I was reading up on Brunei Resources’ post on the legislative council. In one way, i’m real glad that we’ve kicked start a parliamentary. In other, i’m not really sure about having appointed members running for parliamentary.
One thing i really wish that they put up are HOT OF THE PRESS transcripts of what happened in the legislative council sessions, i mean, most of these sessions happen when people are working anyway so it’s not like we can just pop into the debates and skive work. Or maybe store videos of session online and broadcast them on late night tvs, just like American C-SPAN and the Australian ABC channel.
What struck me when reading Brunei Resources’ post was that the issue of that damned Muara to Temburong bridge was raised up in the council session again. This is what you get when you have appointed members, i guess. Who posed that question anyway? what a waste of time and a $100 million parliament house! what about questions crime, unemployment, crazy police raids, teacher and equipment shortages in schools or even bureaucracy of the system? Why didn’t he ask those questions? As soon as i get the right to vote, i’m voting his ass out, man.
What shocks me more is that the poll on BR’s site said MORE than HALF said build the bridge now.
Whaaaaat?
Are you people crazy?
Building a bridge, by the way, is expensive. Building a 25km bridge is very very expensive. Building a 25km bridge over a massive and deep stretch of water like the Brunei Bay is very very very very expensive. At least B$1 billion. In this case, it would probably be a good idea to not think using your asses, people.
I HATE it when people say “oh, it would bring in a lot of economic opportunity to the Temburong district”. The question is, to what extent? Unless massive oil reserves are found in Temburong, how can we really justify building a $900 million – $1.5 billion bridge? With people whining “EEEHHH MAHAL JUAAA” if a $50 toll was smacked on the bridge just to recover a fraction of that investment.
How much can that bridge achieve more than spending about a small fraction of that fully implementing e-access to Temburong for road users, a bridge for that freaking small river and having more organised boat services? Won’t that actually encourage more small and local businesses? as oppose to a $1 billion debt for a stupid bridge just because people are whining about it?
Do you know what you can do with $1 billion? You could…
- Complete roads and highways all across Brunei and maintain them for a very long time.
- Build a university, or expand UBD to offer courses, attract the best minds to teach and have much more money to build youth centres.
-Finance our HEALTH or EDUCATION system
- Capital to acquire foreign assets or massive tax breaks for businesses for killer growth
- Expand Petroleum Brunei to a full fledge Exploration and Production Company, get the best skills and technology, acquire exploration rights in other countries and maybe still get enough capital to develop it.
- For fuck sake, you’ll get more money back if you simply put $1 billion in a bank.
- So much more
So how the fuck does a 25km bridge top those options?
2 comments
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March 16, 2008 at 12:35 pm
maurina
MAHAL JUA JAMBATAN ATU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
PAKAI PERAWU SAJA BAH!!!!!!!!!!! $12 per person round trip. I guess that why big Temburong families never ever come to Bandar heh.
March 18, 2008 at 1:10 pm
oirul
As oppose to paying $50-70 on bridge toll per way per car to fractionally recoup the $1 billion bill for the bridge? Yes, I guess paying $12 return per person seems reasonable.
But heaps of alternative solution to quickly move people and products from BSB to Temburong. Building a bridge is a LAZY and WASTEFUL solution.