Mary Rita Mathias
SIBU (Dec 16): Parti Bumi Kenyalang (PBK) candidate for Machan Mary Rita Mathias, 61 will make improving the Dayak customary system and setting up of native customary rights (NCR) land fund as among her priorities if elected.
“The improvement of Dayak customary system is to ensure the management body of community leaders and ‘ketua kaum’ is regulated by a commission and not by the chief minister’s office.
“This is important to ensure community leaders and ‘ketua kaum’ are not controlled by political parties and free to make improvements on custom through the commission.
“I will also try to elevate the native court to be on par with the Civil and Syariah courts,” Mary who is the only woman candidate in the five-cornered fight in Machan said.
On the NCR land fund, Mary explained that the funds will be used for investment and joint-venture development projects with the land owners to ensure that the land is developed and for land ownership security.
She also pledged to ensure that the appointment to the state civil service will be based on merit as this will ensure that only those qualified get the job.
“This will definitely improve the quality of government administration and accelerate the state’s development,” she said.
She also pledged to focus on the welfare of women and the elderly in rural areas as well as developing Machan’s potential as a leading agriculture hub in the state.
Mary said that her decision to contest in the upcoming state election was to convey people’s dissatisfaction towards the administration of the previous state government.
She claimed that Sarawak is still lacking behind in terms of infrastructure and human capital development when compared to other countries like Singapore and Brunei.
Citing Indonesia as an example, she said the country is heading towards achieving superpower status among the Southeast Asia countries.
“Sarawak’s administration is very unsatisfactory despite having rich natural resources.
“People’s dissatisfaction can be seen through the number of seats having multiple fights with most seats having an average of four candidates each,” she said.
On her chances of winning the election, Mary, who is self-employed after retiring from civil service, said she is banking on several factors such as being a local, her academic qualification and her family background in politics.
Mary said being a local from Nanga Jagoi in Kanowit, she knows every development history in Machan.
In terms of academic qualification, she believed that she is the most highly qualified among the five candidates contesting in Machan as she has a master’s degree in corporate business administration from Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (Unimas).
“Besides that, my family is quite well known in Kanowit with long established political background in the district,” she added.
Mary is facing Machan incumbent Allan Siden Gramong of Gabungan Parti Sarawak, Mohd Fauzi @ Joseph Nyambong of Parti Keadilan Rakyat, Madang Dimbab of Parti Sarawak Bersatu and Ngelayang Unau of Parti Aspirasi Rakyat Sarawak.