Dr Siew (second left) presents the PA system to Semilan as Soh (left) and others look on.
MUKAH: Luciana Kayan, 30, yearns for clean water supply to be connected to her longhouse.
She said her people had been depending on rainwater for daily consumption and washing for a long time.
“Despite staying near Balingian River, we cannot use the water even for washing after we answered the call of nature because it is salty,” she told reporters when met at Rumah Saban in Kuala Balingian, about 80km from here, yesterday.
The mother of three had earlier witnessed the presentation of a portable PA (public address) system by Press Metal Sarawak (PMS) for their 12-door longhouse.
PMS was represented by its Group Human Resource general manager Soh Siew Ong and PMS Balingian smelting plant manager Dr Siew Eng Fui.
Luciana said for years they had no choice but to buy bottled drinking water from town quite often, especially during dry season.
“We really hope the government can provide clean water to our longhouse.”
For Semilan Pelintang from Rumah Janin in Sungai Setuan Besar in Kuala Balingian, water tanks would be very convenient for their 23-door longhouse.
The 50-year-old coconut planter said: “We already have electricity and water supplies.
“We still need water tanks because most of the time the tap runs dry.”
On the Barisan Nasional candidate for the by-election, Semilan said they know him.
“But his name is very hard to pronounce,” he said of Yussibnosh Balo.
He added they have not seen him in person as yet.
At Rumah Janin, PMS also gave away 20 bags containing school apparatus worth RM50 each to pupils in the longhouse.