SANDAKAN POLLS | Located just three kilometres from the Sandakan city centre, the village of Kampung Sim Sim has seen a flurry of activities since last Saturday, the start of the campaigning period for the Sandakan by-election on May 11.
DAP has been particularly active, holding several campaigning programmes a day in the village. Kampung Sim Sim is notable because it is one of only two voting districts in Sandakan which BN won in the previous general election.
However, most voters in the "floating village' told Malaysiakini the question of voting for DAP or the opposition PBS in the upcoming by-election is not their foremost concern.
Instead, what concerns them daily is whether their wooden houses would survive the elements.
"The houses that are further out in the sea, those are new additions to the village. But usually, the older houses are nearer to land, these are very old houses. I live in a wooden house. Wood cannot last forever, so when it rains continuously or when it is too hot, it will start to rot.
"That is the main issue in this village. Everything is about fixing the houses," Kampung Sim Sim villager Mahathir Otu told Malaysiakini earlier this week.
Founded around the same time as Sandakan itself, in the 1880s during the British occupation, Kampung Sim Sim started off as a fishing village on the coast of Sandakan. Many of the villagers have now left the fishing sector.
Rotting stilts main concern
Extending from the coast out into the sea, the village is laid out through 32 wooden walkways, each connecting about 20 wooden houses standing precariously on wooden stilts.
Mahathir, who described himself as a small-time fisherman, said their biggest issue is the stilts made of Bornean ironwood (kayu belian). "The stilts do not last, they will rot away," said the 37-year-old, who believes he is a fourth generation Kampung Sim Sim resident.
His friend, Wahidul Yusri, 40, claimed the government had gazetted Kampung Sim Sim as a traditional village. Nevertheless, he said, some of the house owners have changed their house wooden stilts to concrete ones.
A Bajau villager at Kampung Sim Sim, 60-year-old housewife Latipa Mustapa said her house’s wooden stilts only last for about one or two years before they need to be replaced.
"We have requested the government to help us with the stilts but they have never provided us with more stilts. They sometimes give us zinc for our roof, though," she told Malaysiakini.
Collapsing houses, bridges
The lack of assistance for the infrastructure needs of the village has had dire consequences, with another villager, 38-year-old Mohd Hanizam, sharing with Malaysiakini that houses and bridges have collapsed before.
"Such incidents happen once or twice a year. But that is not a record to be happy with," he said, adding he had once witnessed first-hand one of the cement walkways collapsing.
"We were helping to do a census for the "E-kasih" programme when the walkway at Jambatan 10 collapsed near the last house (at the end of the bridge). It collapsed, along with the water meter going to someone's house," he said.
As he took Malaysiakini around the village, he pointed out cracks in the cement bridges which are sloping and at times tilted to one side. These are especially dangerous, he said, when they have celebrations such as weddings and when there will be a huge crowd.
Fellow resident, 47-year-old Raimi Abdul Rahman said that even a house had once collapsed during a visit by an elected representative.
"The house collapsed when (Tanjong Papat assemblyperson) Frankie Poon was here during the campaigning season for the 14th general election (GE14).
"The whole house collapsed all at once. The people managed to run out," he said.
Mohd Hanizam believes such incidents occur because of slow action from the authorities, who may be hampered by red tape and bureaucracy.
The villagers often request for help from the authorities when they feel their house stilts or the zinc roofs need to be replaced but before they can receive the help, their houses may have already collapsed, he said.
Houses painted BN blue
Malaysiakini visited one of the families whose houses had collapsed last June and found them to be living in several makeshift houses.
The patriarch, 69-year-old Imran Kumit said he and his children’s families - about 30 people in all - were living in the houses. About seven children were playing around the house as he spoke to Malaysiakini.
Imran lamented that it has been almost a year since his house collapsed but the government has yet to provide any help.
They have even written letters to the Village Development and Safety Department (JKKK) as well as lodged police reports for the benefit of the Welfare Department, said Imran who is a pensioner.
"If it was the old government, it was okay. This new government now, we... ," he said leaving his sentence unfinished and shaking his head.
“There are leaders who came, but they just came to look at the situation. They say 'Okay, okay' (indicating they will help), but where is the help?"
During the visit to Kampung Sim Sim, Malaysiakini spotted another house made of plywood and painted in a distinctive shade of blue, with a plaque next to the front door bearing the government's crest and the words "House Restoration Gotong Royong Programme 2017".
Asked about this, the villagers said houses that had received help from the former BN government would usually be painted with its colour, blue.
But for fisherman Junaidi Yusof, supporting BN his entire life had never benefited him at all.
"From the beginning of (Gerakan's former Tanjong Papat assemblyperson) Raymond Tan's term until now, I have always supported them (BN), but I still do not receive any help.
"Maybe some of it is favouritism or maybe they just do not like us. But that is why I have moved to join Warisan now," the 55-year-old, who lives in Kampung Sim Sim with his nine children, said.
Junaidi has also requested the new government for help, such as with his boat and fishing tools, but just as with the previous government, he has yet to receive anything.
"Let's see how it goes. If I can wait, I will wait," he said.
'Show us you are different'
The villagers want to see the difference between the previous and current governments, said Wahidul because, to him, both governments appear to be the same.
Lawmakers should go to the ground more often to find out the problems plaguing their constituents and help them, he said.
"If the administration is not in sync (tak ngam) with the people, then the rakyat will also not be in sync with the administration. As the ruler, you need to know what the issues of the rakyat are. That should be the way but they have closed their eyes and ears," he said.
However, fisherman Mahathir said he is still willing to give the new government more time to show that it is different from the previous government.
"Whether the old or the new government, we do not see any difference, they are the same. But the government now is still new. Maybe we will see (a difference) in two to three years. We are willing to give them a chance," he said.
The Sandakan by-election will see a five-cornered fight among DAP's Vivian Wong, Linda Tsen of PBS and three other independents. There are 39,777 voters in Sandakan, with 51 percent Chinese, 26 percent Sabah bumiputera, 16 percent Malay and seven percent "Others". - Mkini
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