Kenyah community banking on Chuk Pai to win Murum

BELAGA: The Kenyah community is banking on BN candidate Kennedy Chuk Pai Ugon to win the Murum seat in the 11th state election.
The community has never had any state representative from their own ethnic group and believe the Sarawak Kenyah National Association president, if elected, could bring a lot of development to Murum, a new constituency.
Chuk Pai, 46, who is Belaga PRS Youth chief is not an unfamiliar face in the area as he had regularly accompanied Belaga incumbent Liwan Lagang on the latter's visits to the grassroots.
Murum is a new seat created from Belaga and Kemena following the electoral redelineation. It is located in the Hulu Rajang parliamentary constituency and has 8,242 voters in three polling districts, Long Murum, Asap and Tubau.
Chuk Pai joined politics in 1990 as a member of PBDS member and used to follow former Hulu Rajang member of parliament Datuk Billy Abit Joo on his rounds to meet the constituents.
When PBDS was de-registered, he joined PRS but continued serving the community in Belaga.
Speaking to Bernama, Chuk Pai, a contractor who holds a Diploma in Occupational Safety and Health from Universiti Teknologi Malaysia said he has outlined 10 initiatives that would be his priority if elected as Murum representative.
The priorities include education, roads, water and electricity supply, health services, housing, employment and more business opportunities.
"I will see to it that the quality of life of the poor and less fortunate is improved; that a rural development centre and rural transformation centre would be set up, and that the area be accorded a full district status to facilitate progress," he said.
Chuk Pai, who has three sons aged between nine and 17 said although he is a Kenyah, he would if elected, serve as a representative for all races in the constituency. — Bernama