SARIKEI: Mention the Sarawak Corridor of Renewable Energy (SCORE) and Tanjung Manis comes to mind.
The natural deep water harbour at Tanjung Manis, strategically located at the mouth of the Rajang River, is the main port serving this part of the SCORE region.
It is a valuable asset for exporters in the timber, palm oil and food processing industries, and also provides the ideal location for businesses, based on fishing and marine engineering.
Yes, Tanjung Manis is on its way to becoming a major industrial port city and a key element in Malaysia’s global Halal Hub strategy.
The deep water port will eventually be able to handle 100,000 40-foot containers and six million tonnes of general cargo a year.
According to a recent SCORE advertorial, the 77,000ha Tanjung Manis Halal Hub project provides an ideal location for businesses involved in upstream and downstream halal food production and export.
It said that SCORE is a dynamic long-term development project that offers exciting new opportunities for companies looking to expand their operations and geographic reach in Asia’s fast-growing markets.
Federal and state government incentives include 100% pioneer status tax exemption for five years for approved investment projects and 100% relief for up to 10 years for major strategic investments.
In connection with SCORE, the Sarawak government has also set up an energetic and well-resourced support organisation, Recoda (the Regional Corridor Development Authority), headed by the chief minister of Sarawak, to attract new investments and help companies discover and make the most of the opportunities at hand.
Politically, the Tanjung Manis parliamentary seat was created in the 2005 re-delineation exercise and was contested for the first time in the 2008 general election.
Norah Abdul Rahman.
In fact, the seat was not even contested in 2008 as PBB newcomer Norah Abdul Rahman won the seat unopposed.
Within Sarawak political circles, it is well known that Norah, a daughter of former chief minister and governor, the late Abdul Rahman Yakub, was picked by then powerful PBB president and chief minister Abdul Taib Mahmud after the uncle-nephew feud ended and family ties were bonded again.
Rahman and Taib had not been on good terms for almost two decades.
After peace was made, it has been said that Taib awarded the Tanjung Manis seat as a thank you “gift” to his cousin, Norah.
Norah is the only one among Rahman’s eight daughters who has made it in Sarawak politics.
The Tanjung Manis constituency has a relatively small electorate with only 19,627 voters; 74% Malay/Melanau, 20% Dayak and 5% Chinese.
The two state seats, Kuala Rajang and Semop, within the Tanjung Manis parliamentary constituency, are also held by PBB.
Not surprisingly, the opposition is hardly interested in challenging PBB in Tanjung Manis.
It is an uphill battle to challenge the government in an area where the people are happy and contented with the rapid development going on around them.
In GE13, PAS offered a token resistance by fielding an unknown candidate, Jurina Mut, who only managed to obtain 1,571 votes against Norah’s 12,535 votes.
It is unsure whether Norah will get to defend her seat come GE14.
Talk within PBB is that Hanifah Taib, the youngest daughter of Taib Mahmud, may be chosen to replace Norah at her father’s behest.
Whoever the BN/PBB candidate might be in GE14, expect another token challenge from Pakatan Harapan at best. -FMT
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