By Vernon Kedit,
PKR Betong branch chairman
Despite assurances
by the government insisting that Betong is a developed town, the facts speak
for themselves. I shall list out the facts and correlate them to the well-known
fact that Betong has and continues to be helmed by no less than a Deputy Chief
Minister, a full fledged Federal Minister, and an Assistant Minister for more
than a quarter of a century.
 |
| Vernon in his visit to Betong. |
Three important constituencies of Layar, Bukit Saban and
Saribas lie within the parliamentary seat of Betong, led by three senior Iban
leaders, and the current deplorable state of Betong is an indictment of their
effectiveness in representing the populace here and uplifting our standards of
living.
The town itself
has seen some development, most of which are cosmetic and short-term and of
little value to the people. A glaring example is the Resident's Office which
sits atop the hill like a white elephant, half empty and under-utilised.
We are told proudly that Betong is a division with a
Resident but the fact remains that most divisional administrative matters have
to be taken up in either neighbouring Sri Aman or Saratok; Betong is only a
division in name and title - yet another cosmetic job to blind the electorate.
Town roads and sidewalks are continually repaired or
resurfaced in the hope of appeasing the mostly Chinese urban populace while the
real problem of low water pressure in the town area due to the old piping
system is ignored. As for Spaoh and Debak, these two major rural towns continue
to remain rural in every sense of the word.
The outskirts of
Betong are still suffering from the lack of civil infrastructure; tarred roads,
treated water and grid electricity still have not reached 60% of the
population. Electrical poles and wiring have arrived some places but strangely
the transformers and sub-stations are nowhere to be seen.
Rural roads are left unsealed for years and in some
places cement roads are constructed as a temporary solution. Many places
survive on gravity feed water supply instead of treated water.
Poly-pipes line the main Jalan Layar, indicating that JKR
might be connecting treated water soon to the longhouses and homes along this
important thoroughfare - but it begs the question, "Why are poor grade 8
inch poly-pipes used instead of the more resilient and sturdy standard 2 feet
iron pipes?"
Healthcare and
medical facilities are seriously outdated while modern medicine has yet to see
the light of day in Betong. In fact, I challenge the Ministers and their
families who represent the constituencies within Betong to come to Betong
Hospital for medical treatment instead of going to expensive private hospitals
in the cities or overseas.
Education is
similarly left to wither with the barest basic amenities available to pupils,
students, staff and teachers. Besides the annual gifts of cash incentives to
select pupils and students, there seems to be no impetus to upgrade nor reform
the current dilapidated educational infrastructure. Shouldn't education be our
topmost priority in true development?
The biggest
problem faced by the people of Betong, especially the educated and the young,
is the lack of economic opportunities. Almost every household in Betong has a
family member working overseas or in the major cities because there simply
isn't any form of economic livelihood available in Betong to make a decent
living.
When people ask me
what are the industries in Betong, the true answer I can give is that we don't
have any industries in Betong besides the planting of cash crops like pepper
and rubber by the largely farming based communities in this town - an ironic
agricultural failure judging that its representative is also the Minister for
Agriculture for the State.
Real development is the availability of economic
opportunities at one's doorsteps but as long as deadwood Ministers still
continue to live in either denial or outright contempt, then the future for
Betong looks very bleak.
If it is a sleepy town now, it would become a ghost town
in the next 10 years as people continue to leave to seek a better life
elsewhere if drastic steps are not taken to redress and immediately address and
arrest the stagnation of Betong. - Aug 3, 2015
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