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Battling To Make Selangau An Agricultural Hub
Battling To Make Selangau An Agricultural Hub
19/07/2013 (Borneo Post) - “Semua tidak cukup (There isn’t enough of everything),” said Tamin assemblyman Datuk Joseph Mauh Ikeh of Selangau’s dilemma.
However, the two-term assemblyman stressed that he is focussed on making the area an agricultural hub against all odds.
Mauh is proud of Selangau’s combined production of palm oil with Mukah, which ranked third in the state at 1.78 million tonnes in 2011, just after Miri and Bintulu.
“About 60 to 70 percent of the land has been cultivated with oil palms under joint venture between the private sector and NCR (native customary rights) land owners, which is benefiting the local community,” he said.
He is also exploring padi planting as part of the vision for an agricultural hub.
The Borneo Post Adventure Team (BAT) met Mauh in Sibu to deliberate on the woes faced by the people, which were reflected in BAT’s interview with Kapitan Thiang Kwong Hui on Wednesday.
Among the list of “tidak cukup” is security, which is not keeping pace with the area’s growth and development.
A magnificent police building has been constructed but it is manned by just seven or eight personnel.
“There are not enough police personnel to patrol the area. Crimes such as theft are rampant with some other disputes and fights. These all need to be prevented,” said Mauh.
He pointed out a strange arrangement where most of the administrative functions of Selangau come under Sibu Division, but the police are still under the jurisdiction of Mukah Division.
“We have to report accidents to Mukah, which is very inconvenient for us. All in all, it’s complicated and confusing with the norm being asking us to go here and there,” he lamented.
Mauh stressed clearer divisions are needed for better management and administration when there is a delineation of the constituency.
He cited the example of Bawan, which would be better served under Tamin instead of Kakus.
The former three-term MP is in the process of working out a new master plan with Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department, Datuk Joseph Entulu Belaun, who is Selangau MP, for submission to the state government.
On the highlights of the master plan, Mauh mapped out areas such as education, housing, security, health and administration – all of which come under his “tidak cukup” list.
For education, the newly-minted Datuk has identified land for a secondary school to complement the present two schools to serve the area’s growing population.
“We are hoping to have one community college and a skills centre,” he said, adding that the site for the community college has also been identified.
More affordable housing projects are also in the pipeline.
During the May State Legislative Assembly (DUN) sitting, Mauh received a reply from the Housing Ministry that an allocation of RM2.36 million for 57 units had been approved for Tamin under the Housing Assistance Programme.
Other issues close to his heart are that most of the longhouses in the area are without piped water and electricity supply, as well as not accessible by road.
Other plans include a Rumah Dayak, well-staffed clinic, government complex and Fire and Rescue Department (Bomba).
“In future, we hope to have our own local council,” he added, pointing out that Selangau is presently under Sibu Rural District Council (SRDC).
In the 2011 state election, Mauh won Tamin for the Barisan Nasional (BN) with 4,998 votes – a 1,292-majority over Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) candidate Mengga Mikui who polled 3,706 votes.
Tamin is made up of five polling districts – Lemai, Selangau, Tamin, Sekuau and Siong.
However, the two-term assemblyman stressed that he is focussed on making the area an agricultural hub against all odds.
Mauh is proud of Selangau’s combined production of palm oil with Mukah, which ranked third in the state at 1.78 million tonnes in 2011, just after Miri and Bintulu.
“About 60 to 70 percent of the land has been cultivated with oil palms under joint venture between the private sector and NCR (native customary rights) land owners, which is benefiting the local community,” he said.
He is also exploring padi planting as part of the vision for an agricultural hub.
The Borneo Post Adventure Team (BAT) met Mauh in Sibu to deliberate on the woes faced by the people, which were reflected in BAT’s interview with Kapitan Thiang Kwong Hui on Wednesday.
Among the list of “tidak cukup” is security, which is not keeping pace with the area’s growth and development.
A magnificent police building has been constructed but it is manned by just seven or eight personnel.
“There are not enough police personnel to patrol the area. Crimes such as theft are rampant with some other disputes and fights. These all need to be prevented,” said Mauh.
He pointed out a strange arrangement where most of the administrative functions of Selangau come under Sibu Division, but the police are still under the jurisdiction of Mukah Division.
“We have to report accidents to Mukah, which is very inconvenient for us. All in all, it’s complicated and confusing with the norm being asking us to go here and there,” he lamented.
Mauh stressed clearer divisions are needed for better management and administration when there is a delineation of the constituency.
He cited the example of Bawan, which would be better served under Tamin instead of Kakus.
The former three-term MP is in the process of working out a new master plan with Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department, Datuk Joseph Entulu Belaun, who is Selangau MP, for submission to the state government.
On the highlights of the master plan, Mauh mapped out areas such as education, housing, security, health and administration – all of which come under his “tidak cukup” list.
For education, the newly-minted Datuk has identified land for a secondary school to complement the present two schools to serve the area’s growing population.
“We are hoping to have one community college and a skills centre,” he said, adding that the site for the community college has also been identified.
More affordable housing projects are also in the pipeline.
During the May State Legislative Assembly (DUN) sitting, Mauh received a reply from the Housing Ministry that an allocation of RM2.36 million for 57 units had been approved for Tamin under the Housing Assistance Programme.
Other issues close to his heart are that most of the longhouses in the area are without piped water and electricity supply, as well as not accessible by road.
Other plans include a Rumah Dayak, well-staffed clinic, government complex and Fire and Rescue Department (Bomba).
“In future, we hope to have our own local council,” he added, pointing out that Selangau is presently under Sibu Rural District Council (SRDC).
In the 2011 state election, Mauh won Tamin for the Barisan Nasional (BN) with 4,998 votes – a 1,292-majority over Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) candidate Mengga Mikui who polled 3,706 votes.
Tamin is made up of five polling districts – Lemai, Selangau, Tamin, Sekuau and Siong.