I MUST congratulate R. Nadeswaran for highlighting issues of great concern to all Malaysians, yet again.

His article (published in the May 14 edition of your paper), on the government’s proposal to revive the project to lay undersea cables from Sarawak to Peninsular Malaysia for the supply of electricity, raises serious questions on the need for mega projects that cost the country, and of course, the tax payers, enormous sums of money but bring little benefit to the people.

The nation is facing difficult times now. We are faced with rising fuel and food costs, and income that has generally stagnated or even regressed, in real terms.

The poor and the needy have been languishing and now have to brace themselves for tougher times ahead. It is therefore disturbing that in the midst of all this, the government sees fit to revive the undersea cable project that will further tax our nation’s resources and for which there is no apparent benefit to the people.

If indeed we have RM17 billion to spare, I am sure the money can be put to much better use in areas that will bring tangible and significant benefits.

One can think of numerous areas in which the funds can be utilised – healthcare, education and housing immediately come to mind.

As an illustration, RM17 billion can provide low cost housing for 340,000 families at an estimated cost of RM50,000 per house (340,000X50,000=17 billion). With an average of four persons to a family, which is a conservative estimate, this will positively impact more than 1 million Malaysians.

Think of how much this will truly benefit the people and the relief it will bring to their burdens, given that housing is normally the component that costs most in the average household’s expenditure.

This illustration shows, very simply, the scale of what it will cost us to lay the undersea cables. What of the learning institutions and hospitals that can be built and equipped? One could go on.

There is just no justification for the revival of the undersea cable project and it is hoped that the government will reconsider its decision in the best interests of the people.

J. Yap
via email

Source: The Sun – May 16, 2008