Yes, it’s election time once again, but only for the Sarawak state assembly.

There are 82 seats at stake and whichever party (or group of parties) that wins 41 seats or more, will govern the state for the next five years.

In their enthusiasm to be elected, politicians from both sides of the divide have brought up all sorts of issues to influence their voters.

Rural air services (RAS) and connectivity, such as roads, bridges and river transport or the lack of such facilities, have become the focus in the campaign agenda.

There is a great divide between the have and have-nots in Sarawak, as well as the wealth disparity between the rich urban dwellers and the poor rural villagers.

The power to rule has for a long while been vested in the richer urban groups. Sarawak is a classic example of how the economic pyramid is controlled by a small group, right at the top.

In fact, Sarawak is a shining example of how wealth has remained with the few and the chances of the economic trickle-down effects to the poor are fairly remote, as remote as the locations of the many longhouses of the interior forests.

Ironically, the forests are precisely where the wealth of the wealthy came from.

Battle for control of forests

Sarawak continues to log its forests and is the only state left in Malaysia where logs are still allowed to be exported.

As the coastal areas have been completely logged and depleted of wood, attention has now shifted into the interior, where most of the customary lands are located and which the natives call home.

As more than 80% of Sarawak’s seats are located in rural areas, problems related to customary native lands, their resources, and logistics and transport issues are highlighted more often than anything else.

In the current elections, the conflict between the urban rich and the rural poor is building to a peak.

There seems to be a concerted effort by certain groups to explore deeper into the interior, which they have gained traction from state politicians in power.

In the name of development and so-called plans to modernise rural folks, there is a hidden agenda to cut down more trees and exploit mineral deposits.

But how true are these accusations?

Is the campaign for more STOL (short take-off and landing) airports to be built in the unreachable rural areas of Sarawak really justified?

The objectives of serving and providing basic needs to all communities must be met, say many ruling politicians in their campaigns.

Five basic needs of rural folk

But how those basic needs are served beg many different approaches. Building a STOL airport in remote locations is not the only workable strategy.

Five basic needs of the rural community can be listed as follows:

• medical services;
• medical supplies and essential goods;
• education;
• clean water; and
• electricity.

Supplies of clean water and electricity can be developed in situ, by bringing in experts in water extraction and filtration methods, and solar experts. Such technologies are readily available and not expensive.

However, it’s trickier to provide medical services and supplies. It requires a continuous supply of essentials and repeated visits, as well as efficient and effective logistics.

This is where the call for more STOL airports is loudest. But is it really the case, though?

Or is it to meet the hidden agenda played up by people who wish to extract more timber and minerals in Sarawak’s deep interior?

The way it is proposed, they made it look as if rural communities are really in need of STOL airports and have to be linked with RAS for the sake of connectivity.

Helipads will do

As we know, rural communities in Sarawak do not have a strong united voice, let alone a powerful lobby group that can speak on their behalf during this campaigning period.

They are scattered and not sufficiently cohesive to put forward an agenda such as their need for a STOL airport in their area.

In reality, they do need to be connected and services such as flying medical doctors, dental and medical supplies, and essential goods are badly needed in the interior.

These services can and are normally provided via helicopter rather than a fixed wing aircraft. A helipad costs a lot less than a STOL airport, especially for a small community in the interior.

A fleet of helicopters is cheaper than a fleet of Twin Otters.

A helicopter can fly in and out at short notice, at regular intervals, like once a week, and can provide the services mentioned. And it would not be as costly as a daily RAS operation.

Perhaps, the party that wins this election can take a serious look into this issue, rather than be influenced by the STOL airport agenda, and not be taken for a ride by interested parties associated with logging and mining. This is indeed a real party issue in rural Sarawak.

Today, the federal government bears the full cost of operating the RAS routes via subsidies and aircraft rental payments. Last year, it was reported that RM190 million was spent on RAS.

In the 2022 budget, the finance ministry allocated about RM209 million for RAS.

Surely these public funds should not be spent for the benefit of those who continue to exploit Sarawak’s rainforests, at the expense of innocent rural communities.

There ought to be a limit on greed, too.

The views expressed are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect those of FMT.