PSB candidate announces 12 commitments to Kota Sentosa
KUCHING: Parti Sarawak Bersatu (PSB) Kota Sentosa candidate Datuk John Lau Pang Heng, 69, has revealed 12 commitments to the constituents if he is elected.
He vows to resolve the traffic situation, the lack of parking bays at commercial areas and the frequent flooding; to enhance safety and security of its neighbourhood; to provide employment for youths; and also to provide leisure parks, homes for the elderly folks and Internet connectivity.
He also plans to increase educational, agriculture and industrial activities, sets up an additional government health clinic, installs more streetlights, and establishes a key business centre in Kota Sentosa.
With the tagline ‘Our Home, Our Responsibility’, Lau – the founder of Sarawak Community Policing Association (SCPA) – has been working with the police and residents towards reinforcing crime prevention measures.
He has proposed for a community crime prevention unit to be set up in every housing estate so that everyone can participate in crime prevention with the police.
“I believe that an active community is the first step towards controlling crime and improving safety. For this,
I thank the police for their outstanding work and crimeprevention during my time as the SCPA chairman from 2015 to August last year,” he told a press conference at PSB Kota Sentosa branch office yesterday.
He had identified security as a concern of residents during walkabouts in the area over the past 30 months.
He said another major grouse of the residents was the traffic jams caused mainly by road structure – some sections were very narrow, and also the bottlenecks where two lanes would merge into one.
The lack of carparks, he believed, could be solved by building a multi-storey facility, with the ground and the first floor used for shopping and commercial purposes.
He also highlighted the frequent flooding at Kota Sentosa town, Jalan Stakan, Stutong Baru and Stampin Resettlement Scheme, as well as several lowlying areas, which would strike during high-tide or heavy rainfall.
He said considering that 12 per cent of some 28,000 voters being youths aged between 21 and 29, he hoped to help them secure employment by training and grooming them to have the skills needed in the job market. He would also look into setting up an institution of higher learning in Kota Sentosa so that parents would not worry about the distance.
For a work-life balance, he proposed having a leisure park in the area to promote healthy lifestyle; a place with a jogging track, exercise equipment, swimming pool, tennis court, basketball court and table tennis facilities.
He also proposed setting up an elderly home for the senior citizens to gather and socialise.
“A stable Internet connection is important in today’s digital era. However, even in the urban areas, the Internet connectivity is not stable. This is one of the areas that I will address,” he pledged.
Lau said to ensure food sufficiency, he would encourage hydroponic farming at home so that families would have sufficient supply. The vast land in the area could also be used for farming, and also for manufacturers and industries to set up their plants that would create job opportunities for the local folks.
“We also got voters’ feedback about only having one government health clinic to serve a vast area, and hoping for another clinic to be set up at a strategic site between Stampin or Stutong Resettlement Scheme, Hui Sing Garden, Taman BDC and Mile 5. This would reduce travelling time for residents seeking medical services,” he said.
In many areas of Kota Sentosa, Lau noticed that there was no street-lighting, making it dangerous to road users travelling at night. He hoped to get the relevant authorities to look into this and put up LED lights to light the way for the road users. This could be done within the first year, he said.
At the same time, he also hoped to establish a business centre for the rural folk, where they could bring their agriculture and farm products to sell to constituents in Kota Sentosa; thus, linking the rural and urban populations.
When asked about his first motion to propose in the State Legislative Assembly (DUN), Lau said that he wanted to redeem Sarawak rights and privileges from the federal government as stated under the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63) and to nullify the Petroleum Development Act (PDA) 1974 and the Territorial Sea Act (TSA) 2012.
Reclaiming these rights and revenue would provide the state with the financial muscle
to implement multiple plans to upgrade the livelihood of every Sarawakian.
Lau, who is also the Sarawak Patriot Association chairman, believes in fighting for Sarawak’s rights and privileges.
“This is because both Acts (PDA and TSA) have not been approved by DUN Sarawak; thus, they’re not applicable to Sarawak. If the Territorial Sea Act 2012 is nullified, we can expand our sea territory – meaning, we have more areas to fish, and more seafood for us.
“The GPS (Gabungan Parti Sarawak) and the former BN (Barisan Nasional) Sarawak, has served 58 years, while Pakatan Harapan, 22 months. Enough, already – lots of promises were not fulfilled. Give us a chance to serve for the next five years,” said Lau.
He added that voters could also interact with him online during his nightly Facebook Live session, which starts at 8.30pm via this link https://bit.ly/PSBKotaSentosa.
Lau received a Doctor of Philosophy Sociology from Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (Unimas) at the age of 67 in 2019. He completed his Master in Business Administration from Durham University in 1992, at the age of 40.
He had worked at a German multinational corporation for 12 years as its head of sales and marketing before setting up his own consultancy firm in 1998.
He was the first Malaysian elected as International President of Toastmasters International in August 2012, which saw his name make it to the Malaysia Book of Records.
Recognising his contribution in promoting Malaysia internationally, he was conferred the Johan Mangku Negara in 2013 and Panglima Jasa Negara (carrying a Datuk title) in 2014 by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong.
Lau has received many international leadership and communication awards including from the Los Angeles City Council which declared May 20, 2010 as ‘John Lau Pang Heng Day’.
Also present at the press conference were PSB Kota Sentosa election operations director Matthiew Usun and its Youth leader, Nixon Lee.