It is the end of another year, so it is good to ponder how far the country has progressed in years past.

I want to reflect a little on the East-West Highway, stretching across Jeli in Kelantan to Grik in Perak.

It is a highway I am nostalgic about, having played a small role in its early construction. I was working then in a tyre company supplying giant earth mover tyres used in the highway’s construction. The highway was constructed from both ends, (i. e. from Jeli in Kelantan and Grik in Perak) and I remember having to travel to both Grik and Jeli on a regular basis.

By the time the highway was eventually completed, I had left the tyre company. I did not have the opportunity to travel on the highway again until two days ago, on December 28, almost 40 years later.

As I drove along the highway, it transported me back to the mid-1970s when the idea of the highway was first mooted.

It was a giant feat in engineering then. In addition to the difficult terrain, construction was disrupted by the communist insurgency. I remember having to go through security checkpoints each time I went in and out of the construction sites.

Malaysia was not a very rich country then. Oil-related revenue was limited. Industrial development was at its infancy and other revenue sources were just as limited. However, somehow we got our priorities right. Despite the limited resources, we managed to undertake this project which opened up the whole northern peninsula linking Kelantan and Terengganu to Perak, Penang and Kedah. The icing on the cake was that the highway was a government project requiring no involvement from the private sector.

To me, the highway was a project that significantly impacted the country’s development in every way. The government did the right thing then, unlike the situation today when it indulges in all kinds of fanciful programmes and projects.

However, as I was driving along the highway, I noticed it was in dire need of an upgrade.

The traffic was heavy, with the many trucks and oil tankers plying the route causing congestion and making overtaking difficult and dangerous. I also found that the designated areas for overtaking were limited and not well demarcated.

The highway is in need of resurfacing because there are too many patched spots, some of which are uneven and even dangerous. The white dividing lines on the road in many areas have completed faded, rendering it somewhat hazardous to drivers unfamiliar with the road.

It is a winding road given the difficult terrain, but I noticed there are no light reflectors at the side to guide drivers at night.

It is time the government do the right thing again. Please do not cite a lack of funds as an excuse. To me, there are just too many fanciful and unproductive projects at present taking precedence over more important ones.

This is just a reminder to the government to get their priorities right. We may be poor and our revenues may be limited, but if we know how to spend our money correctly, we will become richer eventually. On the other hand, our wealth is useless if we squander it away on unproductive and useless projects.

TK Chua is an FMT reader.

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