MIRI – Local villagers, political campaign workers, and traders are now caught up in a frantic rush to deliver tonnes of essential items to rural settlements throughout Sarawak as the three million residents of this vast state prepare for the state election campaign.
The Vibes today found people across all divides preparing to tackle the massive logistical challenges in getting important daily supplies ready for delivery to rural frontiers.
Local traders in Miri city were busy loading trucks and four-wheel drives with food items like rice, cooking oil, sugar, noodles, canned food, bottled drinking water, and dry foodstuffs.
A supermarket supervisor here who called himself Ah Tiong said elections are very good for business.
He confirmed that the truckloads of cargo he is arranging are being booked and “sponsored” by a certain political party.
“They are being delivered into the ulu (rural) Baram longhouses,” he said. “The supplies should last for at least two weeks.
“Business is always good when there’s an election.”
Social activist Philip Jau, when asked about the situation of food and fuel in his interior home district of Baram, also said people are stocking up supplies.
“Yes, we are buying supplies from Long Lama town and also directly from Miri city (about 150km from Long Lama).
“Villagers in Baram need to source much of our supplies, especially fuel, from Miri,” he said.
“In Long Lama town, there is a very limited supply of diesel and petrol. The fuel stations have limited quotas to supply every day.
“During election time, there is a mad rush for diesel and petrol, plus food and even bottled mineral water every day,” he added.
Patrick Sawing, a resident in Belaga district in central Sarawak, also told The Vibes that retail traders are having a field day.
“Yes, in Belaga the retail shops are seeing very good business. The political parties are buying things in bulk,” he said.
There are about one million people living in some 6,000 longhouses throughout rural Sarawak.
Sarawak has 82 state constituencies, half of them being very rural. The other half is made up of semi-rural and urban constituencies.
Nominations for the 12th state election is on December 6, with early voting on December 14.
Balloting will be on December 18, with the full results expected late that night.
The ruling Gabungan Parti Sarawak presently controls 68 of these seats. – The Vibes, December 3, 2021
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