Liwan: Belaga deserves to be elevated to a division
KUCHING: Assistant Minister of Utilities Datuk Liwan Lagang says he backs the growing number of calls for Belaga District to be elevated to a division, and has been working towards it since last year.
The Belaga assemblyman said he has done his share of paperwork on the matter after listening to the requests from the relevant quarters in his constituency.
“I would like to thank everyone, be they political organisations, associations or individuals, for expressing their support to our request that Belaga District be elevated to a division.
“Since this involves the input of data, estimates for instance budget and personal projections, area demarcation among other things, we leave it to the relevant department or authorities to go about it.
“We have sent our proper official request to the proper department/agencies and authorities to look into the matter,” he told The Borneo Post yesterday.
Liwan pointed out that he had written to Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari Tun Openg regarding the matter on Oct 17 last year.
The matter was also presented and discussed at a Kapit Development Working Committee meeting on Dec 23 last year, he added.
He said he had first raised the matter to the chief minister in a speech delivered at an official function in Apo Koyan on the Feb 29 last year, and also extended all support letters by various ethnic associations to the relevant authorities.
“I am given to understand that the Chief Minister’s Office has directed the State Secretary’s Office to look into the request officially.
“Since it involves administrative work, I have done my part and I leave it to the relevant authorities to complete the study and put forward recommendations for the state to consider,” he said.
At the same time however, Liwan, who is Parti Rakyat Sarawak (PRS) vice president, hit out at the opposition for using the matter to gain political mileage.
“I don’t need to get my views or requests to be publicised because only proper official requests or letters with supporting data are getting tabled in the decisionmaking meeting.
“I have all the copies of official correspondence on the subject including responses from Chief Minister’s Office, State Secretary’s Office and Resident’s Office. Definitely, Belaga deserves to be elevated to a division, God-willing,” he added.
Earlier this month, Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) Sarawak information chief Abun Sui sought the state government’s response to the people’s request for Belaga to be declared as the 13th division in Sarawak.
Abun had claimed the state government had remained silent on the matter despite the many requests put forward.
“We urge the Sarawak government to respond positively towards the request of Belaga residents.
“Until now there is no official response be it positive or negative,” he said.
Abun further stated that the building of hydroelectric dams in Bakun and Murum symbolised the sacrifices of the people of Belaga and it would therefore be apt for Belaga to be elevated to a division.
I would like to thank everyone, be they political organisations, associations or individuals, for expressing their support to our request that Belaga District be elevated to a division.
Datuk Liwan Lagang