{"id":13734,"date":"2016-11-23T14:53:30","date_gmt":"2016-11-23T06:53:30","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.suppnewsportal.com\/main\/?p=13734"},"modified":"2016-11-23T16:01:28","modified_gmt":"2016-11-23T08:01:28","slug":"dun-speech-by-state-assemblyman-for-batu-kitang-lo-khere-chiang","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.suppnewsportal.com\/main\/?p=13734","title":{"rendered":"DUN speech by State Assemblyman for Batu Kitang, Lo Khere Chiang"},"content":{"rendered":"

Thank you for the honor and the opportunity to debate Yang Amat\u00a0Berhormat, the Chief Minister\u2019s address at this second meeting of the\u00a019th Sarawak State Legislative Assembly. I support and congratulate\u00a0Yang Amat\u00a0 Berhormat, the Chief Minister\u2019s articulate speech, his\u00a0presentation of an inclusive budget covering all aspects of the\u00a0state\u2019s welfare, social and economic development, from education to\u00a0tourism, waste management and flooding. A major sum has also been\u00a0allocated to the state rural transformation program.<\/p>\n

Autonomy for Sarawak<\/p>\n

Honourable Datuk Amar Speaker,<\/p>\n

We have just seen an increase in toll from as much as RM1 to RM5 in\u00a0Semenanjung Malaysia.<\/p>\n

It suddenly dawned upon me how fortunate we Sarawakians are. The\u00a0construction of the Pan Borneo highway costs RM16 billion and yet, we\u00a0will not have to pay a single toll fee when we do eventually cruise\u00a0along this highway.<\/p>\n

Thankfully, we have our Chief Minister who has, on our behalf\u00a0successfully negotiated with our Prime Minister to write off toll\u00a0payment in Sarawak. This shows how important it is for Sarawakians to\u00a0stick together and pursue Sarawak\u2019s autonomy.<\/p>\n

With high caliber lawyers from both sides of the divide including\u00a0every one of us ADUNS, we must all continue to forge ahead under the\u00a0leadership of our Chief Minister, to pursue our rights within\u00a0Malaysia.<\/p>\n

No one will hand over Sarawak\u2019s autonomy to us on a silver platter.<\/p>\n

That’s for sure. We, Sarawakians, have to be more proactive about it.<\/p>\n

However, to do this, we need to stay united to be strong enough to get\u00a0what belongs to us. We have seen how Sabahan politicians are reacting\u00a0very firmly and surely in tandem with Sarawak to demand for the rights\u00a0of Sarawak and Sabah to be returned to us.<\/p>\n

I have unequivocal support for the Chief Minister in a statement he\u00a0made 3 weeks ago when he says a motion will be tabled by our Deputy\u00a0Chief Minister which will cover all aspects of Sarawak’s rights under\u00a0the Malaysia Agreement.<\/p>\n

However, I firmly support our Chief Minister\u2019s politically sound and\u00a0wise decision not to table a motion this time round because the Prime\u00a0Minister has agreed to discuss Sabah and Sarawak\u2019s rights under the\u00a0Malaysian Agreement during his speech in an event in Sabah.<\/p>\n

Honourable Datuk Amar Speaker,<\/p>\n

Successful negotiation has never been an easy task. One needs to\u00a0establish good thinking, tack and skill. I believe that our Chief\u00a0Minister has brought us this far because of his respected leadership,\u00a0tact and hard work in doing what is right for all Sarawakians. Let us\u00a0support him and put our trust in him to continue our quest.<\/p>\n

I appeal to our Honourable YB for Pending and Sentosa not to use\u00a0rhetoric to fish for votes, to confuse and mislead the rakyat.<\/p>\n

Distribution of Gas Bill 2016<\/p>\n

During the distribution of the Gas Bill 2016 we witnessed Honourable\u00a0YB Pending and HonourableYB Sentosa contradicting one another on the\u00a0issue of autonomy.<\/p>\n

HonourableYB Pending said, quote “I called on the State Government to\u00a0take back all the right as we got to remember what is ours is ours!!<\/p>\n

It did not matter whether the natural resources is under the sea bed,\u00a0under the river bed, under the mountain bed, under your bed, under my\u00a0bed all the natural resources belongs to Sarawak\u201d unquote.<\/p>\n

Honourable YB Sentosa said, quote” we as Sarawakians would very much\u00a0love to hear statements like that. This belongs to us. That belongs to\u00a0us. All these are ours. As a Sarawakian we like to hear that. But is\u00a0that the true position of the law? Do we have the rights, the\u00a0exclusive rights over the oil and gas in our water or on our land or\u00a0under the land surface?” unquote<\/p>\n

Such pessimistic words from a four term YB in Sentosa.\u00a0 This clearly\u00a0shows one thing and that is both Honourable YBs\u2019 for Pending and\u00a0Sentosa interest is to object without taking into consideration how\u00a0Sarawakians would benefit from the passing of the Distribution of the\u00a0Gas Bill 2016. Their main objective was to make as much noise as\u00a0possible, to the point that they did not even realize that they were\u00a0contradicting each other.<\/p>\n

Role of The National Registration department<\/p>\n

Honourable Datuk Amar Speaker,<\/p>\n

I am proud to call myself a Sarawakian as we, Sarawakians have shown\u00a0the world how tightly knit we can be when we stand together as one\u00a0people despite our diversity in race and religion.\u00a0 Only a Sarawakian\u00a0will be able to understand this unique closeness between the people\u00a0here regardless of race or religion and hence I pride myself on being\u00a0a Sarawakian. We are non- violent, peaceful and friendly folks.<\/p>\n

Having said that, this is precisely why it came as a shock to me to\u00a0find that children born here can be declared stateless despite one\u00a0parent being a Sarawakian.<\/p>\n

I have come across many such children whose parents have sought my\u00a0assistance to help their children to get proper documents for them.<\/p>\n

Despite each having different stories on why their children are\u00a0without documents, there is always a thread of similarity running in\u00a0all the cases and that common problem is that one parent is a\u00a0foreigner.<\/p>\n

We cannot stop people from getting married to different races and\u00a0nationalities any more than we can stop the sun from shining.<\/p>\n

But to let these children suffer because one of their parents is a\u00a0foreigner is not part of the inclusive culture that I know of\u00a0 in\u00a0Sarawak.<\/p>\n

I give you a classic example of two brothers aged 25 and 27. Both were\u00a0born in The Sarawak General hospital and one of the parents is a\u00a0foreigner. Both their birth certificates were registered late, a\u00a0miscalculation of a parent which resulted in the family paying a heavy\u00a0price for it. The National Registration Department has declined time\u00a0and again to give them proper and complete documents.<\/p>\n

One of the brothers dropped out of school as there were many instances\u00a0where his parents were asked to produce all the proper and right\u00a0documents. The other one managed to complete Form Five. Now both are\u00a0working. Both were deprived of all the benefits which many of us have\u00a0come to take for granted: having a Mycard , passports, bank accounts\u00a0and anything that required an identity card to process. The two were\u00a0at the mercy of their employers as they were not allowed to contribute\u00a0to EPF, SOSCO or income tax.<\/p>\n

These are the official problems faced by the brothers but a rather\u00a0more overwhelming question is: what of the social stigma they have to\u00a0face on a daily onslaught ?<\/p>\n

The future is a bleak one for these brothers. Both will not be allowed\u00a0to marry as they do not have the documents to be registered and if\u00a0anyone of them has a child out of wedlock, the child will suffer the\u00a0exact same fate.<\/p>\n

There are many cases in the town area and I cannot help but wonder\u00a0about the silent majority of these cases, the thousands suffering in\u00a0obscurity in the ulu and rural areas. How are these children going to\u00a0face the world if they were to venture out into the cities for better\u00a0prospects without any of these valid documents?<\/p>\n

Children born in Sarawak with a parent being a Sarawakian should be\u00a0considered one of us. It is logical as they will want to study here,\u00a0work, make a life and eventually build a family here.<\/p>\n

I have personally been to the National Registration department a\u00a0couple of years back to enquire about a young boy\u2019s application and\u00a0was told that the decision is in the hands of Putra Jaya and that they\u00a0have to wait. All this time, all we can do is make enquiry after\u00a0enquiry and then being told to wait; usually for a very long time.<\/p>\n

Decisions made by Putra Jaya regarding these cases are too slow as we\u00a0can see in the case of the two brothers; they are both in their 20s\u00a0and in a few years, they will hit their 30s. They have to struggle\u00a0without valid documents all this time and will continue to suffer this\u00a0indignity unless we make their case known and give them a helping\u00a0hand.<\/p>\n

I feel that all these procedures and the decision making that comes\u00a0with it should be done in Sarawak. How can we possibly expect Putra\u00a0Jaya to know of the sentiments of each and every case. Semanjung\u00a0Malaysia has so many of their own to deal with and so, understandably,\u00a0each case in Sarawak does not come with a priority tag because it is\u00a0not as close to their heart.<\/p>\n

The Sarawak government should have the right to take care of the\u00a0citizens of Sarawak as long as one parent is from Sarawak. There is no\u00a0need to go across vast expanse of land and water to get that done in\u00a0Putra Jaya when the Sarawak Government is fully prepared and perfectly\u00a0capable of handling it. There is a need for urgency because as of\u00a0right now, there are too many innocent children out there in limbo.<\/p>\n

I am very glad that the Minister of Welfare, Women and Community has\u00a0been assigned to head a task force and that the decision should be\u00a0made by the State Government.<\/p>\n

Hawker issues<\/p>\n

Honourable Datuk Amar Speaker,<\/p>\n

I wish to bring your attention to the many hawker issues in Padawan\u00a0area. There are almost 2,000 of these hawkers; 80% of whom are illegal\u00a0and spread out in all corners of Padawan at Batu 3, Batu 7, Batu 10,\u00a0Siburan, Beratok, Tapah, Matang, Telaga Air, City Mall and MJC.<\/p>\n

There is no denying that these are poor people out to look for ways to\u00a0supplement their livelihood. These villagers can be seen early in the\u00a0morning carrying baskets of vegetables to trade near the roadside or\u00a0where there are people. By noon, most of them are gone.<\/p>\n

Many complained that it is an eyesore and that it is dangerous\u00a0especially for some who plied their goods near the roadside. No matter\u00a0what was done, they will come back another day as they do need the\u00a0extra cash they earn. The hawkers ply their trade come rain or shine.<\/p>\n

On rainy days, many will have raincoats or umbrellas over them for a\u00a0little cold comfort just so that they can carry on selling their\u00a0produce through the rain. It is a sad sight indeed.<\/p>\n

It is therefore important that future projects must have space\u00a0allocated for big markets. In Stutong when the market was built, there\u00a0was a big uproar over the location. Over time, demand for trading\u00a0places grew and today, trading spaces in Stutong has a 100% occupancy\u00a0rate.<\/p>\n

We must plan a market for future projects in areas like MJC. At the\u00a0moment there are about 500 hawkers trading on the car parks there from\u00a0every Thursday noon to Saturday.<\/p>\n

Housing estates are mushrooming in the MJC area. At the moment, shop\u00a0owners there allow these hawkers to trade there as business is slow in\u00a0MJC. There would come a day when they would not want to see hawkers in\u00a0front of their shop lots. Then the trouble will start.<\/p>\n

Housing all these hawkers under one roof and legalizing them is the\u00a0only way to solve the problem. But we need space and a conducive area\u00a0to house them. That way, we can ensure that these hawkers are legal\u00a0and that the place is kept clean with proper planning. We cannot wait\u00a0until the town grows beyond the stage where there is no viable space\u00a0for a market to meet the day to day needs of the people. By then it\u00a0will be a lot harder to find a space for a big market. Planning has to\u00a0start well before the town grows too big. Potential space for a market\u00a0has to be identified and gazetted. The space needs to be gazetted\u00a0because the land will become too valuable for a market purpose by the\u00a0time the town grows too big. A market is however a basic necessity to\u00a0ensure that the daily needs of a growing population is met.<\/p>\n

We have also identified an ideal place for a market along\u00a0JalanKeretapi at the DBKU golf range which is 7.51 acres in size.<\/p>\n

There is a river running beside it and across the river on the other\u00a0side, there is a piece of state land which is 10.4 acres and which in\u00a0the MPP area. The two places could be linked with a bridge and with\u00a0proper planning, this will serve as a good market area for a large\u00a0community in both DBKU and MPP areas.<\/p>\n

Both the DBKU and MPP can join forces to take the market under their\u00a0wings and I hope that our State Government will consider this\u00a0proposal.<\/p>\n

Wholesale Market<\/p>\n

Honourable Datuk Amar Speaker,<\/p>\n

Another teething issue is a proper space for a wholesale market. The\u00a0whole-sale market association has been requesting the State government\u00a0to provide them with a suitable place to trade.<\/p>\n

At the moment, they are trading at night at Stutong market which is\u00a0not a conducive place to traders. There is no proper roofing or\u00a0lights. On rainy days, these people would be soaked to the skin.<\/p>\n

Should an area be identified to house these wholesalers in Padawan\u00a0area, the Padawan Municipal Council will be happy to assist the State\u00a0government in the proper management of the wholesalers in these areas.\u00a0Fish machines\u00a0Honourable Datuk Amar Speaker,<\/p>\n

Crime situation in Kuching especially house breaking,theft and robbery\u00a0is still rampant. I am made to understand that a lot of petty theft\u00a0has been linked to illegal gambling and drug abuses.<\/p>\n

Many residents in Padawan have voiced their concern on the number of\u00a0\u2018fish machines\u2019 that has sprouted over a short period of time in\u00a0Padawan. Signs and advertising for this illegal activity was blatantly\u00a0displayed.<\/p>\n

I know of people, young and old addicted to these games and they were\u00a0caught in huge debts due to their addiction to the games on these fish\u00a0machines. I believe that this unhealthy addiction to the games is the\u00a0root cause of many social ills.<\/p>\n

Some have no choice but to resort to thieving even from their own\u00a0families to feed their bad habits.<\/p>\n

The only solution to this is for the government to ban the import of\u00a0these machines on any premise, be it private or public.<\/p>\n

The Registrar of Society is issuing Club licenses but some of these\u00a0applicants abused the license to operate these fish machines in their\u00a0outlets, which is not right at all.<\/p>\n

At the moment, Padawan Municipal Council is allowing such machines in\u00a0shopping centers where there should be zero tolerance for gambling\u00a0activities because shopping centers are supposedly purely for family\u00a0entertainment purposes.<\/p>\n

Thank you, Tuan Speaker.<\/p>\n

\"2016-11-23-photo-00000206\"<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Thank you for the honor and the opportunity to debate Yang Amat\u00a0Berhormat, the Chief Minister\u2019s address at this second meeting of the\u00a019th Sarawak State Legislative Assembly. I support and congratulate\u00a0Yang Amat\u00a0 Berhormat, the Chief Minister\u2019s articulate speech, his\u00a0presentation of an inclusive budget covering all aspects of the\u00a0state\u2019s welfare, social and economic development, from education to\u00a0tourism, waste management and flooding. A major sum has also been\u00a0allocated to the state rural transformation program. Autonomy for Sarawak Honourable Datuk Amar Speaker, We have just seen an increase in toll from as much asRead More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":13735,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1,7],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.suppnewsportal.com\/main\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13734"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.suppnewsportal.com\/main\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.suppnewsportal.com\/main\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.suppnewsportal.com\/main\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.suppnewsportal.com\/main\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=13734"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.suppnewsportal.com\/main\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13734\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":13736,"href":"https:\/\/www.suppnewsportal.com\/main\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13734\/revisions\/13736"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.suppnewsportal.com\/main\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/13735"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.suppnewsportal.com\/main\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=13734"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.suppnewsportal.com\/main\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=13734"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.suppnewsportal.com\/main\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=13734"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}