KUCHING, April 14: Pakan assemblyman Tan Sri William Mawan Ikom urges Pakan residents to be patient and comply with the movement control order (MCO) to contain the spread of Covid-19.
“We are well aware of the hardships the people have suffered throughout the Covid-19 MCO and indeed the government is trying to alleviate their hardships but we must be patient in this difficult time,” Mawan emphasised.
Mawan was responding to a recent news report detailing residents’ complaints of waiting for hours under the hot sun to obtain permits to travel to nearby towns to access government financial aid to buy daily necessities.
Their complaints have gone viral with photos showing a long queue at the temporary Pakan police post, which is manned by only two police officers.
There is presently no bank in Pakan and residents have to travel to Julau, Sarikei and Sibu to access government financial aid. In line with MCO restrictions, they would need inter-district travel permits to travel out of Pakan.
According to Mawan, there used to be an Agrobank outlet in Pakan but its services were terminated due to lack of customers.
“We have to look at the existence of a bank not just from the point of view of society’s needs but financial justification itself especially when Pakan is only 25 minutes away from Sarikei due to the good road network,” Mawan pointed out.
He reminded Pakan residents that despite the MCO and for the sake of public safety and wellbeing, all those who intend to access government financial assistance must apply for the necessary inter-district travel permit.
“The health and lives of people are more important than this temporary hardship (long waiting times under the sun for the traveling permits) during the MCO which is the main cause for the long queue at Pakan,” emphasised Mawan who also expressed gratitude to the police for their firmness in handling the situation.
On the issue of lack of gas stations, Mawan disclosed another petrol station would start operating in Pakan town soon to complement the existing petrol station at the Pakan junction.
On the existing Pakan police post, Mawan said it was not a proper police station but just a place used by the police.
“The application for the construction of a police station in Pakan has been made by former lawmakers and I have inquired about this from time to time,” revealed Mawan, adding that a plot of land had already been allocated for the construction of the Pakan police station.
He noted that although Pakan is a peaceful town, the residents still deserved a proper police station.
Pakan is now under the jurisdiction of the Julau police station. — DayakDaily
