Datuk Seri Tiong King Sing(BN-PDP)
Last 05, May 2013 Election Result:
1. Datuk Seri Tiong King Sing
(BN-PDP) – 26,458 votes
2. John Brian Anthony Jeremy
(PR-DAP) – 19,025 votes
SOME 50 years ago, Bintulu was considered a smal l coastal outpost with a small population of some 5,000, famous for its belacan and other sea products. After the discovery of oil and gas reserves off its coast in the early 1970s, a comprehensive master plan was drawn up to develop the town.
The Bintulu Development Authority, commonly known as BDA, was established in Tanjung Kidurong in 1981. Lying a long the Sa rawa k Corridor of Renewable Energy (SCORE), Bintulu today is a large industrial town with vast job opportunities.
The rapid industrialisation and increasing commercial activities have greatly benefited residents of the 39 villages and 478 longhouses in the Bintulu constituency, evidenced by the influx of such rural dwellers to the bustling town and heightened business volumes for the shopkeepers.
The RM500m Bintulu Port, a busy loading and unloading facility, handles large volumes of cargo especially for the needs of the billion- ringgit industries in Samalaju Industrial Park (SIP). The Paragon Commercial Centre right in the heart of the town, with its well-designed concept and modern amenities, will be the driving force for a booming Bintulu in the not-too-distant future. The par l iamentary seat of Bintulu (P.217) comprises the state seats of Tanjong Batu (N.68), Kemena (N.69) and the new seat of Samalaju (N.70) which are represented by Chiew Chiu Sing (PRDAP), Datuk Dr Stephen Rundi Utom (BN-PBB) and Majang Renggi (BN-PRS) respectively. The government has various development plans in the area, one of which is SIP, the biggest single industrial park in Malaysia.
In 2016, some 16 direct investment projects amounting to RM25.29 billion in total were approved for SIP. The 16 projects approved so far will create 13,302 job opportunities in the immediate years ahead and create a significant industrial base that can generate more employment and business opportunities. SIP has been successful in attracting energy-intensive industries to establish their operations in the park, one of the five growth nodes of SCORE to accelerate the industrialisation process in the State.
According to the Member of Parliament for Bintulu, Datuk Seri Tiong King Sing, this booming town needs balanced development in order to achieve industrial city status by 2020. He said the populat ion of Bintulu has already reached the critical mass of more than 500,000 with the locals making up more than 250,000 in 2016.
The rest of the population is made up of about 200,000 workers in the plantations – comprising approximately 100,000 illegal immigrants and about 30,000 ‘floating’ population (which are those people who come and go for business). “We have already targeted 2020 for Bintulu to become an industrial city. We need proper planning so that development is not carried out haphazardly,” said Tiong. He was hoping that things could be done properly in the next five years and that state and federal government agencies should work closely together.
He also said there is an urgent need for a well-planned road network to ensure better mobility for investors, workers and the general public.
“The Pan Borneo Highway project must include upgrading of the coastal road from Bintulu to Miri to a double carriageway so as to provide easier travelling between Bintulu and Samalaju, and from Samalaju to Miri. “Small and medium enterprises (SMEs) must be given the chance to participate in the overall development of Bintulu such as in the oil and gas contract works,” said Tiong.
