The Masing legacy lives on in Baleh

By Hasnah Jusid

KAPIT, Dec 12 -- The nearly four-hour journey on a four-wheel drive via a logging road to Tunoh, a remote area in the Bukit Mabong district, Kapit, is akin to riding a roller coaster.

Travelling along the nearly 50 kilometre (km)-long gravel road, which is a little dusty but well-maintained and winding, had this writer clinging tightly to the seatbelt as I was “tossed around” at the back seat of the vehicle.

“This is the junction to the longhouse of the late James Masing (Tan Sri Dr James Masing),” said David Eden, the 40-year-old driver as he pointed to the junction to Rumah Melinggang, Mujung Kapit - the place where the former Sarawak Deputy Chief Minister was born and grew up in.

The beauty of Tunoh is truly a sight to behold. Apart from the majestic Bukit Mabong and waterfall in the background, one can also see several Iban longhouses perched along Sungai Tunoh, where the water is crystal clear and cold. It is said that the residents began migrating to the area from Sungai Melinau, Baleh back in 1972.

Situated about 100 km from Kapit town, Tunoh, which comes under the Baleh state constituency, has a population of about 2,000 people.

Tunoh is also the administrative centre for the Bukit Mabong district, which is undergoing rapid development, courtesy of the efforts of the late Masing, who was the area’s elected representative from 1983 until Oct 31, when he died at the age of 72.

Bukit Mabong district officer Robert Liman said Tunoh, which is located in north Baleh and was previously just a dense forest area, now enjoys facilities like electricity and water supplies, clinics, schools, government rest house and agricultural station. Soon, Tunoh will also house the Bukit Mabong District Office, which is currently located in Kapit.

Robert, who used to serve as a special administrative officer to Masing for 11 years, was privy to the determination of Masing and the state government in developing the area, which was previously isolated from Kapit town, through various efforts related to the completed and ongoing construction of bridges and roads.

Some of the projects included the 73-km access road from the Nanga Mujong Bridge to the Baleh Dam, Jalan Raya Nanga Sepanggil/Tunoh, constructions of the Batang Baleh, Sg Banyau, Sg Mujong and Sg Merirai bridges.

“With the building of the Baleh bridge, Baleh will undergo a lot of development, especially in Bukit  Mabong, and definitely shorten travelling time,” he said, adding that the majority of the residents in the area were Ibans.

Robert told Bernama that the efforts carried out by the late Masing was due to several key factors, such as the agricultural potential of the nearly 40,000-hectare ground that is very fertile for the planting of paddy and oil palm; and ecotourism, thanks to its beautiful natural surroundings.

That was why the late Masing had also envisioned the construction of the Bukit Mabong short take-off and landing airport (STOLport). Although many initially felt that it should be built in Kapit, they later came to realise the significance behind its construction in Bukit Mabong and the estimated cost of RM200 million.

He explained that the airport, due to be completed in 2023 and can accommodate twin otter passenger planes and Cessna 208 aircraft with a capacity of three tonnes, aims to, among others, transport local agricultural produce from the area, which is being proposed to be turned into a commercial agricultural centre.

“Before Tan Sri (James Masing) died, he told me that he wanted to upgrade Tunoh into a commercial agricultural centre so that when the airport is ready, people will not ask why it was built here. Tan Sri did ask me to monitor the situation,” he said, adding that work on the airport, which is about 20 minutes away from Tunoh, was going on at a brisk pace.

Robert said that the construction of the airport, like Masing said previously, was also aimed at enhancing border security in the state, especially Bukit Mabong that is among the areas nearest to Kalimantan, which is the proposed location for the construction of the new Indonesian capital.

It is also to enable security teams to be brought to Kapit to protect Tunoh, which is located in the middle of Sarawak’s three biggests assets, namely the Bakun, Murum and Baleh dams, as well as in line with proposals to build border control posts and the Customs, Immigration and Quarantine (CIQ) Complex at the border in the area.

At the 12th Sarawak election, the Baleh seat, which is one of the five biggest state constituencies in the state, will see a four-cornered fight involving Nicholas Kudi Jantai Masing of Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS), Kenneth Usang George of DAP, Sukarno Layau of Parti Bumi Kenyalang (PBK) and Koh Kumbong of Parti Sarawak Bersatu (PSB).

-- BERNAMA