KUCHING, Dec 4 — It was all smiles for the people of Gedong when Chief Minister Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg confirmed he would be contesting the seat in the 12th Sarawak State Election.
Ahmad Farid Sudin, 33, an owner of a car and motorcycle repair workshop from Kampung Tengah, Gedong, said the close proximity of Gedong to Kuching City, which is about 90 kilometres away, would make it an ideal place to develop, and he was confident Abang Johari was the right person for the job.
He said Gedong incumbent Datuk Naroden Majais had brought a lot of infrastructure development such as good road access and internet coverage, and this effort could now be further boosted.
“When Abang Johari announced he was contesting here, we were confident that faster development will be enjoyed by the people. We want to see an industrial area established here. It does not have to be too big, but able to provide employment opportunities to the people,” said Ahmad Farid when contacted by Bernama, today.
Apart from that, he also hoped the potential of Gedong – famous for its oil palm, ‘songket’ making and swiftlet nest production – could be optimised.
Naroden has made way for Abang Johari to contest in Gedong.
Meanwhile, Maharthir Oyak, 40, from Kampung Lalang Hilir, is confident that Abang Johari’s presence in Gedong would be positive for the area.
This, he said, was because the chief minister is well known for his ideas and effort in developing the state.
“The incumbent (Naroden) has done a good job, we believe Abang Johari’s leadership will boost and bring more rapid development to Gedong,” said Maharthir, who is self-employed.
Yesterday, Abang Johari, who is also the Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu president, confirmed that he will be contesting in Gedong for the upcoming state election, ‘moving on’ from the Satok seat which he has held for the past nine terms since 1981.
GPS announced that Dato Ibrahim Baki will replace Abang Johari to contest in Satok this time around.
