By Marlynda Meraw
KUCHING, Nov 26: Baleh Assemblyman Nicholas Kudi Jantai has urged the Sarawak Government to make a final decision regarding the long-delayed resettlement of five longhouses in the Tunoh area.
Debating on the Sarawak Budget 2026 today, Kudi pointed out that the situation has left nearly a thousand residents in limbo for over five decades.
The resettlement issue, which affects an estimated 200 families, dates back to 1974.
Kudi highlighted that this prolonged uncertainty is severely affecting the rights and future planning of the community.
“Residents cannot systematically plan their lives, face difficulties in building permanent homes, and lack guaranteed land security,” said Kudi, emphasising that people cannot continue to live “waiting for instructions” for years as they deserve certainty and a clear resettlement plan.
He added that the lack of a firm resettlement decision creates significant challenges for the government in providing basic facilities, whereby any investment in essential infrastructure such as electricity, clean water supply, access roads, telecommunications, clinics, and schools is deemed high-risk.
The high-risk, as Kudi said, is because the infrastructure may need to be demolished, failed to meet technical guidelines once the final site is confirmed, and allocation cannot be confirmed by the implementing agency.
To resolve the issue, he implored the State government to take concrete actions, including determining the resettlement location without further postponement and then gazetting the area to guarantee long-germ land rights and security.
Kudi insisted that a complete development plan, covering roads, electricity, water, and telecommunications, must be prepared.
He added that the community must be involved in every stage of planning, rather than merely notifying them at the end of the process, as well as setting a clear timeframe and moving beyond vague assurances such as “under consideration or “to be reviewed”.
In addition to the resettlement issue, Kudi briefly raised the pressing condition of the Sungai Tunoh Health Clinic, a critical facility for residents in the remote scheme.
He highlighted that the clinic and its quarters are in a dilapidated and unsafe condition, with insufficient allocation for necessary renovations.
A key structural issue is that the clinic was constructed on agricultural land, which complicates large-scale upgrading and delays new construction requiring land condition changes.
Kudi added that service provision is further hampered by unreliable infrastructure, including a dependence on an inconsistent generator for electricity, which jeopardises the safe cold chain storage of critical medicines like vaccines.
“Sometimes the situation requires the clinic staff to find their own initiative to maintain and repair the generator themselves.
This is not a fictional story but a real and true situation for operating a clinic in a remote area,” he told the House.
Adding to the burden, the clinic lacks an official vehicle or ambulance for emergency referrals, forcing villagers to pay for their own critical transport.
Kudi concluded his debate by paying tribute to the small team of five staff members who work under these unconducive conditions to serve the community, stressing that the clinic is a lifeline.
“They work in an unconducive environment, but still serve to help residents in remote areas,” he said. — DayakDaily
