Michael Kong questions MBKS' efficiency in removing illegal moneylender advertisements

KUCHING, October 7 2025: Everywhere you go, you can’t help but notice illegal advertisements put up by moneylenders especially in Tabuan Jaya, Tabuan Desa, Tabuan Dusun and Tabuan Tranquility.

Caption: Michael Kong pointing to the illegal advertisements put up by the moneylenders at Jalan Stutong 

These advertisements, complete with contact numbers, are nailed to the tree trunks, glued to electrical posts and whatever things that the moneylenders can find along the roadsides and within the housing estates.

These advertisements are not meant for beautification  or decoration, but to entice poor people or people with money problems to borrow money from the moneylenders or commonly known as Ah Longs at a very high and unreasonable interest rates.

Once this class of people has borrowed  money, they will have a harrowing experience of paying the loans which seems to be unending.

And if they cannot settle the loans, nightmares await them.

The mushrooming of illegal advertisements have raised the ire of  Michael Kong, the special assistant of DAP chairman and Stamp MP Chong Chieng Jen.

“In late August, I raised the issue of illegal moneylender advertisements being plastered all over Kuching.

“Almost immediately, Kuching South City Council (MBKS) rushed to issue rebuttals, insisting that their enforcement teams have been actively removing such advertisements daily,” he said in a statement he issued after “turun padang”.

‘But the reality on the ground tells a very different story. At Lorong Stutong 11B3, for example, these illegal advertisements have been there since as early as October 2024.

“Fast forward to today, October 2025, and my recent visit confirms that the exact same advertisements remain untouched,” he moaned.

He questioned how efficient MBKS is, as Mayor Datuk Wee Hong Seng so proudly claims to be.

“If something as basic as removing illegal advertisements on road signage cannot be handled promptly, what message is MBKS sending to the public?

“Is that enforcement merely lip service?” he asked.

Kong said it is also not enough for MBKS to simply pull down these illegal advertisements., adding that its enforcement officers must also lodge police reports so that these cases are officially recorded. With such reports in place, he said the police and relevant agencies such as Malaysian Communication and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) can take further action to trace and act against the owners of the contact numbers being advertised.

“Anything less is merely a cosmetic action that does not address the root of the problem,” Kong alleged.

He urged MBKS to stop giving excuses and start acting with urgency, saying that these advertisements are not just an eyesore but are a public nuisance that emboldens illegal moneylenders to continue preying on the local communities.

He said by allowing them to remain for a year, MBKS is sending the wrong signal that such illegal activities are condoned.

“The people of Kuching deserve a council that not only reacts defensively when called out but also works proactively to safeguard public interest.

“ As such, I strongly urge MBKS to immediately issue clear directives to its enforcement teams and contractors to remove these illegal advertisements without delay and at the same time, lodge police reports so real enforcement action can be taken,” he suggested.

 

PRS candidates' silence in the run-up to triennial delegates conference

 

By a political observer

KUCHING, Oct 4, 2025: Parti Rakyat Sarawak (PRS) will hold its triennial delegates conference (TDC) middle of this month, during which elections for the new office bearers of the party for the year 2025-2028 will be held.

 At the same time, the Youth and women wings will also elect their respective new office bearers .

Unlike other component parties of the Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS), things have been rather very quiet for PRS in the run-up to the TDC  as the candidates go about on their campaign trails to secure support from among the delegates.

We don’t see any candidate issuing public statements or holding press conferences to announce their political stands on any issue.

We don’t even hear them talking to the media.  Are being told to keep the contests for the various posts within a PRS family?

We don’t even know what the candidates are doing. Are their movements to seek support from among the delegates so secretive that whatever they want to do must have been chopped as “Top Secret.”

But then again, PRS is a rural party and this explains why the candidates are not making any media statements. The claim is that the Dayaks living in the rural areas, who are PRS supporters, don’t read what are published in the media.

That is why we don’t even hear any candidate holding dinner gatherings, which are considered as normal in other parties. Or maybe they do, but there is no publicity given because the media practitioners are not invited.

With each candidate not making any statement on what they stand for the consumption of the general public, except among the delegates, has left many of us to wonder what PRS is fighting for.

The highlight of the TDC will be the battle for the top post between Minister in the Premier’s Department Datuk Seri John Sikie Tayai and Pelagus State Legislative Member (SLM) Wilson Nyabong Ijang.

Whoever wins the post of the party president for the three-year term, he will have a great responsibility to carry to make sure that PRS will remain united and stable and not a burden to GPS.

As one political analyst had said, PRS is a Dayak-based party, but it cannot to be a party that represents the Dayak community. Only its leadership is made up of Dayaks.

The Dayaks are also present in Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB), Sarawak United People’s Party (SUPP) and Progressive Democratic Party (PDP).

The TDC, scheduled for October 18 and 19, will also elect the deputy president, vice presidents and 15 ordinary supreme council members of the party.

The Youth wing will also elect a new chief after incumbent Datuk Snowdan Lawan decides to give way. He is gunning for the party deputy president, facing incumbent Datuk Majang Renggie.

The post of the Youth chief will be fought between Tamin SLM Christopher Gira Sambang and Murum SLM Kennedy Chupkai Ugon.

However, Sri Aman MP Datuk Seri Doris Brodie was returned unopposed as the Women chief. She was the only one nominated by the women delegates for the post.

PRS was formed by a group led by Tan Sri James Masing after Parti Bansa Dayak Sarawak (PBDS) was deregistered by the Registrar of Societies (Ros) in 2004.

After Masing died in 2021, Datuk Joseph Salang took over, first as acting president, and then was elected president in 2022.

 

 

 

 

Our planned visit to Ulu Baram is related to complaints on human rights abuse, clarifies Suhakam

 

By Simon Peter

KUCHING, October 4, 2025: The Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (Suhakam) clarified that its planned visit to Ba Data Bila in Ulu Baram is unrelated to and separate from the judicial review proceedings currently held before the Miri High Court. 

It said that its investigation in Ulu Baram was initiated following complaints  received by its Sarawak Office regarding alleged human rights violations.

“This is in line with Section 14(1) of the Human Rights Commission of Malaysia Act 1999, which empowers Suhakam to investigate complaints relating to human rights.

“In this regard, Section 12(3) of the same Act is not applicable in this case. The investigation aims to gather views from multiple stakeholders to ensure fairness and balance,” it said in a statement  when clarifying a news report carried by Utusan Sarawak on October 2, quoting Sarawak Forestry Department as saying.

Suhakam said on the postponement of its visit to Ba Data Bila, prior notice of the intended

meeting and investigative visit was formally communicated to the village headman of Ba Data Bila through an official letter.

It added copies of this letter were also furnished to the Long Lama Sub-District Office and the Telang Usan District Office.

“Initially, the village headman of Ba Data Bila expressed no objection to Suhakam’s visit.

“However, before the scheduled date, he requested for the visit to be deferred until after the

conclusion of the judicial review proceedings before the Miri High Court on October 30, 2025,” it said, adding that it respected and acceded to the request.

It reiterated that its visit to Ulu Baram is solely related to complaints of human rights violations received by its Sarawak Office and does not concern or interfere with the subject matter of any ongoing court proceedings.

It said it will continue to engage with relevant agencies to ensure that the issues raised are

addressed comprehensively and effectively.

PBK will definitely "turun padang" in Sabah election

 

By Simon Peter

KUCHING (October 3 2025): Parti Bumi Kenyalang (PBK) will definitely be fielding candidates in the upcoming Sabah election, its president Voon Lee Shan said today. 

“(We) will surely turun padang, but (we) don’t know how many seats (we will be contesting),” he said when asked if PBK will be contesting in the state election.

Voon, however, said that he will not announce the number of seats the party will contest now nor the names of the potential candidates.

“Sabah politics is very volatile with many are offering themselves for sale which we are not able to buy,” Voon added.

He said, PBK being a nationalist party, will leave it to the conscience of the people who come to offer themselves as candidates for PBK.

He said PBK candidates contesting in the Sabah election will have to foot their own campaign

He said PBK urges the Sabahans to reject Malayan political parties.

 He said seats won by Malayan political parties in Sabah are depriving the voice of Sabahans in parliament.

“By parliamentary rule, Sabahans who won seats in Sabah for Malayan political parties are to follow the directives of their bosses in Malaya,” he speculated.

Voon said Sarawakians and Sabahans may need to know that Article 47 of the Federal Constitution allows Malayans and Malayan political parties to stand elections in Sabah and Sarawak.  

“Therefore, the Federal Constitution provides a mechanism for Malaya to hold its grips on Sabah and Sarawak,” he said.