KUCHING, Dec 13 — It was raining when Malay Mail arrived in Kampung Kudei, a settlement of wooden huts nestled among brick terrace houses, factories and a supermarket in the state constituency of Satok, a few kilometres north of the city centre.
The approximately 40 homes on the banks of a tributary of the Sarawak River were linked by a dilapidated bridge that led from the main road of Jalan Nanas Barat to the water’s edge — where several old boats could be seen moored to a small makeshift jetty.
The narrow bridge was barely wide enough for one person and was very slippery when wet, making it dangerous for all who rely on it, especially the elderly.
“I fell off this bridge when I was seven months pregnant,” 52-year-old Nuraini told Malay Mail when met outside her residence in the settlement.
Nuraini, who has lived in Kampung Kudei for almost 30 years, pointed to the slippery walkway that almost led to a miscarriage.
“This bridge has been here since I moved here about 25 to 30 years ago. I still remember it like it was yesterday. I was two months away from delivering my first child when I fell off this bridge,” she recalled.
Twenty-nine-year-old Adziman Suhaili, who had raised the issue of the bridge on social media several times before, said the situation was even more hazardous now, as residents were sometimes trapped by rising river waters.
“The bridge has been here for as long as I can remember. It was overhauled 11 years ago.
“The longest that we were stuck in our houses due to flooding was two to three days,” he said.
Adziman’s friend and neighbour, 31-year-old Syed Nazri, could not contain his dissatisfaction with politicians and the authorities who had made promise after promise every time election season rolled around.
This, he said, included bridge repairs or relocating residents to a safer place elsewhere.
“I am sick and tired of them coming here during every election and promising us heaven and earth. But after they win, they refuse to fulfill their promises.
“Every time, the same thing happens over and over again,” he said.
Just across the road was another wooden bridge linked to a lone occupied house, about 60 metres away.
Malay Mail chanced upon 36-year-old Azizan, who was repairing his old Proton by the main road.
He said he had been trying to repair this bridge on his own, as other people there had moved away.
“There is no one to help me. It is just me, myself and I. I have lived here with my wife and my father-in-law for years now.
“I have no neighbours, so I have to fix it alone. Somebody came here once, but they were cartoons and never kept their promises,” he said, referring to politicians who promised to help him repair the bridge and his house.
Another grouping of 30 houses, mostly populated by the Dayak community, was found about 300 metres away, on the other side of Jalan Nanas Barat.
There, wooden houses were only lit by generator and shared a couple of water meters between them, yet most residents said they could vote in the state and general election.
Sixty-year-old Sepek, who has lived there for almost 40 years, invited Malay Mail into her tiny wooden hut with creaky floors and loose planks that act as a makeshift foot ladder.
“This is the generator that we use. If I fill it with RM10 worth of gas, we can run it for a whole day,” she said of the red generator in her house.
When asked if any politicians had ever come by, Sepek became animated, saying that she had heard so many promises.
“They (the politicians) promised us (help) again, and again, and again.
“If they could help us, it would be good, so we don't have to swim in floodwaters every time it is the rainy season,” she said sarcastically, as she mimicked doing a front crawl.
Kampung Kudei has always been a part of Satok, a state assembly seat that from 1981 until last month was represented by Tan Sri Abang Johari Openg of Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB), which is part of the Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) coalition.
Satok is also under the Petra Jaya parliamentary constituency, currently represented by senior minister Datuk Seri Fadilah Yusof from the same party.
In the last election, Abang Johari, who is also the Sarawak chief minister, defeated PKR’s Mohamed Salleh Shawkatali easily by 5,045 votes.
This time around, Abang Johari has decided to stand for election in Gedong, a rural state seat under the Batang Sadong parliamentary constituency, which is a 90-minute drive in good traffic from Kuching.
On December 18, 14,314 eligible voters cast their vote for the new Satok state assemblyman for the first time in 40 years.
The GPS candidate is Abang Johari’s close friend Datuk Ibrahim Baki, while PKR is fielding former Petra Jaya parliamentary candidate Datuk Nor Irwan Ahmad.
A third candidate is Awang Badele Awang Ali from Parti Bumi Kenyalang.
