Off To A Less Stressful Start

MIRI: The registration of recipients for the second round of Bantuan Rakyat 1Malaysia (BR1M) in northern Sarawak has gotten off to a very smooth start.

There was no chaotic rush or disorderliness like during the first round last January.

Checks in Miri division and Baram yesterday showed that the applications were made and processed in a calm and composed manner.

The applicants were patient and very cooperative when getting the process done at the various government offices and also at the offices of the political parties.

Assistant Communications Minister Datuk Lee Kim Shin told The Star that it was heartening to note that the entire process had gotten off well.

“Nobody rushed for the application forms or got stuck in long queues at the registration counters. Things were very orderly from day one,” he said.

“In my SUPP branch office in Senadin (Kuala Baram district), only two young men wanted to know how to apply for the BR1M.

“We have received feedback that many young people are applying online and that they already know what to do.Even the first-time applicants are being very patient and orderly.

“Those who already received aid in the first round of the BR1M are no longer rushing because they know their names are on the list of recipients.

“This is a heartening development. This smooth and orderly process will help ease the burden of those who handle the applications and distribution of the BR1M.”

SUPP Information chief Datuk Sebastian Ting said his party members had helped more than 900 people submit their applications yesterday.

“We (SUPP) deployed a team to set up a counter in the city centre and more than a thousand people collected the application forms.

“We will be going to various residential areas and commercial centres daily to help with the registration.

“We are confident that the entire process will be smooth right until the distribution of the vouchers. We have learned from the first round and have avoided the weaknesses,” he said.

A check with the district and sub-districts in Baram also showed that there were no mad rush to get the application forms from the Marudi District Office and Long Lama sub-district office.

A senior official said it was a rather pleasant surprise to see that there were no big crowds at the counters.

He said the officials were awaiting further instruction from the higher authorities as to whether mobile units would be deployed to remote longhouses to register new applicants.

 

*Source from The Star : http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2012/11/3/sarawak/12267339&sec=sarawak

BN Roadblock Against Opposition In Sarawak

KUCHING: State Barisan Nasional (BN) will fight together with other BN component parties in the country to form a political ‘road block’ to defend Putrajaya from falling to Pakatan Rakyat.

State BN secretary-general Datuk Dr Stephen Rundi Utom said the four state BN component parties; namely PBB, SUPP, PRS and SPDP will fight the opposition as one entity in the coming general election.

“We will fight the opposition as 1BN in the coming general election. We have reached an understanding as one entity to form a political blockade against the Pakatan Rakyat which is all out to capture Putrajaya,” Dr Rundi told The Borneo Post here yesterday.

“The state BN will continue to be a BN fixed deposit and I personally believed that we can retain at least 25 seats (out of the 31 seats) and we have a good fighting chance in the other six seats,” he added.

Dr Rundi, who is also PBB secretary-general, revealed that his party would have at least one new face in the coming general election.

Asajaya district officer Rubiah Wang has been strongly tipped as PBB candidate to replace Kota Samarahan MP Dato Sri Sulaiman Abdul Rahman Taib who had decided not to seek re-election.

“As far as our party leaders are concerned and as of now, we have at least one new face. As for our other 13 seats, we leave that to the top party leaders to decide.

“But suffice for me to say that all incumbents have to work extra hard so that they can retain their seats with bigger majority,” said Dr Rundi who is also the Assistant Minister Public Utilities.

PRS president Tan Sri Dr James Jemut Masing said his party which had six seats would join hands with other BN component parties to ensure the state BN’s victory in the polls.

“I do believe that the BN component parties will fight as one entity and I always believed that there will be no backstabbing,” he said.

Currently, PBB held 14 seats; followed by PRS with six, SUPP has five and SPDP, three. Two of the remaining three seats are held by DAP and one by a leader from the BN Club, Datuk Dr Tiki Lafe.

Last Saturday at Putrajaya Umno gathering, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak had said that Umno together with its allies will form a political road block to prevent Pakatan Rakyat from taking over Putrajaya.

* Source from The Borneo Post online news : http://www.theborneopost.com/2012/09/05/bn-roadblock-against-opposition-in-sarawak/#ixzz25b4alPzO