BINTULU: Sinuk Man, one of the 30,000 residents of Jepak, a village across Bintulu, takes the ferry to work every day. It’s the only way for him to cross Sungai Kemena to the town.
Working at Taman Tumbina Zoo, the 23-year-old said he is looking forward to an improved life when the Jepak Bridge is ready next year.
“I’ve been using this service almost every day to go to work or town to buy necessities,” he said when met while waiting for the ferry, which costs RM1 for a single trip that takes 10 minutes.
He believes that with the Jepak Bridge, which is scheduled for completion on Oct 31, 2024, the villagers’ lives will change for the better.
“With the bridge, I could save on the ferry fare. And it is also more convenient as compared to using the ferry,” he said.
Sinuk, who will be casting his vote in the Nov 4 Jepak by-election, said villagers there live a simple life and have access to various amenities.
“We have Internet connection. We also have a surau and a good road.
“My only request from the government is for a piece of land to build my own house,” he said, adding that it is not easy to get approval for their applications.
“I know of relatives who applied but failed to get it. So I hope our new representative could help us look into this matter,” he said.
Another regular ferry user, Indonesian Riski, 19, lives in the town area but commutes daily to Jepak to work in a construction site.
“I have been here for a year and I use the ferry every day to get to Jepak to work,” he said.
Jepak PBB women’s wing chief Norita Ali, 60, said there are many facilities available in Jepak but the people are eagerly awaiting the completion of the bridge.
Norita said the ferry, which has been in operation for about 10 years, is widely used, indicating the importance of having the bridge for the residents.
“People use the ferry to go to both sides of the river. Though there is another way to go to Jepak using Jalan Kuala Tatau, then crossing the Kuala Tatau Bridge, the journey takes up to 40 minutes.
“With the Jepak Bridge, it will take us just a few minutes to reach Jepak,” she said.
The upcoming by-election will see a three-cornered fight with Gabungan Parti Sarawak’s (GPS) Iskandar Turkee contesting against Stevenson Joseph Sumbang of Parti Bumi Kenyalang and Chieng Lea Ping (Aspirasi).
The by-election was called following the death of its six-term assemblyman Datuk Talib Zulpilip, 72, of GPS, on Sept 15 due to health complications.
Jepak has 22,804 voters including 43 postal voters.
