Students in zip line viral videos: Boats to be provided, says Hajiji

KOTA KINABALU: The Sabah government will provide boats for schoolchildren in the Nabawan district here, says Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor.

The Chief Minister also instructed the Nabawan district officer to contact the Chief Minister's Department immediately to obtain the allocation to buy the boats.

ALSO READ: Risky rides to school in Nabawan

This comes after videos of people using zip lines and rafts to cross a river to get to school went viral on social media recently.

The video showed students and residents of Kampung Nangkawangan risking their lives to cross a river using rickety rafts and a drum mounted on zip lines.

Residents in the area are crossing the river in this way as the bridge in their area was washed away in a recent flood.

"If they need boats, we (the state government) will approve it immediately. I asked the district officer to contact my office to get the allocation to buy the boat," he said.

Hajiji said this when speaking to reporters on Friday (April 29) after breaking fast with Bumiputera Chambers of Commerce members here.

Hajiji - who is also the state Finance Minister - added that the government would rebuild the bridge.

"Pensiangan MP Datuk Arthur Joseph Kurup is also committed to ensuring that the bridge in the village is rebuilt," he said.

ALSO READ: Zipline to school: PM approves emergency funds to build suspension bridge for students, says MP

On Thursday (April 28), Kurup said that Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob had agreed to issue an emergency provision to repair the bridge used by villagers.

Earlier, Kampung Nangkawangan resident Zazila Roslan, 30, said the method had to be used after the suspension bridge in the village was washed away due to heavy floods last month.

Residents were also informed by the assemblyman for the area recently that efforts were being taken to provide boats for the use of the residents while waiting for the construction of a new bridge.

However, he said that villagers are using rafts and ziplines as the promised boat is still not available yet.