Meradong State Assemblyman, Dato Ding Kiong Hiing DUN speech

suppadmin | May 22, 2025

Thank you, Yang Berhormat Datuk Speaker, for giving me the opportunity to participate in the Motion of Thanks to His Excellency, Tun Pehin Sri Dr. Wan Junaidi Bin Tuanku Jaafar, Governor of Sarawak, in conjunction with His Excellency’s Opening Address of the First Meeting of the Fourth Session of the Nineteenth Sarawak State Legislative assembly.

His Excellency amongst many other pieces of advice, stress the importance of Political Stability and Harmony in Diversity, that have become the major thrusts that propelled Sarawak towards a high-income region in Malaysia well ahead of time.

Datuk Speaker

Please allow me to go into some local issues in my constituency.

Screening of Special Needs Students

Special Needs Children referring to children who require additional support and accommodation due to various physical, developmental, emotional or learning differences. This can include conditions like emotional and behavioral disorders, physical disabilities, speech and language disorders, learning disabilities, sensory disabilities, ADHD and developmental disabilities.

In Meradong District alone, there are 49 primary school students waiting to undergo screening exercise before they can be assigned to special classes or PPKI. Unfortunately, there are not enough trained officers within our Education Department to conduct this screening exercise effectively so that these students can be assigned to their respective classes as soon as possible. I, therefore, urge our Ministry for Education, Innovation and Talent Development and Ministry for Women, Early Childhood and Community Wellbeing Development to look into this matter seriously to ensure all our special needs students can have suitable education like any other children at the earliest possible.

Now it is time for us to sit up and take notes of welfare and education for our special needs students. According to the Department of Social Welfare (JKM), registered Autism cases rose from 6,991 in 2013 to 53,323 in 2023. Globally, it is estimated that about 1 in 100 children are diagnosed with Autism according to World Health Organisation (WHO).

Sarawak, being at the forefront in many fields, surely can also lend a big hand to help out our Special Needs Children by setting up more early intervention programmes or schools and special clinics to speed up the screening processes.

Datuk Speaker

Proposed Setting up of Centre for Pre-University Education in Meradong

The establishment of a pre-university centre in Meradong is the most appropriate and strategic initiative aimed at addressing several key educational and socio-economic needs in the region.

With the recently completed Batang Rajang Bridge, Meradong has become a central hub for providing pre-university education not only in central region but also the coastal regions like Tanjung Manis, Belawai, Pulau Bruit, Matu and Daro.

Moreover, Meradong boast the lowest cost of living in the region. And one can always appreciate the nature world in its purest form with minimal artificial additions or interventions. All these make it all the more ideal environment for budding young students to live and study in.

Therefore, I urge the Ministry for Education, Innovation and Talent Development to consider the proposed setting up of a Centre for Pre-University Education in Meradong.

Datuk Speaker

PROPOSED UPGRADING OF RUNNING TRACKS AND FOOTBALL FIELD AT BINTANGOR SPORTS COMPLEX

Here, I’d like to thank the Ministry for Youth, Sports and Entrepreneur Development for successfully bid for the budget for the proposed project that has taken off in March 2025 with the completion date scheduled to be in September 2025. This is indeed great news to students in Meradong District and casual joggers alike who are frequent users of the running tracks. The schools will then, no need to go to Sarikei to conduct their Sports activities. Furthermore, with the full range of sport facilities, we hope to produce more young athletes from Meradong.

I would also like to take this opportunities to ask the Ministry for further funding to renovate the Indoor Stadium and other facilities including electrical rewiring, sanitary facilities and external works including fencing and premix roads and hard standing of Bintangor Sports Complex.

Datuk Speaker

KETUA MESYARAKAT AND KETUA KAUM

In March, 2021, I have submitted an application for creating Three (3) new Kapitans, One (I) new Chinese penghulu and One (1) new Iban Penghulu for Meradong District. So far, we haven’t received any feedback from the authority concerned. And the people living in areas without a Kapitan are facing problems as far as certification from the headmen is concerned.

Moreover, in my constituency there are more than 180 longhouses and only about 100 longhouses have obtained Official Tuai Rumah Certificate. A few years back, the government had conducted an exercise whereby longhouses with less than 20 doors are allowed to submit their application for Tuai Rumah certificate. After the exercise, quite a few Tuai Rumah have obtained their certificate. Therefore, if the financial situation permits, I’d like to urge the goverment to carry out another similar exercise so that more Tuai Rumah can obtain their certificate.

STREET LIGHTING (CONVENTIONAL AND SOLAR)

The street lightings in Meradong District is acutely insufficient and the Pasi/Bintangor Road after two years of implementation, still leave a stretch of around 1KM still not illuminated. I was told there are projects lined up for street lightings to Pasi/Bintangor Road and other areas in Meradong. I sincerely hope that JKR Sarawak will make sure the projects will materialise as soon as possible.

Datuk Speaker

RTP PROJECTS

For the information of this August House, RTP Projects in my constituency has been slowing down over the past two years. I’ll rather believe this is due to shear workload faced by the implementation agencies instead of bureaucracy and red tape somewhere along the way.

I understand projects in our schools are facing delays as they need time to get approval from JPNS but lately we need to deal with more and more government agencies for various other technical issues.

Moreover, there are issues with lack of “takers” for the RTP projects. Concerning this issue, I hope the resident office can fast track the procedures to choose contractors from “District” to “Divisional” and to “Open out” by shortening the waiting time for various stages.

Another matter I wish to highlight here is the rejection of supplying fire extinguishers to longhouses under RTP because it is “moveable”. I urge the relevant authority to be more compassionate and less rigid in this matter because it is for the safety of people in the longhouses.

ALAF PROJECTS AND CONNECTION CHARGES GOVERNMENT FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE (CCGFA)

ALAF and CCGFA schemes for electricity supply to new households are most beneficial and meaningful to the people, especially those in the rural areas. Unfortunately, we are facing lack of funding for the CCGFA and ALAF schemes in Meradong. There are no ALAF projects being implemented in my constituency for the last two years. Therefore, I’d like to urge the Ministry to speed up the implementation of the schemes.

Datuk Speaker
ACCESS ROAD TO RH JANGGU AND RH DAGANG

The access road to Rumah Janggu and Rh Dagang at KM 3 Jalan Kelupu, Bintangor, is proven to be the biggest headache not only to the people from the two longhouses, but also to the people’s representative and local government agencies. Various project had been carried out including RTP, Jalan Perhubungan Desa, MARRIS and so on, but the end results is always failure due to ground settlement which cause the road prone to flooding during kind tides coupled with heavy rainfall. The floodings have prevented school children to go to school and adults to go to work. I would, therefore, like to request Kementerian Kemajuan Desa dan Wilayah (KKDW) Sarawak or Jabatan Kerja Raya (JKR) Sarawak to visit the site and propose a suitable road construction method to overcome the stretch of road mentioned above.

Datuk Speaker

Before I conclude, I wish to take this opportunity to wish all our Dayak friends Selamt Hari Gawai, Gayu Guru, Gerai Nyamai, Lantan Senang, Nguan Menua. And to all Muslim friends, Selamat menyambut Hari Aidiladha 2025.

With this, I wish to support the Motion of Thanks to His Excellency’s opening address.