1 - IN MEMORY OF THE LATE FIRST LADY
Political differences notwithstanding, let me offer my heart-felt condolences once again to YAB Ketua Menteri, and family for their recent bereavement.
By the will of God Allah the Almighty, the late Datuk Amar Laila Taib has migrated to another world more peaceful and tranquil,
“From dust created, to dust we shall be returned.”
What remains are memories. fond memories of the late Datuk Amar Laila in abundance, both of her personal warmth and her dedication to social work. The comfort and encouragement which she brought to sick patients in and out of hospital will be forever cherished in the memory of the patients and their families. Her kindness is a model for all in the caring professions and social work. Her role in the development of medical care of heart patients is well acclaimed.
As we all pray for her peace in the world hereafter, allow me to make a fervent request to the estate of the late First Lady, and I hope it will receive the measured consideration on both sides of the house, politics aside.
I would like to appeal to the estate of the late Datuk Amar Laila to consider making an unprecedented bequeath of the whole or greater part of her considerable assets left behind, equally to educational development through the Sarawak Foundation, and to medical and health services development through the Datuk Amar Laila Foundation. Such a generous donation would inspire the philanthropy of a caring society, and be the everlasting tribute and recognition of the life work of the late First Lady.
Tuan Speaker,
Now to politics.
2- The Suspension of YB Wong Ho Leng, Member for Bukit Assek
It is with the greatest of regret that the Member for Bukit Assek was suspended for 1 year yesterday under what could be described as the most controversial and adverse of conditions. (SOME PARTS DELETED DUE TO SPEAKER STOPPING ME!)
I salute the Hon Member for Bukit Assek and will wait eagerly for his return to this August House! He is certainly one of the best of the Debaters in this Current House and we will miss his wit and ability to make even You my Dear Speaker run for cover and in search of the Standing Orders to reply to his many challenges!
I will continue to wear black to signify my protest which started out with the happenings in Perak but now is happening in Sarawak, where the BN conscience, quote “has been eaten by the dogs” till the Hon Member for Bukit Assek is returned to this August House!
It is now clear that the BN will make use of its brute majority in this August House to systematically remove the more vocal members from this August House. Yesterday it was Bukit Assek, tomorrow it will be Kota Sentosa, and thereafter who knows who else. You may well succeed, because of your brute majority, but remember, God and the People of Sarawak are watching and they will not forget and forgive you!
3 - PARTI KEADILAN RAKYAT FORGING AHEAD
Along with the nationwide trend, Parti Keadilan Rakyat is forging ahead in
While I also welcome the new YB of Batang Ai to the house, I dare say that had there been a clean electoral machinery, and had there been no money politics, the representative for Batang Ai today would have been Jawah ak Gerang of Pakatan Rakyat, like in the 2-Bukit by-elections in Peninsular Malaysia. We could have swept the 2 Bukits and the 1 Batang By Elections, delivering a 3-0 knockout to the BN!
Tuan Speaker,
The people of Batang Ai are congratulated as being the real victors, winning some RM80 million of development funds; we hope YAB Ketua Menteri will similarly pour RM 70-80 million to each of the rural state constituencies of Sarawak well before the next general elections.
In the meantime, our party through Jawah ak Gerang, will monitor that the unprecedented allocations for Batang Ai are faithfully delivered by the BN government over the next 2 years and it be held accountable for the pledge.
4 - Re-opening of Courthouse and Barracks Roads
There has been serious decline in business suffered by nearby traders following the closure of Courthouse and
In view of the
The affected traders have thus fully supported and signed a petition last month, and this month appealing to YAB Ketua Menteri to reopen
I wish to record here my biggest dismay at the behaviour of the Hon Member for Balingian who is also the CM of Sarawak, for his refusal to accept the Petition at the Foyer of this August House yesterday morning, eventhough it was presented in the most polite manner to him! A record total of 118 shops in Court House
There is no need to be so afraid of me. I like you are only doing my job, as an elected representative of the people, and presenting a petition for the people I represent.
The aftermath of the Plaza Merdeka Project.
Related is the havoc brought upon the centre of Kuching in the wake of the apparently abandoned project. The project contractors have invaded and continued to occupy half of the
There is complete abandonment of social responsibility on the part of the developers for whom public interests seem to count for nought. Witness for yourselves the war-zone like scenes, with piles of rubbles and scattered potholes breeding mosquitoes that threaten public health and safety.
Let this blot on Kuching be addressed soonest.
5 - Full Support for Proposal of
At a tourism and heritage forum on April 21st, the Minister for Urban Development and Tourism, YB Datuk Michael Manyin, stated that in the footsteps of Penang and Malacca, Kuching has the potential for such a listing by virtue of numerous heritage sites such as those found at Jln Tun Openg, and the Streets of Gambier, India, Carpenter, Khoo Hun Yeang, Padungan, etc.
For the proposal, may I tender the fullest support of Parti Keadilan Rakyat in raising the historical, cultural and tourism profile of our beloved State capital. To this end, our party has been steadfastly defending our heritage sites through our civic actions. We cherish history and culture together with
Thus we have recently been at the vanguard to save our prime heritage sites on the bank of Sarawak River, namely the Gambier Street complex of historical sites, including the Vegetable and Fish Markets, Live Poultry Market, Old Information Office, Garment Building, Ban Hock Wharf Hawkers’ Centre, and the Lorna Doone Wharf; all these should be rehabilitated back into vibrant cultural life with true historical flavor.
These prime sites and assets are and should be complemented by the Malay Kampungs across-river and other sites in the periphery of Kuching, such as Tasik Biru which I have mentioned in this house before, the rock relief relics at Santubong to feature the Srivijaya and Majapahit influences, the Muara Tebas Malayu Kampong side by side with the majestic Chinese Buddhist Temple, sites in Lundu and Gua Sireh in Serian. And not to forget the old
Let us rally our confidence and the collective will of government and people to achieve our listing goal. Let us get working forthwith, by setting up a Task Force comprising tourism ministry, tourism representatives, heritage societies, archeologists, historians, reps from Chambers of Commerce, and interested YBs. The Task Force should receive memoranda from cultural NGOs, religious bodies and others, so that it receives the widest possible cultural and historical input when preparing the submission document to UNESCO. I hereby offer my services and would be honoured to be included as member on the Task Force.
6 - Redelineation of Administrative boundaries of the 3 local authorities in Kuching.
The Assistant Minister in the Chief Minister’s Office has on 17th April announced such a delineation exercise, which will see the boundaries of MBKS, DBKU and Padawan Municipal Council being redrawn.
Tuan Speaker, an exercise such as this should in a democratic society be open for formal public enquiry and hearing before adoption.
As ADUN Padungan, I wish to convey to the government that MBKS, and Kuching City on the South Bank of Sarawak River, is the definitive commercial centre of Kuching, and as such should be thus accorded in a fresh delineation exercise. Kuching on the South Bank is the confluence and synergy of culture, tourism, education, administration and economy . The Datuk Bandar of Kuching MBKS is the definitive Mayor of Kuching as we have always known Kuching to be and still is. The local government of MBKS should be unitary and thus seamless in administration; this will facilitate the solving of the myriad problems facing any busy commercial city.
For the future robust progress of Kuching, I thus suggest:
Since DBKU will be expanding to Matang Jaya, DBKU should relinquish its jurisdiction of the whole Kuching on the South Bank as contained within Padungan constituency, in favour of jurisdiction under MBKS, for administrative efficiency and multi-sectoral synergy. Hence in November 2006 DUN sitting, I have called for the Streets of
Let us put our house act right well before we submit Kuching for Heritage Listing;
7 - Flood Mitigation For Kuching and Bau, and Low-lying Areas
There has in recent times been repeated and major flooding especially during certain festive seasons, affecting city centre, KMC flats and virtually every street. The flooding this year is the most severe and not seen for some 40 years or so. The losses to residents and traders in affected areas was very heavy, adding hardship at a time of economic downturn.
During my almost daily visits to the flood affected areas, and I say here, I and our PKR leaders have visited many kampongs in the Bau, Batu Kitang, Serian, Sadong areas and even to the Santubong areas like Kampong Bedil, and have handed out food packages to the victims, and strong sentiments were expressed by the affected residents, berating the BN government for not effectively implementing the Flood Control and Flood Mitigation projects for the Bau and Kuching Districts. They lamented that the government had not taken swift remedial actions following the severe flooding of 2003 and 2004, leaving the people ever more vulnerable to severe flash floods. There were flood relief promised by the government then, but many have complained that they have received nothing, except for 2 packs of maggi mee!
As for Padungan, to recollect, the DID has before the 2006 state elections announced a Flood Control and Flood Mitigation project costing RM 20 million, starting June 2006 and scheduled for completion by October 2007. This has been delayed by the BN government.
Following public pressure, and pressure from Parti Keadilan Rakyat, DCM Tan Sri George Chan announced on April 2nd that the second phase of Kuching and Padungan River Flood Mitigation Project will be carried out over a 2 year period, commencing May 2009, a 3 year delay, but its better late than never. As the residents will still face the prospect of severe funding come the landas season, I appeal for the project to be completed soonest, so that the coming festive seasons need not be so traumatic.
8 - Measures to control the outbreak of dengue fever
In February and March this year, I responded immediately to resident’s request for my attention on the outbreak of dengue fever in Kuching, and confirmed for myself that there were more than 10 cases of dengue fever among residents of Carpenter and Ewe Hai Streets. I had also promptly issued a call to government to urgently adopt measures to control the outbreak, declare war on Aedes and immediately carry out an intensive environmental sanitation exercise.
I further delivered a memorandum to the Commissioner, DBKU, requesting for a full scale drain clearing exercise in all areas of its jurisdiction, thus to reduce to minimum, the opportunity for the breeding of Aedes aegyptii mosquitoes, and thereby preventing the further spread of dengue disease.
I was dismayed at being blasted by the Minister of Environment and Public Health, Datuk Wong Sung Koh, for allegedly issuing misleading statements, but he was in turn rebuffed by residents affected. My invitation to the good Datuk to jointly conduct site visit was ignored, but I nonetheless thank him for quietly on his own doing his own site visit, and paying belated attention to a real and not imaginary public health emergency.
My effort in raising the red flag has thus not been in vain. We are fortunate that following public health measures adopted the disease has not spread to the suburbs and nearby townships. However let good public sanitation be not just a temporary, but be a permanent feature of local government, mindful that dengue fever is always lurking ready to break out.
9 - TRIENEKENS should be held accountable for poor service delivery
I hate to have to raise the odious matter of poor service by the garbage disposal contractor, yet again in this house. What choice do I have when the company is totally deaf to my submissions to this August House about their service or the hopeless lack thereof, and public complaints in the media. I can assure the House that the tolerance of the public is wearing absolutely thin if the situation is not rectified soonest.
I wish to repeat here that in my memorandum dated 6 Mar 09, to the Commissioner, DBKU, submitting that:
1. The frequency and quality of garbage disposal service in Kuching falls far short of public expectations. DBKU should exercise due supervision over the service provided by the garbage disposal contractor company, and take the quality of their service into stringent consideration when renewing their contract. The contractor should be instructed to increase the frequency of services to both their commercial and residential clients.
2. Clients have even complained that in the process of garbage disposal, the contractor has often ironically littered roads and streets, leading to obnoxious sight and (odorous) smell, to residents and tourists alike.
Indeed if the contractor cannot deliver according to contract, their services should be terminated. However, let them get a final chance. I wish recommend a dialogue to be held between the company and their clients to trash out problems, similar to what MBKS has commendably done with their private contractor.
I am still waiting and I hope to get a suitable response from the DBKU as to what has happened to the Memo that I have presented to the DBKU in 6 Mar 09.
10 - Labour Day Memorandum
IN CONJUNCTION WITH LABOUR DAY 2009, I submitted to the Director of Labour A 10 POINT MEMORANDUM TO THE SARAWAK LABOUR DEPARTMENT,
I wish to inform this House that among the 10 Points are:
1. There must be a Minimum Wage Policy of at least RM1000 a month in
4. A 5 Day Week should also be extended to the Private Sector in
5. There should be set up a Labour Tribunal in Sarawak to resolve labour disputes in
6. 16 September or Malaysia Day should be declared as a Public Holiday in
9. All Senior Officers esp from the Director down, of the Sarawak Labour Department should be Sarawakians or at least have legitimate Sarawak Connections, like PR or long term residence in Sarawak, or have Sarawakian Spouses,
I have held a discussion with the Labour Director on 27 April 09 with respect to the above memorandum. I hope the Department and the state government will jointly work to improve the rights of workers in
To all my Dayak Friends, I would like to wish Selamat Gawai Dayak, Gayu Guru Geral Nyamai and may the name of Dayak and the Dayak race shall continue to live and survive proudly as the Natives of Sarawak forever!
And let no govt ever contemplate removing the name and thereby destroy the proud legacy and heritage of the Dayaks in
And May You all remain forever strong and united and stand resolute against the efforts of the BN govt to divide and carve you the Dayaks up into smaller and more easily edible units!
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