Kuching (Aug 25, 2012): Minister with Special Functions Tan Sri Adenan Satem has been asked on what has happened to his promise to the people of Kampung Kudei Lama located at the end of Rubber Road West and Nanas Road West here.
About 200 people, comprising the Ibans and Chinese, have been staying at the village since the early 1960s and were mostly from Simunjan, Sri Aman and Betong, hoping to get better life in Kuching.
“In 1992, Adenan, who was then Minister of Social Development, had promised that this village will be resettled to the Batu Kawa Resettlement Scheme near Desa Wira, which was then being developed as a low cost housing scheme.
“During the State Legislative Assembly sitting on Nov 17, 2011 Adenan, now the Special Functions Minister, stated that there was now no need for the residents of this village to be resettled at the Batu Kawa Resettlement Scheme because the government has now gazetted the Kampung Kudei land as Government Reserves for village purposes.
“He even mentioned that there were plans for the village to have better drainage and irrigation system,” Siah, who is the Personal Assistant to Batu Lintang State Assemblyman See Chee How, told reporters today.
“However, until today nothing was ever done,” he said, adding that early this year PKR has collected signatures from over 200 families living in Kampung Kudei requesting from the government for proper drainage and electricity.
He said that the petition was received by Adenan’s private secretary who gave an assurance that the matter would be dealt with.
Picture right: PKR Stampin leaders (squatting) Desmond Kho, Simon Siah and Voon Shiak Ni
“We waited for half a year for their response and again nothing has been done. Not even a single reply of a letter or a phone call from Adenan’s office.
“Then on July 13. 2012, we wrote to Adenan to request for a meeting with him and his representatives to solve the problem of Kampung Kudei and again our letter was ignored.
“In fact the villagers of Kampung Kudei have also written a letter dated June 22, 2012 to him to fulfill his promise,” Siah said, adding that the promise made by Adenan since 1992 had not even been fulfilled after a span of 20 years.
He said that the slogan “Janji Ditepati” used by Barisan Nasional government this year was not only misleading and a clear attempt to lie to the Rakyat.
“With all these billboards being erected in town declaring that Barisan Nasional has fulfilled their promises to the Rakyat, the slogan is not only a mockery to the aspirations, but also the hopes of the Rakyat for a better life and a better future for their children.
“A kampung in the middle of Kuching town which has no drainage system and electricity after over 50 years of independence is indeed a great failure by the Barisan Nasional government,” he said, adding it was rather unsightedly to see the villagers living in such poor and unhygienic conditions and whenever it rained, dirty and black water would rise up to their houses.
“Therefore, I urged and challenged Adenan to fulfill his promise to the villagers of Kampung Kudei before the Merdeka Day celebration.
“We are expecting to receive a call from him personally or from his department for us to meet him and to resolve the issue of Kampung Kudei together,” Siah said, adding that PKR had been asked by the villagers to voice their problems to Adenan.
“With our country Independence Day or Hari Kemerdekaan Negara drawing near, we are now more than certain that the governance under Barisan Nasional has created years of lies to the people of Sarawak.
“Rather than Janji Ditepati, it has been 50 years of Janji Dimungkiri especially for the villagers of Kampung Kudei who has been cheated for over 20 years,” he stated. By Sematong Express
