“Many critics are convinced that I am wrong in building the LRT for Kuching city.
“I will show you that I am right because I am thinking of the future of Kuching, and they are wrong because they think Kuching has no future,” he said in his opening address and official launching of International Digital Economic Conference Sarawak (Idecs) 2018 at Borneo Convention Centre Kuching (BCCK) here today.
Sarawak DAP, led by its chairman Chong Chieng Jen, had on several occasions criticised the plan, saying there was no urgent need for Kuching to have such facilities.
MP for Bandar Kuching Dr Kelvin Yii has also called for greater accountability on the economic feasibility of the proposed LRT project.
Yii said the state government under the leadership of Abang Johari should answer a few follow-up questions regarding the project.
Abang Johari said Kuching’s population had increased from 150,000 in 1960 to 315,000 in 1980, 510,000 in 2000 and 685,000 in 2017, adding that it would continue to grow.
He said in areas that are covered by the proposed LRT route, the current population is close to one million people.
Work on the LRT system, which will cover the state capital plus the Samarahan and Serian divisions, is expected to start next year, to be operational by 2024.