16/02/2008 (The Daily Express News, East Malaysia), Tawau - Oil Palm plantation smallholders in Sungai Bolong, Balung feel the taxes they have paid to the Government on some RM140 million worth of palm oil they produce annually does not match the quality of roads they are hoping for.

Claiming what they enjoyed today is less than 0.1 per cent of what it should be, they said they paid RM12 million in the form of taxes on palm oil to the Government, and yet the condition of the Sungai Bolong road remain terrible and had not been maintained for the past 10 years.

The oil palm plantation located 32km off Abas Road is one of the largest in Tawau with 500 smallsholders, while the 32km Sungai Bolong road is the only access road to the 30,000 acre plantation.

This stretch of road is used by 200-300 lorries and trucks daily to carry oil palm fruits.

According to them, the last time the Government maintained the road was 10 years ago and that it is impassable during the rainy season.

They said JKR men did come to do some repair work here and there upon request but provided little help, putting the blame on insufficient allocation, man power and machinery instead.

They said the situation is very unfair to them because the Government is always on time when it comes to asking for tax money but so irresponsive when comes to road maintenance.