By D’Drift Team
LUBOK ANTU, July 5: Despite being one of the oldest settlements in Sarawak, Engkilili, which was established in 1920, is still far behind in terms of development where there is a desperate need for a hospital, a fire station as well as a shorter linking road to the Pan Borneo Highway, among others.
Kapitan Sim Kheng Ling said there is much to do to bring Engkilili into the mainstream development of Sarawak. The first such effort is to ensure that the linking road between Engkilili town and Pan Borneo Highway will be shortened, instead of the current road, which is more than 1km and is a deterrence for travellers to make a temporary pit stop.
The energetic Kapitan, also fondly known as Kapitan Mary, thus made it a point to make sure that the written request of the project would be delivered to all relevant agencies, a relentless effort which she hoped to bring some hope of change to the awakening town.
“So much needs to be done here, and I am trying my best. Apart from the road, we really need basic facilities such as a hospital and a Bomba station (fire station).
“You see, in the old town area, all the shophouses are made from wood. So, no doubt, all the shops will be engulfed if there is a fire. That is why we need the fire station.
“As for the hospital, presently, we only have a clinic, and it is not enough to cater to our needs,” Sim told DayakDaily yesterday when the D’Drift team reached Engkilili township.
She lamented that until today, Engkilili is still unable to be upgraded to a district, a fate that she is trying hard to change, though she has only been a Kapitan for the last two years.
And the promised Engkilili Waterfront has somehow been forgotten, leaving the stretch of Batang Lupar quiet and lonely, despite its gushing current due to a recent heavy downpour.
Following the Pan-Borneo Highway upgrading project, towns and settlements along the way all benefitted from it. Traffic is dense at every stretch of the highway, and Engkilili is one of the beneficiaries as it has comparatively become much more vibrant than before.
Yesterday, the town was exceptionally vibrant, with loud music being played late into the afternoon because Sarawak United Peoples’ Party (SUPP) had just held a function in town, and the party continued even after SUPP president Dato Sri Dr Sim Kui Hian and secretary-general Datuk Sebastian Ting had long gone.
There are currently more than 70 shophouses in Engkilili township. It looks very similar to all other small towns in Sarawak, but that is only a stranger’s perception.
For locals who know Engkilili well, there are two gems in the area that need to be polished to attract more tourists — Batu Nabau or the Snake Rock and the century-old Marup Charitable Trust Temple.
The former is a huge rock that looks like a giant anaconda, while the latter is a Buddhist temple well hidden from the sight of many.
Kapitan Mary believed that these two places, if properly developed, would make Engkilili stand out among all the towns in Sarawak, but she understood that the Sarawak government needed to step in to help.
“I am glad that Dr Sim said the Sarawak government will be channelling funds to develop Engkilili despite the Opposition holding this area. Without the government’s help, it would be very hard for Engkilili to experience fast development,” she said. — DayakDaily
