Whenever the rainy season comes, the farmers at Pujut Tanjung Batu in the Miri division of Sarawak have trouble getting to their farms.

The roads to their farms in Pujut Tanjung Batu and Padang Kerbau are severely damaged and very difficult for small vehicles using the roads during the rainy season.

The roads are very muddy and with so many potholes here and there, it becomes extremely difficult for the farmers to take their agricultural produce to the markets, and for the villagers to get home as well.

They have long been seeking assistance from the relevant authorities to help refurbish the damaged roads at the bypass routes leading to the village of Tanjung Batu and to Pujut Padang Kerbau.

Tired of no action being one of the residents there, and among the many complainants the imam of Masjid of Kampung Pujut Tanjung Batu, Salam Ahmad, and other smallholders in the locality, complained of the same problem to us.

According to the farmers, the government promised to resurface and tar the roads to their arreas, but this promise has never been delivered.

The complainants have also, for long, been appealing to their elected representative to tackle the problem and despite the promises to help solve this problem since 2009, the conditions of the road have only become more severely damaged.

Until when do they have to wait for the promises to be delivered? They do not want the parties concerned to be only good at making promises they do not keep. And, the villagers also ask, where did the provisions for the road projects go?

Also, give them titles to their land

We urge the parties concerned and the relevant government agencies to fulfil the promises made to the farmers and villagers in the area. Immediate steps must be taken to pave the road with concrete and tar for the ease of the villagers and the farmers to go in and out of their homes and farms.

The land they farming on should also be given titles, since this is one source of their livelihood to support their lives. Most of the residents there are small-scale farmers and the land is a legacy from their forefathers.

We hope that the issue of land and the conditions of village roads in Sarawak can be solved immediately because we believe the provisions set aside for the maintenance of roads to the villages and farms are not fully utilised.

This matter should be addressed by the authorities and all the expenditures in the budget allocations that have been approved by the government must be closely monitored as well.

Cooperation among the relevant parties to resolve this problem immediately to ease the situation of the villagers concerned is greatly appreciated.

JOFRI JARAIEE is Sarawak PAS commissioner and Miri division PAS chief.