Datuk Alexander Nanta Linggi (BN-PBB)
Last 05, May 2013 Election Result:
1. Datuk Alexander Nanta Linggi
(BN-PBB) – 13,446 votes
2. Ramli Malaka (DAP) – 3,715 votes
Majority: – 9, 731 votes
THE parliamentary constituency of Kapit comprises the state constituencies of Pelagus (N61), Katibas (N62) and Bukit Goram (N63) which are represented by Wilson Nyabong Ijang (BN-PRS), Datuk Ambrose Blikau Enturan (BN-PBB) and Jefferson Jamit Unyat (BN-PBB) respectively. Currently, the polling districts within the constituency are Pelagus, Sungai Amang, Nanga Peraran, Sut, Manap, Temelat, Song, Katibas,Tapang, Bangkit, Tekalit, Sungai Kapit, Kapit, Menuan, Ibau, Kampung Baru, Selirik, Sibau and Entangai. The incumbent, Datuk Alexander Nanta Linggi has been representing the constituency since 1999 when he won the seat for the BN on a PBB ticket.
The popular grandson of the late Temenggong Tun Jugah, Nanta won the seat uncontested in the 2004 and 2008 general elections.
In the last general election in 2013, he retained the seat when he garnered 13,446 votes to defeat Ramli Malaka from DAP by a majority of 9,731 votes. Kapit parliamentary constituency has been well-looked after by Nanta, who is also Federal Deputy Minister of Rural and Regional Development. BN service centres have been set up in all the districts within the constituency, with the aim of providing better services to the constituents.
Kapit Division is known as one of the remotest areas in the State. For a long time, there was no road to link Kapit to other towns in Sarawak. Ready to unleash its potentials However, with the completion of the Kapit Road, Kapit is now connected to Song and Kanowit.
Although traditionally logging has been the main economic activity and money earner for Kapit people, industrialisation, tourism and plantation are gradually gaining importance in the Rajang riverine town. Confidence in the division can be reflected by the presence of the number of banks set up in Kapit town including Maybank, Public Bank, Hong Leong Bank, RHB Bank, Bank Rakyat, AGRO Bank and Bank Simpanan Nasional. There is evidence also that more and more people are coming to settle in Kapit as housing estates have been developed and new ones are being planned.
According to Nanta, a sum of RM59.4m had been allocated by the government this year (2017) for the upgrading of abandoned logging roads in Kapit division, including the Song and Belaga areas. This was the first time Kapit managed to get the funding to upgrade the abandoned logging roads that are connected to the various longhouses in the rural areas. It is unlikely that access road to the remote longhouses can be constructed at the moment.
Hence, initiative is taken to upgrade the former abandoned logging roads that have access to the longhouses. So far, consultants, surveyors and district officers had already done site inspection at the various locations to carry out survey work and collect other data. Most of the longhouses in the constituency have yet to be provided with 24-hour electricity supply.
Thus greater effort needs to be taken by the government so that the longhouse community can be connected to the state grid to give them the privilege of electricity supply without disruption. AN aerial view of Kapit. Nanta has promised that longhouses that are not connected by road will also be provided with electricity through the Rural Electrification Scheme (RES) Projects.
For longhouses on the opposite banks of the Rajang River that are not connected by road, the government will provide them with electricity through the laying of submarine cables to connect them, including Sungai Ibau, Melipis, Belawai, Menuan, Goh and Seranau.
For longhouses that could not be connected by grid, SEB will provide electricity through solar power. Upper Rajang Development Authority (URDA), initially covering only Kapit and Belaga districts, has now been expanded to include Song and Kanowit districts, covering a total area of some four million hectares. URDA serves as a catalyst to spur development in the area and to complement the effort made by SCORE.
It will also help to balance the physical infrastructure and amenities, economic and social development in mid and upper Rejang areas as well as to assist the community in facing the development challenges brought about by SCORE.
It can also speed up the development of plantation, rural economy and eco-tourism, besides creating employment opportunities and enhance economic development in the area. There are four secondary and 17 primary schools in Kapit.
The secondary schools are SMK Selirik, SMK Kapit No.2, SMK Kapit and SMK Balleh. Many of the school buildings are in poor condition and the recent allocation of RM1 billion under Budget 2018 to upgrade rural schools in Sarawak and Sabah has come as a great relief. For many rural folks, quality education will continue to play a very important role in helping to bring them out of the poverty circle.
Kapit has also great tourism potential with its rich flora and fauna, culture, adventure and nature. There have been requests for the government to set up the Sarawak Tourism Board office in Kapit to promote products such as homestay, powerboat racing, Baleh-Kapit Raft Safari and Kapit Festival.
