Kapit – a Sleeping Giant
Posted by: Jetty (Brokenshield)
After an absence of more than two years, it is good to visit Kapit again where we met many relatives and friends. Although Kapit is perhaps the only town which is not connected to any town and other divisions, it is fast growing not only in terms of physical development, but also in other forms.
Kapit ‘water front’ project now under construction
The Kapit water front is believed to be one of the biggest projects now under construction in this little “Hong Kong” of Malaysia. (At night Kapit is very much like Hong Kong, where we can see many beautiful lights coming from houses built on top of hills.)
Cost of living is one of the highest in Sarawak. Fish like “ikan empilut”, “ikan padi”, “ikan Labang” are now very expensive. Not to mention “empurau” which costs RM500 a kilogram, “tengadak” and “semah” cost between RM100 and RM300 a kilogram. Wild boar meat which was used to be a common dish in those days has now become a rare item. So are other jungle meats.
Fish like ‘Ikan Empilut”, “Ikan Padi” & “Ikan Labang” are now very expensive in Kapit
Prices for vegetables and jungle produce have also increased tremendously. Hotel accommodations and costs of houses have also soared up as a result of high costs of petroleum. A double storey house which cost RM250,000 per unit two years ago now costs RM320,000 and more.
On Sunday, Kapit is really packed with people and vehicles. It is said that there are more than 400 van “sapu” and 4,000 Kapit registered cars and several thousands other cars. As there are very little roads in Kapit, you can imagine cars and vans coming to the town, making Kapit the town of cars and vans.
Express boat is the only mode of transportation to Kapit
The people of Kapit put their blame on Dr. James Masing, Minister of Land Development for the lack of roads in Kapit especially a trunk road leading to other towns like Kanowit and Sibu. Masing, according to them, did not agree for the construction of the trunk road as there were no economic activities.
Actually it was not Masing who did not want the trunk road to be built. Like you and me Masing wants the road to be built. I am not defending him. As a loyal BN minister he has to toe the line. It was and now the State government policy under Abdul Taib Mahmud not to build the trunk road from Kapit to Sibu.
In a recent cabinet meeting, Taib argues that such a trunk road will make Kapit a “dead” town as everyone will not spend the night in the town. Secondly, the road has no economic value even though it will pass through literally hundreds of longhouses and will likely open up thousands of acres of NCR land for agricultural activities. And thirdly, the state government does not want the express boat and tongkang businesses to suffer.
But the State government will carry out upstream development and has in fact come up with a master plan which is part of the Sarawak Corridor of Renewal Energy (SCORE). Three roads will be constructed: one from Kapit to Baleh dam and Putai which is about 56 km, another to Murum dam which is about 45 km and the third road to Bakun, another 68 km.
The construction of the roads, dams and other projects are expected to cost some RM 7 billion. Rumours being spread around are that the road to Baleh is allegedly given to Parti Rakyat Sarawak (PRS), to Murum to Sarawak Progressive Democratic Party (SPDP) and to Bakun to PBB.
Another road is being planned from Mukah to Nanga Merit, Ulu Kapit where there are coal deposits. These coal deposits are expected to run the only coal generated electric power in Sarawak. The mining of the coal is to justify the construction of nearly RM1 billion coal-generated electric power station in Mukah.
Although early this year, deputy minister of works, Yong Khoon Seng, announced that the trunk road will be built connecting Kapit to Kanowit and Sibu; initially the people of Kapit were happy, but it seems now that the proposal remains a proposal.
But the people in the interiors between Kapit, Song and Kanowit are just unlucky as they have to be contented with using rivers as their main communication and transportation. Can they wait for another 46 years for their dream road to be constructed? – The Broken Shield
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Inspirational word from gkm2020
lama enda ke kapit..nama meh berita kapit din pelaba aku.. buka kedai CC laku pelaba . tang lesen pedis kak apply/
The obvious beneficiaries of Kapit Road are the Dayaks. A proper road from Kapit to kanowit would open a wide stretch of Iban’s land, and ultimately changing the economic dynamics of Rejang Basin.
Connecting underdeveloped rural communities with the outside world is a primary objective of World Bank and Asian Development banks. Absence of rural road is equivalent to bleak and dark economic opportunity
However, Kapit should be seen in a very different perspective. I do not subscribe to the finality of one man’s decision for Kapit’s inaccessibility. Thousand and millions of cubic tonnes of timber have been extracted in the surroundings of Kapit. The taxes imposed could easily finance dual-carriage roads from Kapit to any part of Sarawak. To prove this point, count the number of timber-millionaires (& billionaires) from Kapit. The priority of a connecting road is more our perspective rather than the leadership and inhibitants of Kapit.
In the recent Al Jeezera interview with Dr James Jemut Masing, he categorically stated the operation of the ballot box as an expression of the people’s wish. Come next election, we can almost be sure the present administration would be returned into power – Kapit included. This clearly shows the divergence of what we and they see as pertinent. Broken shield sees this as an issue; Kapit people see otherwise.
I do not subscribe to the notion that Kapit are unable to choose; limited by both/either intellect and choice. Kapit produced many intellectuals within the 46 years of independence. Whether fish, wild boars, houses etc becomes expensive is also relative. How do you know? To them they are not – otherwise they would have used the ballot box.
My summary – as the Cantonese used to say – “mbo yeah” – no nothing.
[...] 2 Comments [...]
Eik! Kita Kapit sigi pama. Peda pemayuh mensia dili din ngapong tai kita ke anyut ari ulu nyin. Nadai utai ngemau nya ai. Bisi nya bau kasam empurau, kasam semah, jukut, dagin nyumboh etc. Kepala ke bidik lansik nya meh kita ba Kapit ke bidik meda ular nabau. Peda kerat nabau ba Wong Pelagus, nyau bejumboh enda alah pansoh. Nyau enda alah pakai perut peruti perut gerami mensia menua Sarawak tu.
Come on Dr. James, YB Alexander and YB Larry, do somethings will you. Udah tebal pending ninga komen orang macham-macham about Kapit.
Ba penemu aku, NGOs di Kapit baka SADIA, DUBS Sitak Kapit,Chiness Chamber Commerce And Industry(CCCI) Sitak Kapit enggau serakup bansa bukai patut begempung ngaga siti meeting beguna pasal Referendum Ngaga Jalai Ari Kanowit ke Pasar Kapit.Udahnya tembu anjung ngagai YAB Perdana Menteri & YAB Kepala Menteri, anang nengah bala Menteri enggau YB Pengari Rakyat.Mandang ka tu meh Denyutan Hati Rakyat dalm 1Malaysia.SADIA patut nyadi Ketuai ngadu ka aum tu laban tubuh kita iban di Kapit 95% ari bansa bukai.Enti ka nyadi bai Gerempung ari Pasar Song, Ngemah enggau Kanowit.Anang irau ka Pasar Kapit tu MATI.Ingat ka jaku aku, Pasar Kapit deka Mansang ketegal jalai udah bisi, tanah ba tisi jalai tau dikemansang bekebun sawit(small holder)/getah,hasil dunya Kapit tau dijual terus ke Song/Ngemah/Kanowit/Sibu tauka menua bukai, Orang ari menua bukai tauka mega bedagang terus enggau kitai di Kapit.Penguntung maioh datai ngagai kitai di menua pesisir.PLEASE DO IT!anang nganti ari nukar pendiau kita!
eh kapanya.. bala pemesai BN bela bengal magang, mata pan buta…
Empelesik Sungai on June 12th, 2009 3:20 pm
The obvious beneficiaries of Kapit Road are the Dayaks. A proper road from Kapit to kanowit would open a wide stretch of Iban’s land, and ultimately changing the economic dynamics of Rejang Basin.
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Nya ke ngai Uban, iya ngai meda Iban maju. Ti Iban maioh maju nadai agi nunduk ke projek atap zinc & baja. iya ka ngemansang ke bala Melanau aja- berjuta-juta projek anjung iya ngagai kawasan Melanau; Mukah, Dalat, Semarahan, Tg. Manis, Matu Daro, dini2 bisi Melanau ba Sarawak. Nasib nadai bala Melanau berumah ba Bulan, ti enda pia kin meh iya nganjung.
Menteri kitai Dayak, sibuk michit pelir Uban aja. Semua berebut nyadi ball polisher takut ke enda diasuh contest.
Enti baka gambar ular nabau ba ulu Baleh din ke dipeda sida ke bidik lansik, sigi senang menua Kapit datai jalai. Ular nabau nya angka pemesai ular dalam dunya tu, nyau baka moto pompom pala iya. Ular nya semina ngerayap bedarat nebing Btg Hajang ke Sibu enti ka ngaga jalai. Tentu bekau iya amat lendat tusol baka sungkor lipan kili kin. Udah nya, kontraktor sida YB tau ngangkut batu kerangan ba Btg Hajang ngena negapka jalai alun bekau Nabau.
Ni pengari rakyat kita YB Alexander,YB Aaron & YB Datuk Billy,nama enda bejaku VOCAL ba parlimen pasal jalai ari kanowit/kapit/belaga.Tu meh uati ko Deputy Speaker!Nama kita tu enda kala berandau enggau YAB PM Najib pasal tu.Enti malu kediri bai masing,blikau,larry,adit & liwan.siko menteri,2 menteri muda,3 AP & 2 ADUN.Nama enda chukup penyampau kita tu ngari ka rakyat banyak.
Sinu meda kami ke urang kapit. endang sigi baka pulau galau…lebu ngundi BN ngelamatu. Enda takut ke pasal kapit sunyi enti udah bisi jalai ke sibu laban udah kelalu untung cina sebelah pasar kapit laban mensia di kapit ditu. Kapa enda sida ia bebeli ke sebelah sibu,kanowit, engka barang din lebih jauh murah ari di kapit. Meli minyak kena ke sibu pun enda asai. Tang paling penting, maya ari Gawai, senang pulai ke kapit, enda ibuh kiruh ngatung barang suah ngagai express.Enda ibuh kiruh berebut ke tiket express…bah! kemaya ka ngaga jalai nya deh? Tanya ngagai bala kita ke patut di tanya…enda patut pedis amat minta projet nya. Enti bangat pedis, ketu ke magang project ba kapit baka projek waterfrontnya ambik bisi kena ngadu ke project jalai tu. Jalai nya lebih penting ba kami. Enti waterforntnya tau lubah. Udah parai rebak kami tu ila tau meh ngadu nya. Utai ke enda penting dulu gaga pia! Nadai untak!
Maia ti deka bepilih ti deka datai tu ila badu agi kitai di menua Kanowit, Song enggau Kapit ngundi BN.Kebuah pia sida ti dikarap ke kitai ngari ke rakyat nadai ulih ngatur penusah kita Iban di menua tu semina penting ka diri empu aja.
Kitai mesti nukar sida tu sama besaup nyukung Parti PR ngambi sida PR ulih bejako ke penusah menua kitai ti nadai jalai ari Sibu ke Kapit.
Padah ke semua bala kitai di rumah panjai badu agi nunduk ke atap Zinc enggau project ti ngerabur ke mata sida. Tukar magang semua bala YB ti udah nadai meri pemaju ti sama enggau bansa bukai ngagai kita Iban.
Enti semua sida YB tu udah diganti kitai nadai agi kitai meda Pasar Kapit tusah nadai jalai raya.Sama bersukung semua kitai di sitak Kapit ngagai Parti PR ngambi penusah kitai tu ila jampat agi peda kitai ke tuai diatu.
Change We Must.
Kati kita orang Kapit enda ingat ke jako Jabu ke madah ke jalai ngagai Kapit nya ukai priority- Ia madah it is cheaper to travel by boat. Nya alai seagi Jabu and cancer perut bekuasa jalai ngagai Kapit sigi enda digaga. Tang anang ga kita putus asa laban cancer perut nya majak raya sakit and same goes to Anak Numpang!!! Aram meh kitai sama besampi ngambi seduai tu jampat agi lesi laban ngaga jalai raya ngagai menua Kapit bepanggai ba seduai- the faster they go the sooner Sibu-Kapit road be consyructed!!!!
nemu kita, berita orang ari dearah song leboh pulai ari Gawai tu mula ari 27-31 may 2009, berebut aja mensia deka pulai ari Sibu ke Song, nyau bepadat aja dalam express tau ke ba waf express, sinu ngenang meda sida temasuk aku empu, asai deka nyambak berebut enggau orang bebeli ke tekit, kasih meda kami iban ari Song. Leboh kami pulai ke Sibu udah Gawai, kami nepan express nyau deka karam, kami begau dalam express lalu mansut ke diri laban deka nyelamat ke diri empu, bisi sekeda mecah ke cermin express, dianu orang kerja ba express ga orang iban ,kasih amat ga orang iban song cukup enda nemu utai,dianu orang enda ga ngelaban laban takut enda nepan express, tak nyau beli amat mih kami tu digaga sida BN, bisi kreta enda ga dikena pulai laban nadai jalai ukai nya jauh Sibu enggau Song enti sida BN deka ngaga jalai,sida BN jako aja deka nulong rakyat ,udah rakyat ngundi sida, janji sida enda ingat agi,’sungguh pintar,amat pintar’BN bahkan sida menang di darat ba Song. Nemu kita ! baru tu tadi bisi bank BSN.Enti deka ngambi duit ngena bank kami ke kapit, cukup tusah laban ngena express agi,ukai express nya free. ukai kami diau ba pasar song, kami diau di ulu sungai.Nya ke pedis kitai Dayak dipegai orang Melayu taja YB kitai nya orang iban{dayak] sida nitih perintah orang Melayu aja, sida di kemelie orang melayu, iban nadai pemasang, mayuh iban nya kuli kerja ba kem kayu,ladang tanam kayu,etc
minta ampun ngagai akih Dayak Jihad Militant,ukai ia posting berita ari Song nya, ia nya orang song.
Kapit is one of the ‘Hottest’ town in Sarawak. full of scandals, you named it. do you believe it?
(i love watching desperate housewives)
Allegations stating the construction of a trunk road from Sibu to Kapit to have “no economics value/activities, Kapit becomes a dead town and to protect the business interest of certain squatters are merely a political gimmick. It is just an excuse for not delivering development to Kapit division.
Such kind of selfish thinkng can be considered as an action of marginalizing Kapit’s people from the mainstream of development. It is an indirect tactic of chasing away people from the interior villages from their homeland for better livelihood in big town or in West M’sia. So to paves ways for optimists to scrub wealth in the vacated land or forest without hindrance for personal gains.
Only permanent residents of Kapit can really feel the difficulties and needs to support living in Kapit whilst visitors are merely able to conceive optical illusions and emotions as empathizing cannot make virtue senses.
Why so scare to look into rational values, reality and needs of people at large rather to perceive slanderous remarks and also to accept the weaknesses of the government for failing to deliver its service fairly enough for people well-being, where development in Kapit is being lagged behind other divisions.
Why not taking into account, Kapit had become a divisional administrative town since 02 April 1973?. Having huge size of 38,934 square km and a population of more than 100,000 eople [2000 census: 98,840 people]. Contributions of past leaders and Kapit’s revenues to Sarawak and Malaysia as a whole.
Can we just simply forget that Kapit is a great timber producer in Sarawak, a part from having coal mine in Merit, generating hydro electric- dam in Bakun and so for. Most of the resources from Kapit had been extracted for the benefit of other places in Sarawak; that groomed many millionaires anf timber tycoons. In year 2005, timber alone in Kapit contributed RM233.1 millions revenue for 3.3 million cubic metres of log. Are these not economics values? If we look into billion ringgits, the federal fund being allocated for Sarawak, how much Kapit got? In 9MP 2006 – 2010, Kapit received RM75.5 millions for 43 projects.
Kapit people are not manic for the fund to fairly pr proportionally divided among divisions in Sarawak, but just good enough for a few millions to initiate the construction of road. They want road. Only road link can speed up development, endures minimum cost and time constraints in comparable with river transportation. Until now, Kapit has 80 km state, 36 km federal and 62 km municipal road which are not anticipated with the increasing numbers of vehicles in the division.
Statement referring Kapit as mountainous with a lot of streams and valleys, being the adverse factors affecting the construction of road is just a matter of deceiving. There are also other part of Sarawak having similar feactures where roads had been construted such as Kuching – Sibu- Miri road.
Why the state government is so concerned about the business of the minority group where the majority group has to suffer, bearing all the costs of such business operation?
This is not in line with the federal government policy to render priority to public and enhance one Malaysia nation. Where is the notion of the government to bridge up the gaps of rural development with urban counterparts? Why certain politicians keep on bluffing people stating a few millions budget set for the road and yet it is none and not included in the ninth Malaysian plan?
What is the point and rational of saying that no place will be left out from the mainstream of development in mass media and television?
Why keeps on marginalizing Kapit from development, though it has been a divisional level for 36?
years? Diverting main road away from Kapit, Where people keep on requesting for it to be connected to Sibu is not for the convenience of the people. It is more likely to fulfill the needs of business operations by certain individuals. This long awaited road seems not become reality unless the top politician endorses and effectuates its construction, may be a few decades or century to come!! After they have more than enough in their pockets then the reminder only can be given to others or till voters make desision in next poll!
But the people in the interiors between Kapit, Song and Kanowit are just unlucky as they have to be contented with using rivers as their main communication and transportation. Can they wait for another 46 years for their dream road to be constructed? UDAH 52 TAHUN NADAI JALAI ALUN TANG AGI KA NUNGU 46 TAHUN LAGI ( PADA TAHUN 2056 BARU ADA JALAN BERTAR KE RUMAI PANJAI )…AGI BISI BALA KITAI MAYA 2056?…HAHAHAHA