Civil servants receive excellent service award at appreciation dinner
KAPIT: Kapit Division Resident Office held a dinner cum excellent service award presentation (RANDO Kapit Division 2016) on Friday night.
Five staff received the Excellent Service Award 2015 presented by Deputy Minister of Rural and Regional Development, Datuk Alexander Nanta Linggi and Hulu Rajang MP Wilson Ugak Kumbong.
The recipients are Akau Aloi, James Sandak Bidai, Lema Jampong, Siun Ored and Calvin Ligong Bujang respectively.
“They have not done this for the past four or five years. This is important to motivate civil servants to work hard. Those who have worked hard over the years are given the recognition including volunteers and retirees going on pension, of which there are quite a number,” said Nanta when officiating at the dinner at the civic centre. It was attended by 250 guests.
“Civil servants must understand their role in delivering to the rakyat. Kapit is indeed a difficult place to work in as it’s isolated without roads which are coming soon. But they can’t use this as an excuse not to work with full dedication and commitment. Of course the challenges are there but it’s easier than in the past with increasing infrastructure development,” Nanta said.
“Irrespective of which party we belong to, we work well together with one intent - to develop and make Kapit catch up in all aspects of development, especially infrastructure. One good thing is the government has posted proven officers who have been working very hard and are dedicated.”
He said now even the Chinese come for meetings and for consultation. Before they were more divided.
“Now Iban, Malay, Chinese, Kayan, Kenyah, etc are working together and can sit down to consult with one another. This is our strength so we keep it that way for the sake of Kapit’s development,” Nanta said.
He said the ‘wakil rakyat’ work hard in the State Assembly and at parliament level.
“That’s why in the past five or six years we have the main road from Sibu to Kanowit to Ngemah/Song and then to Kapit. As deputy minister of rural and regional development, I managed to secure another road project across the river (norther bank of Rajang River from Nanga Dap all the way to Sungal Erang). That road we hope to bring all the way up along the northern bank of Rajang River to Kapit as there are so many longhouses, clinics and schools on that side of the river.
“Approved in the Sungai Sut area is a RM60 million road from Rumah Juntam to Nanga Melekun road from the Ministry of Rural and Regional Development. Implementation by 2017,” he disclosed.
Nanta said they had to make sure rural electricity supply (RES) and water were in place with construction of water pipes ongoing in Kapit.
To complete the picture is the need to bring in training institutes - either vocational school or junior college. He said the missing link (between Jalan Song/Kanowit) would soon no longer be missing as the government had allocated RM150 million.
“The reason for the delay is from Nanga Ngemah to Tamalat, we’ve to do a bypass at the Ngunun resettlement area where there’re several longhouses. A new bypass calls for new alignment work so Land and Survey Department has to survey the land, followed by land acquisition, payment to land owner and design for concrete bridge across Sungai Ngemah. The contractor has been identified,” he revealed.
The dinner was attended by Hulu Rajang MP Datuk Wilson UgakKumbong, Kapit Division Resident Joseph Belayong, Kapit Deputy Resident Galong Luang, Song District Officer Jacklyn August, Bukit Mabong District Officer Douglas Pungga, Belaga District Officer Juan Ubit, Political Secretary to the Chief Minister of Sarawak, Tapah Ata, heads of departments and community leaders.