By Karen Bong
KUCHING, Nov 27: Online gambling has begun infiltrating remote villages and longhouses across Sarawak, with runners now brazenly selling gambling tokens in rural communities, prompting Kalaka assemblyman Mohamad Duri to urge the government to take stronger, more aggressive action to contain the growing menace.
Debating the Sarawak Budget 2026 at the Sarawak Legislative Assembly (DUS) Sitting today, Mohamad warned that the spread of online gambling into interior settlements poses a serious social threat that must be curbed before it worsens.
“What initiatives has the government taken to address this?” he asked.
He noted that Saratok District Police have arrested and charged 113 individuals for drug-related offences within less than a month in November under Op Tapis Khas conducted in Saratok, Roban, and Kabong.
“I hope these efforts will continue to be intensified aggressively to curb the distribution and abuse of drugs in the district,” he said.
He also appealed for a new site to be identified for the construction of a new police station in Saratok to support law enforcement operations.
Turning to infrastructure concerns, Mohamad highlighted the community’s ongoing frustrations with frequent power outages, recalling that Saratok suffered six consecutive blackouts in a single day on July 31 and a 22-hour outage on Nov 25, 2025.
“These blackouts greatly disrupt the lives of the people,” he said, proposing that the government implement a looping system for the 11kV and 33kV voltage distribution lines to shorten outage durations and reduce the SAIDI and SAIFI indices.
He explained that Saratok currently receives a 33kV electricity supply via an overhead line stretching about 60km from HBL5 and H9L5 in Sarikei. If both lines experience technical faults, the district has no backup source.
“Therefore, Saratok urgently needs a stable electricity supply through a new monopole overhead line system from the 132/33kV Serudit Substation,” he said, urging for the immediate implementation of the proposed 33kV monopole project.
Additionally, Mohamad called for the upgrading of the Medium Voltage Covered Conductor (MVCC) system in Kalaka to be expedited to prevent outages caused by fallen trees, broken branches, and lightning. — DayakDaily
