Another broken promise

13 Oct 2011

KUCHING: What has happened to a clinic that was proposed to be built at Kampung Stungkor, Lundu before the 2002 state election? asked Foo Ah Kee, whose land was acquired for the clinic.

“I have no idea whether the government actually has any plan to construct this clinic, but I do know that there is a real and urgent need to cater for the medical needs of the people,” he said.

Another villager, known only as Madam Tapin, spoke of her problems when she got sick and needed to see a doctor during her husband’s absence.

“It is so difficult to look for someone to drive me to the Lundu or Bau hospitals to seek treatment, and it would be much easier if the clinic had been built as it would a walking distance from my house,” said Tapin, who is in her early 60s.

Their sentiments are shared by at least by 5,000 people from nine Bidayuh villages in the locality.

When the proposal to build the clinic was announced just before the state election in 2002, the people applauded it even though they knew it to be one of the election ‘goodies’.

Once completed, it would provide out-patient services, mother and child healthcare services and maternity wards for the villagers and at the same time it would help to reduce the pressure exerted on the accident and emergency (A& E) departments of Bau and Lundu district hospitals.

Now more than nine years later their joy turned into frustration and anger as they felt cheated by the State Barisan Nasional and its elected representatives for failing to fulfil their promises.

“This is another broken promise by the Barisan Nasional,” said Boniface Willy Anak Tumek, a member of Sarawak PKR political bureau.

Willy has been exposing the BN’s unfulfilled promises made during the state and parliamentary elections, and such projects included roads, bridges, water, electricity, rural growth centres (RGC) and land titles to native customary rights (NCR) land.

Checked with the medical department, Willy said that it is confirmed that such a clinic would be constructed under the 9th Malaysia Plan but it is given a low priority by the Ministry of Health.

According to Willy, the villagers are very upset with the way they have been treated for the past nine years.

“How is it that after nine years we are still not considered as deserving of this most basic of public service which every citizen by right is entitled to enjoy?

“Election after election we have proven our loyalty to the BN government and helped to return them to office. It is very upsetting to know that they have placed no value on our support at all.

“This is not the first time that we have been treated shabbily,” complained Tapin’s husband.

Willy said that the villagers are now demanding that the Minister of Health Liow Tiong Lai, the MP for Mas Gading Tiki Lafe, Assistant Minister of Public health Jerip Susil and their Opar assemblyman Ranum Mina to ensure that the clinic be built before the 10^th Malaysia Plan expires.

“We would like to remind Ranum that the clinic was promised to us, in part, to persuade the voters to vote for him and elect him to high office.

“And he owes us this clinic,” said Willy, a committee member of PKR Mas Gading division.

Don’t let Opposition into your longhouses, village chiefs told

This was the headline in The Borneo Post dated 10 Jan 2011 which quoted Political Secretary to the Chief Minister Andrew Shilling Banggit as saying.

“Longhouse chiefs have the right to say who can or cannot enter their premises. For instance, they can shut the door if they are approached by members of the Opposition who only want to spread ill-will in their longhouse,” he said.

“Don’t accept them (Opposition) into your longhouse. Longhouse chiefs have the right to prevent them from coming into their longhouses,” he said when officiating at a fire-prevention programme at Rumah Unjah Besh, Sungai Melanggan, Sibu.

The programme was organised by Rumah Unjah Besh’s village development and security committee (JKKK) in collaboration with the Sungai Merah Fire Rescue Services Department.

Penghulu James Semilan, Penghulu Jeffrey Sut and Tuai Rumah Unjah Besh were among those present.

Shilling, who represented Second Minister finance Minister Datuk Sri Wong at the function, cautioned longhouse dwellers that the opposition had the capacity to ‘poison’ their minds to hate the government.

“Thus, you must all be careful when allowing people or parties to come to your longhouse".

He added that longhouse folk especially from Bawang Assan constituency must continue to back the government as they still needed numerous developments to uplift their living standard.

Now let us compare this story with another from Opar, Lundu. Both of these constituencies are under Sarawak United People’s Party. The following story appeared also on The Borneo Post dated 12 Jan 2011.

OPAR LANDOWNERS URGE SUPP TO SERIOUSLY LOOK INTO LAND ISSUE

Landowners from Kampung Stenggang along Bau-Lundu Road, whose lands were given to private companies for oil palm plantation, blamed Sarawak United People’s Party (SUPP) for its lackadaisical attitude in helping them solve their problems.

They claimed that SUPP and its elected representative had failed them on the issue despite many appeals and “SOS” calls made.

According to a press statement issued yesterday (11 Jan), which was signed by its village chief Motion Sodiap and chairman of Kampung Stenggang, Bau NCR Defence Action committee Carolus Joim Langis such inaction by SUPP had invited adverse remarks on the party.

“As it is now, SUPP’s rating in our area is at its lowest ever since Ranum Mina held the seat some two years ago", they said.

They also said that the affected landowners had no other option but to go to court after having exhausted all political avenues.

Kampung Stenggang is part of Opar State constituency which is held by Ranum, representing SUPP.

“If Barisan loses in Opar, it is not because the people in the area dislike BN, but because SUPP’s inaction and indifferent attitude to the people’s complaints,” they said.

They said that BN had been performing satisfactorily in their area and it was now up to SUPP to show that it can work in tandem with the BN spirit of 1Malaysia – People first, Performance now, failing which SUPP ought to be ready to hand over the Opar seat to the Opposition in the next election.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
In the first story, what does it imply? To The Broken Shield, Shilling does not want the Opposition to know the problems faced by the people in the Bawang Constituency. Nor does he want the people to tell the Opposition about their problems.

During the Sibu by-election in May last year, we went to many of the longhouses and found that the majority of the longhouses have no clean water, no electricity and no proper roads.

Worse, their native customary rights lands have been grabbed by the government and leased to crony companies.

Shilling wants all the people in the constituency to have a blinkered view of seeing what SUPP wants you to see. Wake up and get rid of your “Apai Saloi” mentality.