EVER wonder sometimes why it’s so convenient to literally fly around the world, yet the same cannot be said for travelling on the ground around one’s own country — when so many places are still inaccessible by road, let alone by air.

Earlier this week, a businessman friend went off-road from Bakun to go to the site of the new hydro dam project in Murum and found how horrendous and treacherous the journey could be, especially after an overnight downpour, which can cause landslips, raise water levels and more.

Along the way, he came across a spot where a 4WD vehicle had veered off the road and plunged into a river. He took pictures of it. Three of the occupants, he was told, had disappeared in the swirling waters.

Incidents like this, though hardly reported in local newspapers, do happen and are quite common deep in the jungle areas of the Sarawak and Sabah portion of the island of Borneo shared with Brunei and Indonesia.

Within Sarawak are a handful of roads that lead directly to the border, with only two serving as international checkpoints — Tebedu and Sungai Tujoh. But there exist numerous cross-border trails known locally as ‘jalan tikus’ or illegal border crossings — most already there since time immemorial. As I hammer away at the laptop (thanks to the availability of WiFi) in Starbucks Coffee at Kuching International Airport (KIA) while waiting for the plane, I am reminded of how easy it is nowadays to travel round the globe, thanks to the invention of the aeroplane, as it were, made smoother, more comfortable and faster by the advent of the jet plane.

An old friend used to carry a card on which was printed not only his name (he was very proud of it) but also the words: ‘Have gun will travel’. Some of his old-time acquaintances and buddies know who I was referring to.

Lately, I met this son-of-a-gun who has since become very prosperous through his foreign ventures in such places as Papua New Guinea, Vanuatu and Indonesia and his new motto, rather appropriately, is ‘Have money will travel’.

Is money the root of all evil or money (the medium of exchange) itself is not the problem but the possessor of material wealth is the source of evil intents?

I know of a few friends with fat bank accounts who waste no time being on the go — on land, sea and air; always meeting people in posh hotels and coffee-houses, and poring over colourful travel brochures in search of new destinations to visit. Because money is not a problem, they choose faraway destinations — tiny specs on the world map like in the Pacific Ocean — which are not cheap to get to. Taiwan is a regular destination when weather conditions are extreme in the southern or northern hemisphere.

In recent days I’ve found that it has become quite a joke, when bumping into some people you know either at the airport or in a place, to be asked the question: “Are you going to Taiwan too?”

Many of us know why Taiwan has suddenly become even more popular. There is a group of almost 50 Malaysian parliamentarians studying Taiwan’s success in agriculture. Or could it be for a different reason?

Malaysian opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, the newly-elected Permatang Pauh MP, has expressed a desire to travel to that north Asian country which is well-known for — apart from agriculture and other things — its nocturnal activities including cracking ‘kua chi’ (melon seeds) in amiable company somewhere in the bright lights of downtown Taipei, the capital.

Malaysian men are often seen going on a conducted tour of such places and, needless to say, thoroughly enjoy themselves. It has changed since the 1980s but only for the better, and getting to be more expensive as well. Imagine forking out only RM12 (or less than US$4) for delicious ‘nasi lemak’ and ‘teh tarik’ on board AirAsia’s domestic flight between Kuching and KL. I would rather stay at home than venture overseas.

A Dato friend of mine has also switched to AirAsia as his preferred choice of airline, not only as it is new and the attractive red colours on board, but also because of its brand-new aircraft plus its regular flight frequency.

Everyone would wish that it is just as easy to connect with the many towns in Sarawak by air as it certainly is between Sarawak and the rest of Southeast Asia and at bargain prices. Charity, they say, begins at home. But is this really so in this case?

When there is lack of competition, the public often bears the brunt of it all and, sadly, get the worst deal too.

It’s a pity too that having spent hundreds of millions of ringgit on building new modern airports for the main towns, we end up getting fewer flights, even when special fares are introduced to get more people to fly.

We have a highway (an upgrading of the old trunk road for the most part) that is anything but a highway. No doubt, it is an improvement from the 1960s before Malaysia was formed. But it has not evolved in the way it should have or ought to be, according to unhappy Sarawakians, who can through experience compare it with the toll highways or expressways in the peninsular.

Oil/gas-producing states like Sarawak deserve better, most people would agree. Economy of scale is no excuse. Roads are recognised as the veins or arteries, without which an all-rounded economy cannot grow fast. While Sarawak’s numerous natural waterways have historically been important for the growth of the economy, the expanding road network has become increasingly important as it enhances mobility (movement of goods and people), and for the timber industry (which in the past relied a lot on rivers for transportation) and oil palm industry.

The economy follows where there exists a good network of roads across the vast expanse of the state. A lot of mismatches have to be rectified in the overall planning. One man’s perception of priorities is not necessarily in accord with another’s. So to avoid wastage of funds at a critical time, real priorities must be set right, as reflected in favourable public reaction.

Let’s hope that once the politicking has simmered down and everyone gets back to focusing on public needs, we can expect in the not too distant future, spanking new highways in Sarawak that we can be proud of — to connect all parts of Sarawak and push the economy forward even faster.