Johanes (front, right) with several villagers in Miri to hand over the nomination letter to the Resident’s Office.
MIRI: The village development and security committee (JKKK) and residents of Kampung Long Semiyang in Baram near here unanimously support Danny Lawai Kajan as their new village chief.
According to its treasurer, Johanes Njok, the current chief – John Jawan who was appointed in 2011 by the elected representative, has not done much for the village.
After seven years, their village is lagging behind other villages in terms of development.
In 2014, they filed a protest with the names of new candidates to the Long Lama District Office signed by two community leaders in Baram but were told to be patient, as the appointment was based on 4 + 2 formula.
“The appointment expires in 2017. Why is there no new village chief,” he said when contacted yesterday.
According to Johanes, they had sent a nomination letter for Danny to the Long Lama District Office again on Nov 27 and another to Miri Resident Office on Nov 28 and hoped for a positive outcome as they have been without a chief since 2017.
“If our application for Danny as the new village head still does not get the attention of the authorities, we will appoint our own chief regardless of being paid,” he said, adding that a village chief should be able to read and write and not illiterate besides being authoritative, insightful, active and an important person based on Kayan / Kenyah customary book, which is the ‘Maren’ lineage.