BINTULU, Sept 4 — The Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) aims to win all the 31 parliamentary seats in the coming 15th General Election (GE15), particularly in Selangau, said Parti Rakyat Sarawak (PRS) vice president Datuk John Sikie Tayai.
“All parliamentary seats must be won for us to determine the fate of the people in the future,” Sikie said during the ‘Mangkong Tiang’ ceremony for a new longhouse of Rumah Gundi, Nanga Biban Kiba, in Tatau on Saturday.
Besides that, the Minister in the Sarawak Premier’s Department said GPS needs to win in GE15 to ensure that all the developments planned by the government can be implemented.
In the last parliamentary election, Baru Bian won Selangau by a slim majority of 486 votes for Parti Keadilan Rakyat against Rita Insol or Barisan Nasional Sarawak.
Baru won the seat after polling 11,228 votes against Rita who garnered 10,742 votes.
Meanwhile, the Kakus assemblyman said although there have been many developments in Kakus, the local people still need continuous development.
“Therefore, there is a need for cooperation between leaders and local communities in order to manage and develop such a huge constituency like Kakus.
“Without the strong support from the grassroots, it was not an easy job to bring development to a big area.”
During the event, Sikie congratulated the longhouse folk for their hard work and cooperation in building a beautiful longhouse.
Nevertheless, he said safety features need to be given priority in every room and the past fire incidents involving longhouses must not be taken for granted.
He believed with proper safety features in the building structures, it could prevent if not minimise the damage caused by the fire.
“In the past, the fire occurred from the kitchen, but now it was caused by mosquito repellent, candles and by a mobile phone being charged on the mattress or due to short circuit, thus we need to be careful,” he said.
Sikie announced a RM50,000 grant to the longhouse Village, Security and Development Committee and RM10,000 to Rumah Gundi Women’s Bureau.
Tatau District officer Jabang Juntan, who also spoke, urged residents in the longhouse to continue working as a team because only by working together, they can succeed.
With regard to the jurisdiction of longhouse chiefs, he said they need to work closely with their respective penghulus.
“It is necessary to discuss and cooperate with the penghulu in making a decision,” Jabang added
The event was attended by about 300 people including local community and grassroots leaders. — Borneo Post
In conjunction with the event, Sikie also officiated the opening of Sungai Sap Bridge which was one of the RTP projects in Kakus. — Borneo Post
