Kampung Buayan in Penampang is one of the many remote villages in Sabah that is still plagued with poor road issues.

Located along the Crocker Range, it takes around two hours to reach the village from Donggongon town, which, without a sturdy off-road vehicle, is almost impossible.

The hilly road, which cuts through rivers and creeks, is littered with big stones, and only a short stretch of it is paved while the rest are laterite or gravel.

Downpours exacerbate this situation as it makes the already deteriorated road even more difficult to journey through due to wet surfaces and deeper potholes.

In March of 2013, the said conditions coupled with a rainy day proved fatal when the muddy road claimed the lives of two cousins who were on their way to school.

Ten years after the incident, Angelina Dingon, 64, still fears traversing the road that her son had tragically died on.

“I remember it was the end of the school holidays, and they were heading back to SMK Datuk Peter Mojuntin when the chartered 4×4 car they were in got stuck at a steep and slippery section of the road.

“Because they could not pass that section, another vehicle had to pull their car up the incline, but the rope winch snapped and the car fell and overturned, crushing them. They died on the spot.

“I was devastated when I found out. My son had hugged me before heading out that day. He would always give me a hug before he goes to school,” she told The Borneo Post during the “Kampung Angkat 2023” programme organised by Kadazan Cultural Association (KDCA) Putrajaya and Sabahan Welfare and Social Group (SWAG) at Kampung Buayan on December 27.

The single mother, who started experiencing heart complications since the incident, said the two cousins had passed away near Sungai Mondongian in the early morning.

Her son, a Form 1 student and the second youngest out of fifth siblings, had aspired to be a teacher at SK Buayan, while his cousin, a Form 5 student, was the daughter of a teacher at the same school.

“Even though the road has gotten a bit better since, I am still disappointed by its current condition. Every time I pass by that area, I would get flashbacks of the tragedy and I am afraid it would happen again,” she said.

Most of the villagers at Kampung Buayan do not have the appropriate transport to travel outside and have to either charter a vehicle, hitchhike, or walk.

According to them, to charter a 4×4 vehicle costs around RM600 while hitchhiking or “tumpang” costs around RM70 per head for a two-way trip from the village to Donggongon town.

Those who do not have the funds to charter or hitchhike will have to travel on foot, either through a shortcut via the Tambunan Salt Trail or the main road, which can take up to six hours to reach the town.

Earlier this year, Penampang Member of Parliament (MP) Datuk Ewon Benedick visited Kampung Buayan by land, and he acknowledged the bad road condition which requires serious government attention.

He also hoped that the villagers can give their cooperation for a study of the Penampang Development Plan as their need for the road to be upgraded will be included in the plan.

Kampung Buayan village head, Mositol Sondigon, 70, expressed his disappointment with certain political candidates who are all talk and no walk.

“Many times during campaigning they came to our village and promised to fix the road but once the election was over, we did not see any results. This has been going on for years.

“Ewon had paid us a visit shortly after he was elected as the Penampang MP, and we hope his promise to improve the road can be fulfilled.

“Moyog assemblyman Datuk Darell Leiking, however, has never set foot in our village. Not even when he was Penampang MP,” he said.

The worsening dirt road connecting to Kampung Buayan, which was established in 2013, poses another obvious challenge for the villagers – reduced access to the outside world.

This obstacle typically means it is more difficult for the villagers to obtain healthcare, especially considering the village does not have a permanent health clinic.

The village currently relies on mobile clinics which come once a month, Flying Doctors which come once every two months, and the Terian Health Clinic at a neighbouring village for medical treatment.

Mositol said this situation had also proved deadly as many years ago, two pregnant women from Kampung Buayan and Kampung Timpayasa who were on their way to the hospital could not reach there in time due to the road condition, and they died on the way. The children survived.

“The village desperately needs a better road. It is our biggest problem. If the road can be fully paved, it can not only allow non-4×4 vehicles to pass through but also cut the journey from two hours to around 30 minutes.

“We also need a permanent health clinic with the necessary staff including nurses and assistant medical officers as this predicament has even led some ill villagers to just brace through their pains rather than seek treatment,” he said.

The village head also highlighted the some 400 Kampung Buayan villagers’ main livelihood is farming including potatoes, bananas, durian and hill paddy – but they are unable to sell their produce near the city due to transportation issues.

He said many of them have to walk eight hours to sell their produce at Donggongon town, which is not feasible especially for the older villagers. During fruit seasons, extra produce from the farms would just go to waste.

“Because of this, most of the younger generation in the village have moved to the city to find better opportunities. It is difficult to make money here,” he said.

A teacher at SK Buayan, Zeabenia Mositol, 50, said despite the worsening condition of the road, the school has recorded a satisfying attendance among its students for this year.

Zeabenia, who teaches the Kadazan Dusun and Bahasa Malaysia languages, said most of the students stay at the school hostels and return home twice a week.

Most of their parents, she said, do not have proper transportation, so when the students do go home, they usually do it on foot.

“What we do is carry out a ‘gotong-royong’ with the students before they leave for the two-day break so that it would be safer for them as they can walk home in a group.

“Some of the teachers who have 4×4 vehicles would also send them home if we have activities at the school such as sports, for example.

“As of this year, the school does not have any serious attendance issues besides students unable to attend class due to sickness,” she said.

The 30 students at SK Buayan are not only from Buayan, but also the neighbouring Timpayasa, Tiku, Kalanggaan, and Pongobonon villages.

Aside from Zeabenia, there are 10 other teachers and three Implementation Group Members (AKP) at the 56-year-old primary school.

“So far, we have not heard any complaints from the students regarding transportation issues or needing to return home twice a week. They are actually quite diligent when it comes to attending class,”’ she said.

Zeabenia, who is the sole female teacher at SK Buayan, mirrors the students’ commitment as even though she does not have a car, she is willing to travel on foot to attend District Education Office (PPD) meetings.

“I walked to a meeting last week. I feel like it is my responsibility as a teacher and I would have missed out on important information if I am absent, so I always try to attend them unless I am ill,” she said.

Despite the various obstacles they face in their daily lives, the villagers of the serene and peaceful Kampung Buayan take them in stride while waiting for a helping hand to improve their basic infrastructure.

This was apparent when Mositol, while discussing the road problems with The Borneo Post, still managed to find a silver lining in their years-long, or maybe even centuries-long, plight.

“Walking to the paved part of the road takes hours but at least it can strengthen our leg muscles!” he chuckled.

Source:
courtesy of THE BORNEO POST

by JEGATHISAN SIVANESAN

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