Pedestrian-friendly town status among items on Kapit’s budget wish list

KAPIT District Council (KDC) hopes to seek federal funding for local development, healthcare projects and also the well-being of the army veterans.

Its deputy chairman Martin Bilun, in a recent interview with the Borneo Post, shared the council’s hope, as well as the wishes of the local veterans for the upcoming Budget 2025.

“Among the council’s priorities are to develop Kapit into a pedestrian-friendly town with more recreational facilities, to embark on ‘Go Rural’ tourism project, and to enhance the access to healthcare services.

“Our vision is to link the old and the new Kapit, transforming it into a pedestrian-friendly town with infrastructures such as safe, accessible sidewalks and sheds, as well as more green parks.

“Such transformation is essential due to the increased traffic volume in Kapit, which still has narrow roads.

“In fact, walking on foot here is even more convenient because it is such a small town – almost everywhere is within a walking distance of less than one kilometre.

“This is also part of KDC’s sustainability approach towards improving accessibility, safety and comfort to the local population and visitors alike.”

Also on the council’s development agenda is to build parking spaces along Jalan Airport and Jalan Selirik, to allow for free-flow traffic in the town centre and reduce congestion.

Martin said: “The vehicles would have to be parked at the outer ring of the town centre along Jalan Airport and Jalan Selirik, and the petrol station too has to be relocated elsewhere so that the heavy vehicles would not have to enter town to fuel up.”

According to him, the environmental initiative culminated from a study visit by KDC chairman Lating Minggang and secretary Kelimbik Sibat to Kyoto, Japan in July this year.

The 10-day trip, arranged under the Japan International Corporation Agency partnership programme, had given the KDC representatives great insights into environmental awareness.

“Kyoto has been very successful in their environmental awareness programme and is recognised by the United Nations (UN) as the world’s leader in such an initiative,” said Martin.

In this regard, he said KDC sought to advance environmentally-compatible tourism to further promote the town and thus, suggested to the Sarawak Tourism Board (STB) to set up an office in Kapit to help promote the town.

“Kapit has the ideals of an ecotourism destination due to its unique landscape and local cultures, and all we need is a proper promotion and marketing strategies to attract foreign tourists to Kapit.”

On the ‘Go Rural Programme’, Martin said the programme had initially benefitted the residents who were involved in longhouse tourism.

However, he observed that the growth had been hampered due to lack of funding.

“With adequate funds, the council can do a lot more to boost this sector.”

Martin also highlighted the need for better healthcare accessibility and services in Kapit, which only has one hospital that caters for the over 120,000 population in the division covering Kapit, Song and Bukit Mabong districts.

“We wish that the Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim would look into the plight of the people in this division.

“Commissioned as a mission hospital in 1957, Kapit Hospital was later handed over to the federal Health Ministry in 1976.

“Over this period, there has been only been one four-storey concrete building added to the hospital thus far.

“With only eight specialists and 41 medical officers, the hospital is now experiencing a shortage of space.

“Indeed, it is equipped with the accident and emergency (A&E), maternity, medical, surgical and operating, intensive care, radiology, mortuary and paediatrics units, as well as a specialist clinic and a pharmacy, we do need more of other specialist services here.”

Martin, also the Kapit branch chairman of the Malaysian Armed Forces Veterans Association (PVATM), also spoke about the proposed construction of a PVATM building at KM8 section of Jalan Bukit Goram, as well as an army camp at Tunoh in Bukit Mabong District.

“This concept of the ‘PVATM Village’ is meant to provide residential unit, five shoplots and a multi-purpose hall over a 47-hectare land, meant to be shared among the 272 army veterans.

“In the initial proposal, we tried to maintain the design that incorporated the natural landscape of the land surroundings, where there would be a stream in the middle of the village,” he said.

“However, this plan has yet to materialise, and we cannot progress further due to limited funding and the high construction costs involved.

“Kapit is the hometown of the Iban Trackers, the Border Scouts, and the Sarawak Rangers; thus, it would be most appropriate to have a warrior’s monument built in Kapit, just like the one at the Song Waterfront Esplanade.

“We seek the federal and also the state governments’ funding for these proposals, in recognising the veterans’ contributions to the nation.

“Not all veterans receive the same amount of pension as it depends on their ranks. Some juniors only receive small amounts.”

On the proposed army camp in Tunoh, about 100km from Kapit town, Martin hailed its significance in reinforcing the nation’s military capabilities and training, in view of the strategic location in between the Bakun, Murum and Baleh dams.

“Overall, we in Kapit are merely calling upon the federal government’s fair allocation of contributions under Budget 2025,” he added.