PBS slams Warisan for alleged U-turn on controversial Kaiduan Dam

Mositun (3rd L) helping the gotong-royong clean-up at Kg Kaiduan.

PAPAR: Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS) has accused Parti Warisan Sabah of lying by making a "U-turn" on the controversial Kaiduan Dam project.

PBS secretary-general Datuk Johnny Mositun claimed that Warisan has gone back on its promise to scrap the Kaiduan Dam project.

This was after the announcement by State Infrastructure Development Minister Datuk Peter Anthony that a dam costing RM2bil will be built at Kampung Bisuang here. 

“They pledged to stop the project if Warisan came to power after GE14. Now just a few months in power, there is this U-turn,” he said after leading a gotong royong (mass volunteering session) at Kampung Kaiduan here to clear debris which had been washed up from the river.

“From the press reports I see that it is essentially the same project, only a change in name from Kaiduan Dam to Papar Dam, and a change in location along the same river,” he said.

Mositun claimed that the proposed new dam site was located lower downriver and closer to Papar than the original site for the Kaiduan Dam and in a more heavily populated area.

“It is not true that fewer people will have to be relocated (under this project) as the Minister claims. 

"Kampung Bisuang is very close to Kinarut, more people live in this area. This is the natural growth area as population increases, and demand for land grows. 

"It is illogical to build a dam here when Kaiduan which is located much further away and isolated, can be deemed unsuitable,” he said. 

Mositun said he agreed with Diana Sipail of the Task Force against Kaiduan Dam (TAKAD) who also opposed the new proposal.

The TAKAD spokesperson had pointed out that there was negligible difference in the size of the catchment areas projected between Kaiduan and Bisuang, as well as the cost. 

Sipail had also rubbished the claim that fewer people would have to be relocated under the proposed Papar dam project, compared to Kaiduan. 

“I doubt any proper study has been made about this new proposal. It looks suspiciously like a rehash of the proposal for Kaiduan with minor alterations to make it look like a new plan.