KUANTAN – Residents of the quaint Sg Lembing town here are victims of an ironic conundrum as they grapple with frequent water supply disruptions and annual floods.
They are frustrated that these issues remain unresolved while wreaking havoc on their quality of life and the town’s reputation as a tourist destination.
Speaking to The Vibes, Chew Yee Yin, 73, questioned why the town’s water supply has to be cut off around 9pm every night, causing numerous homestays and eateries to depend on their own water tanks.
“When tourists approach me at night to ask to use our public toilets, I have to warn them that there is no water.
Where am I supposed to put my face? How can we (Sg Lembing) have no water when we are surrounded by rivers and streams?”
He was adamant that these issues are not impossible to address but blamed the authorities’ unwillingness to come up with solutions.
Meanwhile, a fire killed two elderly locals and destroyed 32 buildings, including shoplots, houses, and the town’s public library, which was established in 1968 and had housed a number of historical documents.
Chew said the aftermath would not be that devastating if the firefighters did not have to wait for water supply from Kuantan.
He claimed that the fire hydrant in town did not have the necessary water supply nor water pressure.
“Most of the buildings (which burned down) were mostly made out of wood, so the fire spread quickly. If we (Sg Lembing) had our own water supply at night, the fire would not have been that bad.”
As for business operator Zaimaslidik, 63, she recalled how the floods in December last year were one of the worst she had witnessed since setting up shop in town five years ago, as her two-storey shophouse was inundated.
I couldn’t save any of my electrical appliances, they were all either swept away or water-damaged.
“The floods happen every year so I don’t know if it can even be avoided,” she said, adding that while she “does not care much” for politics, it would bring her peace of mind if there is a solution to the yearly floods.
Marketed as one of Pahang’s tourist destinations due to its history as a former tin mining town with plenty of natural attractions, such as the Rainbow Waterfall and Panorama Hill, the locality is home to 19,130 registered voters.
The Sg Lembing state seat is a Barisan Nasional (BN) stronghold, having never had a representative from another coalition except for a single term in 1969 under Parti Rakyat Malaysia.
It is also one of the three state constituencies – Lepar and Panching being the other two – under the Paya Besar parliamentary seat.
This time, BN’s Datuk Umor Arbain Dollah is hoping to continue the coalition’s winning streak even though five-term incumbent Datuk Md Sohaimi Mohamed Shah has been dropped as a candidate.
Hardships abound but support for BN remains
Despite the issues, some residents have no intention of casting their votes for non-BN candidates for several reasons.
For Kg Sg Mas villager Yang Kasim, 39, Sohaimi’s contributions towards the Orang Asli community in the village is etched in his memory while the apparent lack of attention from other parties has left a bitter taste.
“(Sohaimi) ensured that the indigenous people in the village were well taken care of by providing us with housing accommodation and improving the road conditions in the area,” he said, explaining that his hometown is 2km from the Sg Lembing town.
BN really took care of us, but under Pakatan Harapan (PH), Orang Asli did not receive any aid whatsoever,” he said, referring to PH’s brief 22 months in Putrajaya after the 2018 general election.
Expressing similar sentiments, a resident who wished to be known as Sham, 50, said the people had “languished and suffered” under PH’s governance, claiming that besides Bumiputera allocation being slashed, student and employee benefits had taken a hit.
We (voters) have learnt our lesson. I don’t think any of us are willing to give PH another chance.
“Our life under (BN’s administration) was good. We cannot expect any politician to be 100% honest but at least during BN’s time in power, citizens were looked after and not in distress.”
‘Win first, discuss flood mitigation later’
One of Umor’s opponents is PH’s Datuk Seri Ahmad Omar, who urged voters to give the coalition another shot at running the nation.
“When PH was previously in Putrajaya, the leader was Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, not Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim. Give Anwar a chance and I am sure that he will turn the country around,” he told reporters when met at a stall in Sg Lembing recently.
He added that while he has mitigation plans for the town, he will only be revealing his proposals if he wins the seat, and PH wins the state assembly.
“I will not reveal my flood mitigation strategies until PH secures a win in Pahang. Rest assured that I have a proper plan formulated with my engineering experience but PH must govern Pahang for me to enact my plans.
If I win in Sg Lembing but PH loses in Pahang, it will be difficult for me to carry out my plans. I don’t want my opponents to steal my ideas either.”
Besides Umor and Ahmad, Sg Lembing has two other candidates – Pejuang’s Anuar Tajuddin and Perikatan Nsional’s Ayub Ashri.
Malaysians will head to the polls on Saturday. – The Vibes, November 15, 2022
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