It was a quiet, wet morning when the RAKAN Sarawak team arrived at Gedong Bazaar during a recent visit.
Nearly all shops, stalls and the food court were closed at that time, most likely due to their operators being Muslims, who were fasting during the entire month of Ramadan.
Some of these businesses can be found at Anjung Usahawan Gedong, which was established in 2018 by the Sarawak Government through the Sarawak Economic Development Corporation (SEDC) to provide a space and support for small and medium-sized local entrepreneurs from Gedong and its surrounding areas.
Also situated in the entrepreneurship centre is Pusat Ekonomi Digital Keluarga Malaysia (PEDi) Kampung Gedong. An initiative by the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC), PEDi Kampung Gedong focuses on offering information and communications technology (ICT) facilities and services to the local community there.
Despite being in a rural area, internet connectivity is rather stable in Gedong, with mobile data connection reaching as high as 4G. This is perhaps due to the telecommunication tower that stood out in the area.
As the rain continued to pour, the RAKAN Sarawak team was perturbed by threats of potential floods that could be detrimental to the bazaar later, having seen the nearly overflowing drains in the area. After all, if Mapcarta was anything to go by, Gedong’s elevation is only a mere 12 metres.
When expressing this concern, however, local entrepreneur and songket weaver Ramtiniwaiti binti Ramlee assured that floods in Gedong are usually due to the high tide instead of heavy downpour, since it is positioned very closely to Batang Kerang.
Ms Ramtiniwaiti is the owner of Seri Songket Gedong, who together with her younger sister Ramsukmawati binti Ramlee has been running her specialised handicraft business in her home town since 2015.
In fact, the business premises are located on her father’s plot of land shared between her and her siblings – and happen to be right next to the river.
While talking about her trade, Ms Ramtiniwaiti noted how impressed she was by the entrepreneurial spirit of local youth. Even if they are not running a business, these young ones are often driven to, putting it simply, just find something beneficial to do.
She herself teaches locals how to weave a songket at Seri Songket Gedong, including secondary school leavers who go on to hone their craft and become employees of the business.
That drive from the young people of Gedong to “find something to do” was also a sentiment that Razak @ Abdul Razak bin Saleh believed to be true.
The chairman of Pertubuhan Belia Kebangsaan Bersatu Sarawak (SABERKAS) Gedong Branch has been paying attention to the way they have been engaging themselves in various sports in the area, such as boat racing, cycling and even esports.
Indeed, one of the members of the Malaysian esports team competing in the 2021 Southeast Asian (SEA) Games in Hanoi, Vietnam in May this year is Ibnu Qaldoon Mohd Sukor, a 20-year-old esports athlete from Kampung Lalang, Gedong.
As long as they are given the encouragement to find an interest and make the most of it, Mr Razak opined that the youth community of Gedong can contribute directly and indirectly to the socio-economic development of their home town.
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Kampungs of Gedong
Located by the river of Batang Kerang in Samarahan Division, Gedong Town comprises a number of villages occupied by various races such as the Malays, Ibans and Bidayuhs.
These kampungs include Kampung Kanchong Baru, Kampung Kanchong Jaya, Kampung Segera Jaya, Kampung Tengah Hulu, Kampung Tengah Lama, Kampung Tengah Hilir, Kampung Perintah Hilir/Masjid Gedong, Kampung Lalang Hilir/Kampung Lalang Tengah/Kampung Lalang Hulu, Kampung Lot Baru/RGC Gedong and Kampung Lalang/Mayong Gedong.
Source: Pusat Ekonomi Digital Keluarga Malaysia Kampung Gedong
