Rafaeh Abdullah has been running her convenience store in Kampung Long Busang for over 28 years. She is the only source of household supplies for the 1,500 residents of the village.
When shopping means going to just one store
Most of us are spoilt for choice when it comes to shopping for clothes or groceries unlike the humble residents of Kampung Long Busang who only have one convenience store to frequent.
From Kapit or Bakun Dam, it takes approximately five to six hours by car to negotiate logging roads to reach the hidden village.
With a population of 1,500 people, the village is dominated by the Kenyah Badeng race of whom 40 per cent are Muslim.
The convenience store’s owner Rafaeh Abdullah disclosed that she would travel to Kapit town once or twice a month to get supplies of various items.
She has been running the convenience store for over 28 years as the sole provider for the villagers.
Describing the journey to town as challenging, the middle-aged woman said there are some precautionary measures that have to be taken to ensure the safety of the cargoes.
“When the logging camps are operational, it can be quite scary driving along the logging roads in the company of big lorries.
“We have to make sure that we secure the supplies properly so that they are not damaged along the way.
“It is especially tricky for items in glass bottles and eggs, so we have to be really careful,” she told New Sarawak Tribune.
Rafaeh’s convenience store displays an assortment of items from Maggi mee, canned sardines and corns to t-shirts and slippers.
And for the young, they have much choice when it comes to the variety of chips, candies and ice creams.
She revealed that she would usually generate an income of RM1,000 a month, but this varies given the price increase of goods in the market.
“We usually take 20 sen to RM1 profit from each item — it is difficult to make a high profit because we do not want to burden the villagers.
“However, with goods like eggs experiencing an increase in price and taking into consideration the hassle of getting it from town, we have no choice but to increase the price,” she explained.
To help her family generate some extra income, Rafaeh also makes handicraft such as rattan bags, rattan headband and bead necklace among others.
“When I was younger, I used to watch my mother make these handicrafts. I started to follow and started doing some myself.
“Sometimes, I would be up until 2am making these handicrafts because I worry that we will not have enough money to provide for our children who are studying in Kapit,” she said.
Depending on the size and design intricacy, Rafaeh’s handicrafts are priced between RM50 and RM120.
She said these handicrafts would be brought to Kapit town to sell if there are not many visitors coming to the village.
“We do not really get many visitors here, but when we do, they would buy my handicrafts,” she said.
Meanwhile, another villager Antin Balan makes a living from selling rice that she cultivates in her own paddy field located at Bukit Mado.
The 62-year-old goes to her paddy field every day and the fare for a ride to get there costs her RM3.
“I usually sell my yields to the villagers, but sometimes I will get my children to bring it into town.
“I sell my glutinous rice for RM12 per kilo while plain rice is RM15 per kilo,” she said.
Antin hopes more visitors will come to the village as it will help generate the villagers’ economy.
“I know it is not an easy journey to get here, but our village has many hidden gems that can be discovered,” she said.
