through, particularly during rainy spells.
Due to this, villagers have to walk between six and eight hours just to get essential supplies or to get their produce to Donggongon town markets.
On Friday, Penampang MP Datuk Ewon Benedick concluded a two-day visit to both villages, making the land journey so that he could experience for himself the villagers’ predicament.
In the past, many politicians have visited the villages but most opted to take a helicopter ride.
“I chose to travel by land to these villages because I wanted to know the difficulty that the people have to go through,” said Benedick, who is also the federal Entrepreneur Development and Cooperative Minister.
He conceded that the road is “very challenging” and that government’s attention is needed.
“That is why I hope the villagers will give their cooperation to a study by the Institute for Development Studies (IDS) Sabah which is implementing the Penampang Development Plan.
“All their needs, particularly to upgrade the road and the construction of other amenities, will be included in the plan,” he said.
It was Benedick’s first visit to the villages since being elected the Penampang MP in the General Election last November.
He was accompanied by members of the four-wheel-drive club WRS Penampang, which deployed 30 such vehicles.
Other representatives included those from the police, Sabah Water Department, and Public Works Department.
Benedick said the study by the IDS on the Penampang Development Plan, which started this month, is expected to be completed within six months.
He hoped all the villages in Penampang would provide their input, as well as their aspirations for the district, which is the heartland of the Kadazandusun community.
Input needed for the plan covers areas like infrastructure development such as roads, water, electricity and telecommunication coverage; as well as matters like education, healthcare, land ownership, agriculture, and tourism.
After the completion of the study, he said, the report will be tabled at the Penampang Action Council Meeting before being published as a document and slated for a launch by the Prime Minister at the end of this year.
“After that, it will become my responsibility as the Penampang MP to ensure the plan becomes Penampang’s input for the coming Malaysia Plans and Sabah development plans.”
