Julau is best known as a pepper town and it is said that the best Sarawak pepper is cultivated in the district.
Sarawak pepper is a much-sought-after commodity and the Pepper Marketing Board has helped cultivators market their produce outside the state, as well as assist in other areas such as seedling supply and price control.
A pepper icon erected at the junction of Julau town to welcome visitors is a sign of the district’s close links to the commodity.
Although a small town, Julau is rich in history, culture and tradition.
There is the story of a brave Iban warrior named Asun who led his community against the White Rajahs of Sarawak.
The Brooke Fort in Nanga Meluan, located 20km from Julau bazaar, was where Asun, a penghulu from the Entabai area in Julau, rebelled against Rajah Charles Vyner Brooke due to the taxation system introduced by the rajah.
Today, the locals in Julau speak a mixture of Chinese and Iban, and many are of Iban-Chinese parentage.
Julau is a federal constituency that has been represented in Parliament. It is a predominantly Iban seat.
Bayang Janting of Parti Pesaka was the first Julau MP in 1969 when he defeated SNAP’s Thomas Salang Siden by a whisker, with a majority of only 63 votes.
Thomas Salang turned the tables in 1974 and went on to represent Julau for five terms until 1995, representing both SNAP and BN/PBDS in the process.
Even a well-known Iban politician, William Mawan, could not unseat him in the 1990 general election.
Mawan later joined SNAP and saw his political fortunes rise. He became a senior state minister and is the incumbent MP for Saratok.
Interestingly too, a flamboyant Chinese businessman, Sng Chee Hua, also served a term as Julau MP from 1995 to 1999.
Because of that, Sng holds the record of being the only Chinese to have contested successfully in a Dayak-majority seat in Sarawak. Sng was a PBDS vice-president at that time.
Julau incumbent MP Joseph Salang Gandum then took over from Sng in the 1999 general election and is serving his fourth term now.
Salang was a former deputy minister representing PRS, of which he is a vice-president. He is also a successful businessman.
As is the case in most Dayak-majority seats in Sarawak, the incumbent MP will not have it easy. Come election time, he will have to work hard to secure victory.
Salang received a scare in GE13 when he had to face a tough challenge from not one, but two opponents. PKR’s Wong Hong Yu and the Sarawak Workers’ Party (SWP) candidate Wong Judat were his adversaries.
Salang had the BN’s machinery and resources behind him and he pulled through again.
Salang is likely to defend his seat in GE14 but he should not be expecting an easy ride, even though the electorate of Julau comprise 83% of his own Iban community.
They will not just hand over the seat to anyone on a silver platter.