Bekenu: Of ‘Blue Tears’, oil palms, rural devt

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A replica of an oil palm fruit bunch — the landmark of Bekenu town.

A replica of an oil palm fruit bunch — the landmark of Bekenu town.

The ‘tamu’ at RTC Bekenu where traders offer agricultural and jungle produce, as well as handicrafts and local items to visitors.

The ‘tamu’ at RTC Bekenu where traders offer agricultural and jungle produce, as well as handicrafts and local items to visitors.

MANY remember Bekenu as a small fishing village about a 45-minute drive from Miri city but thanks to the implementation of various infrastructure projects over the past couple of decades, the place has now grown to become a thriving sub-urban community.

Its population comprises Kedayans, Malays, Ibans and Chinese.

Last year, the Tusan Beach in Bekenu became a worldwide sensation after photos of its ‘Blue Tears’ phenomenon went viral online.

This has triggered the local authorities to include this amazing sight of bluish-luminescence from the waters off Tusan shores as among the town’s tourism attractions.

People from near and far, including the neighbouring Brunei, flock to the beach by the thousands to witness the breathtaking natural wonder.

This virtually turns the once-quiet Tusan Beach into a must-see tourism destination almost overnight, where tourists can not only enjoy watching the phenomenon, but also admire and experience outstanding landscape in and around the area.

“Bekenu constituency has grown tremendously and it is still developing. I see it as I want it to be,” says Barisan Nasional (BN) candidate for Bekenu, Rosey Yunus who is currently eyeing her third-term as the elected people’s representative for the area, which also includes the town of Niah.

According to her, the government has many plans for Tusan Beach, as far as public facilities are concerned.

“We want to upgrade the beach area without interfering with the natural ecosystem there. Perhaps, we would only install handrails and walkways to help visitors make their way to the beach easily. We do not want to do something that would affect and damage the natural surroundings there,” she adds.

Physical development

Rosey points out that about 90 per cent of villages and longhouses across the constituency already have clean piped water supply, while another 98 per cent enjoy electricity supply.

“At the moment, only three villages and three longhouses are without clean water supply and we are still working on this, while only one longhouse left with no electricity supply.

“We are working hard to expedite all processes so that residents in these affected areas can get the facilities that they deserve.”

On socio-economy, Rosey observes that many Bekenu folk have ventured into oil palm plantation, while some are still fishermen.

She is also glad that the majority in of the womenfolk are engaged the processing and production of local crafts and sea-based products.

“Almost every family plants oil palm trees. It’s just a matter of scale. Those with bigger land would plant them on a bigger scale, while those with smaller land would run the operation on a smaller scale — some even have just a few trees in their yard.

“As many are into oil palm planting, among the things that they require the most are subsidised fertilizers and weed killers. These items can be very expensive, especially for the smallholding farmers.”

In recognising the importance of oil palms, the landmark of Bekenu is a man-made replica of an oil palm fruit bunch right in the town’s centre.

Women’s empowerment

Elaborating further, Rosey says various courses are also being organised for the local womenfolk to help them enhance their household incomes.

“These courses, which are regularly conducted by my service centre, are run in collaboration with various government agencies including Kemas (Community Development Department). The classes held include those on handicrafts and local product-making such as ‘keropok lekor’ (chewy crackers made from fish paste) and sauces.

“Though many take up the courses just for their own knowledge (not for commercial), some have actually come up with their own products and market them within Bekenu. Whatever the objective, we highly encourage them to undergo these programmes.

“I believe that once they acquire the skills, they would be able to make use of the raw materials that are readily available around them to produce food or products — which they can use or consume for themselves and as such, reducing or eliminating the need to purchase them elsewhere. It’s cost effective.

“Even more profitable is for them to generate more income from this,” she explains, adding that many women in Bekenu sell their products in the local markets and ‘tamu’ (farmers or fishermen market — depending on the key activities of a particular area).

“These tamu traders sell fresh produce such as vegetables and harvests from the sea, not only to locals but also to those folk who drive up all the way from Miri to here.

“These products are as fresh as they get, which explains why many visitors feel that it is worth the long drive just to get their hands on these products, especially the fish.

“I can tell you—you must arrive at the ‘tamu’ early and grab the fish fast; otherwise, you’d miss out. The traders normally finish their sales before afternoon,” she adds.

Focus on rural transformation

Currently, Bekenu Rural Transformation Centre (RTC), which was launched last year, is the latest and most vital of facilities in this constituency is — touted as the first of its kind in Sarawak.

The centre houses many government departments and agencies, among them the National Registration Department, Immigration Department, Malaysian Palm Oil Board (MPOB), Kemas, a government dental clinic and a 1Malaysia Clinic.

“What we lack is a bank branch, or ATM machines. We really hope to have these facilities here as at the moment, there is no bank or ATM machine in Bekenu — the last bank closed down its operations here last year,” says Rosey, adding that among other issues that affects the operation of the RTC is the poor telephone and Internet connection.

“We informed Telekom Malaysia about this and were told that the reason for the poor connection was ‘limited quota’. However, the telecommunication-upgrading project has been included under the 11th Malaysia Plan (11MP) and will commence at any time. We just hope that it could be expedited,” she stresses, feeling that it would be a waste having all the facilities assembled in RTC Bekenu, but all operations are restricted by poor telecommunication connectivity.

Other significant projects in Bekenu apart from RTC Bekenu are the new bridge linkling Bekenu Bazaar with Kampung Rambai, which is currently under construction; the Batu Niah fire and rescue station of which implementation is in progress; the soon-to-be upgrading and tar-sealing works on Sepupok Niah Scheme access roads; and the Bekenu Mini Stadium project.

“My hope is for the people who have been enjoying the fruits of development in Bekenu to continuously give their support to BN, especially to Sarawak BN chairman Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Adenan Satem, who has done a lot for Sarawak throughout his tenure as chief minister,” says Rosey.

Meanwhile, Councillor Jamali Basri expresses his thanks to the state government for approving the elevation of Subis from a sub-district to district.

“We made this request long time ago and it’s finally approved, thanks to our chief minister, with the help of Sibuti MP Ahmad Lai Bujang. With this new status, we hope to see more developments in Bekenu because the district council would start receiving its own funding for projects. Now we already have our own DO (district officer),” he says, adding that prior to its status as a district, Subis mostly relied on Miri City Council (MCC) for funding.

“Also, with the new bridge being built across Sungai Sibuti to Kampung Rambai, we hope this would lead to expansion of development on the other side of the river. There should be no reason not to channel more developments to the other side of the river (Kampung Rambai) once the bridge is completed. With this, we hope to see Bekenu expand and grow much further.”

Jamali adds that there may even be a possibility for government offices in Bekenu to be moved across the river.

“We also hope to have a hospital in Subis District; we believe this could materialise under the BN government. This is the reason for us voters to give BN a big majority in this coming election.”

Local community leader Penghulu Haw Min Wai of Batu Niah hopes to see more offices housing government departments and agencies in Batu Niah.

“Although Bekenu and Batu Niah are under Subis District, both are quite a distance from us, especially for those who do not have their own transport.

“Therefore, we hope to see such offices being set up in Niah town, especially JPJ (Road Transport Department) or Land and Survey (Department) because Niah town is also developing,” he says, further requesting for the government to look into upgrading and improving the facilities in Niah National Park.

“Such facilities could boost the number of tourists and visitors; thus boosting the economy of people in the area,” he opines.