Leadership must be about performance, not personal ambition — Penguang

MIRI (Feb 24): Leadership should be determined by performance, and not by personal ambition, says Datuk Dr Penguang Manggil.

The state Deputy Minister of Public Health, Housing and Local Government highlighted this when asked about defending the Marudi seat in the next state election.

In this regard, he said such a decision would have to be left to the leadership of Progressive Democratic Party (PDP), and also the people.

“The decision’s not solely mine to make. It must also reflect the will of the voters, as well as the party’s assessment of my record of service.

“It is a two-way thing. You may want to stand, but if the people do not want it, it will not happen,” he told reporters when met after PDP Marudi’s triennial general meeting (TGM) here on Sunday.

The present Marudi assemblyman said he was prepared to continue on if his service was still required, but he would also step aside willingly should the people felt that it was time for a new representative.

“This is not an easy job. People may see me smiling all the time, but deep inside, there’s a lot to think about, especially when the rural areas are still lagging behind in terms of development.”

Marudi is among the state constituencies with very large electorate bases in Sarawak – with 26,000 registered and eligible voters spread across a vast and challenging geographical area.

The constituency has 260 longhouses, excluding villages and other settlements.

On development in Marudi constituency, Penguang said the works were ongoing, with road construction being carried out in several areas.

“The electricity supply is expected to reach full coverage by June or by the end of this year, although Internet connectivity remains a challenge over certain localities.

“Nevertheless, more than 100 telecommunication towers have been installed across the Marudi constituency, improving access to communication services even in remote areas.

“Although there are still some places where the Internet connectivity is lagging, it is far better than before,” he said.

On state allocations for Marudi over the past five years, Penguang said he was satisfied that none of his development requests had been rejected.

However, he did not specifically state any figure, other than describing the total funding received as ‘enormous.

Among the major projects currently underway is the 142km Miri-Marudi-Mulu-Long Panai-Long Lama (MMMLL) road project, costing RM3.8 billion.

Another significant project is the RM116.5-million Marudi Bridge, which reached completion on Nov 10, 2024.