Sri Aman to be developed on par with other divisions in Sarawak - Malcolm

SRI AMAN: Sri Aman will be developed further to be on par with other divisions in Sarawak, Assistant Minister of International Trade and Industry, Industrial Terminal and Entrepreneur Development Datuk Malcolm Mussen Lamoh said.

Malcolm, who is also the Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) candidate for Batang Ai in the 12th Sarawak state election, said the development would be overseen by the Sri Aman Development Agency (SADA) and would target specific projects, be it infrastructure or amenities, involving alternative fundings.

"The whole Sri Aman division needs to keep pace with other divisions. Otherwise, it will be left out and rely on the state budget or even funding from the relevant ministries and departments," he told Bernama in an interview in Lubok Antu near the Malaysia-Indonesia border, a five-hour drive from Kuching, recently.

To date, SADA has approved 48 development projects in the Sri Aman division totalling RM1.18 billion, with the projects slated to commence next year and developed under alternative funding allocations.

"The implementation and operation of these particular projects will be carried out by investors and technology providers. That will boost development in this area while waiting for regular funding channels.

"There are a lot of investors who have specific products they want to develop. We have a lot of natural resources within our reach that can be developed into niche products," said Malcolm, adding that the investors have identified potential markets for the projects.

On Batang Ai, Malcolm, who is the seat incumbent, said the district was placed under the Rural Transformation Programme (RTP) for community projects and the improvement of longhouses and nearby villages.

"Implementation was a bit 'sticky' initially because when it involves financial spending, we must adhere to treasury instructions. But now, it is faster as RTP is being implemented through the district office or technical departments like the Public Works Department," he added.

He noted that there was a slight delay in the implementation of the projects due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

"As far as my area is concerned, all RTP projects (outlined for) 2021 are already on the ground. We have a list of projects in 2022 that have been approved and can be implemented immediately," he added.

On the four-cornered battle in Batang Ai, Malcolm is confident of retaining his seat.

"But we still need to work hard to make sure that the electorate will come out and vote. In one area, we get one team to monitor to ensure that people go out and vote on polling day," he said.

Malcolm will face Usup Asun of Parti Bumi Kenyalang, William@Nyallau Badak (Parti Sarawak Bersatu) and John Linang Mereejon (Independent).

In 2016, Malcolm defeated PKR candidate, Kolien Liong, with a 3,186 vote-majority.

-- BERNAMA