30 July 2024
On Today Show
— Willie Kajan, Tour Guide from Long Terawan, Mulu – Community-Driven Tourism: Willie Kajan Advocates for Local Benefits in Sarawak
— Apai Mei from Sg Tangap Niah – Connectivity and Comfort: Addressing the Needs of Niah Cave
— Diog Dios, the head of the PKR Puncak Borneo branch – Helping Hands: MADANI Aid Boxes Reach Puncak Borneo's Needy
Topik Pada Hari Ini
— Willie Kajan, Panduan Pelancong dari Long Terawan, Mulu – Pelancongan yang Didorong Komuniti: Willie Kajan Memperjuangkan Manfaat Tempatan di Sarawak
— Apai Mei dari Sg Tangap Niah – Konektiviti dan Keselesaan: Menangani Keperluan Gua Niah
— Diog Dios, Ketua Cabang PKR Puncak Borneo – Bantuan Tangan: Kotak MADANI Sampai kepada Mereka yang Memerlukan di Puncak Borneo
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Special Randau
1. Don't embarrass Sarawak, immediately upgrade the facilities at the Niah Cave Unesco World Archaeological Heritage Site. The news of Niah Cave being recognized as a new World Heritage Site by Unesco is very exciting. But a lot of work needs to be done such as upgrading hotels, toilets, roads and eating places. If tourists from all over the world come and see dirty toilets and hotels. That is a shame, said Willie Kajan.
2. The condition of roads in rural areas is very bad, said Mulu-Datu Gerawat Gala assemblyman. Gerawat claims more than 1000km of roads in the Baram area are in bad condition and need immediate repair. More than a million Sarawakians live in 6000 settlements outside the city. So the allocation to provide facilities for rural residents is very urgent - Gerawat Gala said. Therefore, because of that we often say that Sarawak is not a developed state. Infra facilities are still far behind and there are still many poor people in the countryside.
3. “PH does not have a presence in Sarawak” The Premier of Sarawak's harsh remarks on the 'Keluar Sekejam' podcast have been the talk of the week. Leaders from DAP and PKR Sarawak have labeled these comments as the arrogance of Premier Abang Jo. However, It underscores the need to confront and overcome GPS's dominance in the upcoming 2026 state elections.
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Willie Kajan, Tour Guide from Long Terawan, Mulu
Community-Driven Tourism: Willie Kajan Advocates for Local Benefits in Sarawak
Willie Kajan is a tourist guide in two national park areas, Mulu National Park and Niah Cave National Park. Last weekend Unesco recognized the archaeological Heritage Site of Niah Cave as a new Unesco world heritage site. Making Sarawak have 2 unesco recognized world heritage sites. For Willie, this is a huge recognition and will bring new tourist attractions to Sarawak. However, according to Willie, the facilities to Niah Cave are so disappointing. The condition of the accommodation hotel, public facilities such as toilets and eating places is quite bad and needs to be upgraded immediately. Before the construction of Pan Borneo- the road to Niah Cave was so bad and narrow. Now it's quite good after Pan Borneo is ready. The situation at the Gunung Mulu World Heritage Site (2000) is quite satisfactory. Flights from Miri to Mulu every day. Traveling by river takes about 1 day while traveling by road takes 8 hours. Small craft businesses run by local people. However, I expect that local residents who are not working or involved in the tourism industry will be given some return in the form of royalties. Currently Mulu National Park is managed by SFC and Borsarmulu. Willie emphasized that taking care of the environment and maintaining the original and natural habitat in our forest is important for the long-term sustainability of the forest. Currently, hot temperatures are hitting almost all districts in Sarawak. I believe this is due to deforestation in Sarawak and also in other places in the world. Therefore, we in Baram have been campaigning "Zero Logging" for a long time to save the forest and save this most unique World Heritage Site. Both the Mount Mulu World Heritage Site and the Unesco World Archaeological Heritage Site Gua Niah are located within the Miri/Baram Area. I urge the Sarawak government to seriously stop logging. Stop the granting of oil palm plantation licenses and stop the dam construction plan.
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Apai Mei from Sg Tangap Niah
Connectivity and Comfort: Addressing the Needs of Niah Cave
Apai Mei lives in a longhouse that is only a 15-minute walk from Niah Cave, a World Heritage Site. The longhouse in Sg Tangap Niah also offers homestays for both local and international tourists. However, despite Niah Cave being a tourist attraction, the Sarawak or federal government has not done much to support or organize any events for tourists who visit and stay at the homestay before or after visiting Niah Cave. Only tourism agencies have significantly helped homestay operators generate income.
Each year, more than a thousand tourists stay at the homestay, but this number is not encouraging due to the lack of solid support from the government.
To reach Niah Cave, one can walk or take a land route through a plantation. Unfortunately, the road through the Cosa plantation is also in poor condition, especially during the rainy season. Why is the government not serious about building proper roads for tourists? There have been instances where tourists arrived by bus, but the bus could not enter due to the terrible road conditions.
Besides the road issue, Apai Mei also told RFS that their longhouse has a poor internet connection. Internet access is crucial for tourists to communicate with the outside world about Niah Cave.
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Diog Dios, the head of the PKR Puncak Borneo branch
Helping Hands: MADANI Aid Boxes Reach Puncak Borneo's Needy
Diog Dios has successfully distributed MADANI Aid Boxes to the B40 group in the Puncak Borneo area. This initiative by PMX aims to assist the poor by alleviating their burdens through food aid.
It cannot be denied that many people criticize the MADANI government due to the rising cost of living and the lack of reduction in fuel prices. However, members of the Puncak Borneo Justice Party have explained the country's burden of trillions of ringgit in debt due to the previous government's mismanagement and misuse of public funds. They emphasize that it will take time to restore the nation's economy and hope that the people will understand this situation.
The distribution of MADANI Aid Boxes will continue, along with helping the B40 group apply for welfare assistance from Sarawak government agencies, as there are still many elderly people without jobs who do not receive subsistence aid from the Sarawak government.