SARAWAK POLLS | For Muslims, Hari Raya Aidilfitri is the most important event of the year. For folks in rural Pusa, Aidilfitri last year was one they would never forget.
Former civil servant and Pusa resident Wan Ahmad Wan Dahlan, 47, said both the electricity and water supply was cut off for hours during Aidilfitri, ruining the event.
Pusa is both the name of a coastal town between Sri Aman and Sarikei and the district with the ignominy of being the most impoverished in Sarawak, according to the 12th Malaysia Plan.
During Malaysiakini's visit to the town, many locals complained that it was difficult to do business as the electricity and water supplies were erratic. Roads are also in terrible conditions.
"There are more dangerous roads here than safe ones," said a resident, Wan Ahmad.
A food vendor in Pusa town claimed that sometimes there can be blackouts several times a day.
And this can, sometimes, cause the food in his fridge to go bad.
Poor internet coverage, too, is a common refrain among locals, with many resorting to purchasing "boosters" just to access the internet from their phones.
Some claim that the "booster" only benefits the lucky few who can afford it, while making internet access even more difficult for those without.
"Internet speeds are slow. Buying a booster is expensive. Without it, our children can’t follow lessons online," said a used-clothes trader aged 45, who only wished to be known as Zaidil.
Most Pusa residents told Malaysiakini that life in the area has remained relatively unchanged for decades and hoped that their woes would be addressed one day.
Ammo for opposition
The Pusa district is relatively small by Sarawak's standards - at 362.47 square km. In both Kampung Pusa and Kampung Beladin, most of the locals live in wooden houses in close proximity.
Roads in these villages are limited to single-lane traffic. Many have to leave their cars on the road shoulders to get home.
Yem, 63, sees it as difficult to predict who would win during this election and that the many flags in the constituency were not a reflection of support.
"Young people nowadays are smart. They keep their cards close to their chests," she said.
Yem is among the 11,095 voters who would be choosing from the five candidates seeking to be the Beting Maro assemblyperson - two-term incumbent Razaili Gapor (from Gabungan Parti Sarawak - Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu/ GPS-PBB), Mohammad Arifiriazul Paijo (PAS), Abang Zulkifli Abang Engkeh (PKR), Jacky Chiew Su Chee (Parti Bumi Kenyalang - PBK) and Safiudin Matsah, an independent.
The two main opposition candidates are Arifiriazul and Abang Zulkifli. PAS performed reasonably well during the 2011 and 2016 elections in Beting Maro, while Abang Zulkifli is the Sarawak PKR deputy chief.
Pusa's plight attracted PKR president Anwar Ibrahim to visit the constituency last Saturday. Anwar expressed regret that the district was claimed to be among the poorest in the country despite Sarawak's wealth in natural resources.
Anwar told Beting Maro folks that change must start by electing his party's candidate, Abang Zulkifli, and that the "poorest district" must not enable the "richest parties".
Razaili, when contacted, said although the erratic electricity supply and poor internet coverage was often used as campaigning material by the opposition, he stressed that this problem was not unique to Beting Maro but occurred in the other constituencies as well.
He said that the GPS government was already in the midst of addressing this by securing rights to build 5G infrastructure before the other states.
On criticism over the lack of development in Pusa, Razaili said there are ongoing projects to set up a community hall, government offices, a jetty, a commercial centre and more.
However, he said, these plans were delayed due to the Covid-19 pandemic and movement restrictions.
He added that Pusa became a district only in 2015 and it would take time to set up the necessary infrastructure.
Incumbent believes label is wrong
For Razaili, the "poorest district" label is misleading. He claimed that fishermen and farmers here earned a stable income, noting that the price of fish and palm oil was on the rise.
He claimed that the moment Pusa was given the label, he immediately met the district officer, as well as the then Welfare, Women and Community Development Minister Fatimah Abdullah, to learn more.
Razaili believes that, among other factors, Pusa may have earned the label due to large amounts of eKasih applications among those who are not qualified.
eKasih is a federal government scheme to address those in abject poverty. Successful applicants will receive various types of cash handouts.
"Efforts to screen the applicants are difficult. We can see with our own eyes that there are those who don't qualify," he said.
Razaili said his plans for the constituency will focus on helping them boost their income in six sectors: Coconut, nipa, oil palm, pineapple, fisheries and tourism.SARAWAK POLLS | For Muslims, Hari Raya Aidilfitri is the most important event of the year. For folks in rural Pusa, Aidilfitri last year was one they would never forget.
Former civil servant and Pusa resident Wan Ahmad Wan Dahlan, 47, said both the electricity and water supply was cut off for hours during Aidilfitri, ruining the event.
Pusa is both the name of a coastal town between Sri Aman and Sarikei and the district with the ignominy of being the most impoverished in Sarawak, according to the 12th Malaysia Plan.
During Malaysiakini's visit to the town, many locals complained that it was difficult to do business as the electricity and water supplies were erratic. Roads are also in terrible conditions.
"There are more dangerous roads here than safe ones," said a resident, Wan Ahmad.
A food vendor in Pusa town claimed that sometimes there can be blackouts several times a day.
And this can, sometimes, cause the food in his fridge to go bad.
Poor internet coverage, too, is a common refrain among locals, with many resorting to purchasing "boosters" just to access the internet from their phones.
Some claim that the "booster" only benefits the lucky few who can afford it, while making internet access even more difficult for those without.
"Internet speeds are slow. Buying a booster is expensive. Without it, our children can’t follow lessons online," said a used-clothes trader aged 45, who only wished to be known as Zaidil.
Most Pusa residents told Malaysiakini that life in the area has remained relatively unchanged for decades and hoped that their woes would be addressed one day.
Ammo for opposition
The Pusa district is relatively small by Sarawak's standards - at 362.47 square km. In both Kampung Pusa and Kampung Beladin, most of the locals live in wooden houses in close proximity.
Roads in these villages are limited to single-lane traffic. Many have to leave their cars on the road shoulders to get home.
Yem, 63, sees it as difficult to predict who would win during this election and that the many flags in the constituency were not a reflection of support.
"Young people nowadays are smart. They keep their cards close to their chests," she said.
Yem is among the 11,095 voters who would be choosing from the five candidates seeking to be the Beting Maro assemblyperson - two-term incumbent Razaili Gapor (from Gabungan Parti Sarawak - Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu/ GPS-PBB), Mohammad Arifiriazul Paijo (PAS), Abang Zulkifli Abang Engkeh (PKR), Jacky Chiew Su Chee (Parti Bumi Kenyalang - PBK) and Safiudin Matsah, an independent.
The two main opposition candidates are Arifiriazul and Abang Zulkifli. PAS performed reasonably well during the 2011 and 2016 elections in Beting Maro, while Abang Zulkifli is the Sarawak PKR deputy chief.
Pusa's plight attracted PKR president Anwar Ibrahim to visit the constituency last Saturday. Anwar expressed regret that the district was claimed to be among the poorest in the country despite Sarawak's wealth in natural resources.
Anwar told Beting Maro folks that change must start by electing his party's candidate, Abang Zulkifli, and that the "poorest district" must not enable the "richest parties".
Razaili, when contacted, said although the erratic electricity supply and poor internet coverage was often used as campaigning material by the opposition, he stressed that this problem was not unique to Beting Maro but occurred in the other constituencies as well.
He said that the GPS government was already in the midst of addressing this by securing rights to build 5G infrastructure before the other states.
On criticism over the lack of development in Pusa, Razaili said there are ongoing projects to set up a community hall, government offices, a jetty, a commercial centre and more.
However, he said, these plans were delayed due to the Covid-19 pandemic and movement restrictions.
He added that Pusa became a district only in 2015 and it would take time to set up the necessary infrastructure.
Incumbent believes label is wrong
For Razaili, the "poorest district" label is misleading. He claimed that fishermen and farmers here earned a stable income, noting that the price of fish and palm oil was on the rise.
He claimed that the moment Pusa was given the label, he immediately met the district officer, as well as the then Welfare, Women and Community Development Minister Fatimah Abdullah, to learn more.
Razaili believes that, among other factors, Pusa may have earned the label due to large amounts of eKasih applications among those who are not qualified.
eKasih is a federal government scheme to address those in abject poverty. Successful applicants will receive various types of cash handouts.
"Efforts to screen the applicants are difficult. We can see with our own eyes that there are those who don't qualify," he said.
Razaili said his plans for the constituency will focus on helping them boost their income in six sectors: Coconut, nipa, oil palm, pineapple, fisheries and tourism. - Mkini
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