Electricity hope for Dudong longhouses

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Wong (standing front row, fifth right) and SUPP Dudong members pose with Rumah Setia folk after officiating at the event on Sunday.

SIBU: Sarawak United People’s Party (SUPP) Dudong branch chairman Wong Ching Yong is hopeful that all longhouses in the constituency will have electricity supply next year.

He said electricity supply is basic requirement and that longhouse folk should no longer have to rely on generators for power.

“Last month, I submitted 54 sets of RES (Rural Electricity Scheme) applications to Sibu District Office for endorsement and hopefully, all these 54 longhouses will enjoy electricity supply soon,” he said when officiating at the commission of electricity supply to Rumah Setia at Sungai Menyan, near here on Sunday.

He said there are 15 longhouses in the Sungai Sengan/Sungai Menyan region, and that many of the longhouses in the area had received electricity supply many years ago.

“However, the old policy of Sarawak Energy was that a longhouse wishing to enjoy RES should not be situated more than one kilometre from the last electricity pole erected by the utility.

“Due to this reason, Rumah Setia which is seven kilometers from the main road, could not enjoy electricity supply all this while until recently when the new policy of Sarawak Energy was introduced.”

Wong said Sarawak Energy had agreed to supply power to Rumah Setia but the cost of installation was RM34,000.

He said the matter was brought to his attention by the longhouse chief, and that he (Wong) then wrote to SUPP president Dato Sri Dr Sim Kui Hian who in turn approached Utilities Minister Dato Sri Dr Stephen Rundi who proceeded to waive the installation cost under RES.

This, according to Wong, led to Rumah Setia officially receiving electricity supply for the first time in October.