Tatau District needs more ATM machines — PKR man
KUCHING: More automated teller machines (ATM) should be installed in Tatau to meet the needs of the community.
PKR Selangau chairman Joshua Jabeng, who made this call, said among other things, there were over 160 business operators, hundreds of civil servants and countless industrial and plantation workers in Tatau.
“It isn’t necessary to exaggerate that one ATM machine is insufficient to serve the banking needs of the whole Tatau community. Considering the size of the community, it is high time for banks to think beyond profit and play a bigger role in society.
“It is very common to witness long queues of people withdrawing money at the ATM. It gets worse during pre- festive seasons. You can just imagine the frustrations when that lone ATM runs out of cash or broke down,” he said in a press statement.
Joshua, who is PKR’s potential candidate for Kakus, said the only alternative was to go to the post office to make withdrawals, but its services were insufficient.
“Hundreds of welfare and even BR1M (1Malaysia People’s Aid) recipients residing in Tatau District often have to spend unnecessary transportation fares to go to Bintulu to withdraw money.”
Nevertheless, he was thankful to Bank Rakyat for providing the only ATM machine at MDS Super Market.
“I’ve been informed that the Tatau business community has been raising this issue several times since 1991. Dialogues between local business owners with representatives from various banks and Bank Negara had been held, but to no avail.
“The best was when BSN accepted in principle to set up a branch (in Tatau), and a place was identified in Tatau Bazaar in 2011. It’s interesting to observe that when Mukah and Sungai Asap got theirs, Tatau is still waiting – even to this day.”
As such, Joshua said the local community was appealing to Bank Negara to use its discretion to allow a bank – preferably a commercial one – to open a fullservice branch in Tatau.
“We agree profit matters a lot, but you do have certain responsibilities to society. Large timber and plantation firms who have operations in Tatau District may have their banking done at their head offices, but hundreds of their employees residing here require this service.”