Lukanisman Awang Sauni, 40 years old, was not a big name in national or state politics before 2018.
He was just an officer of the Department of Special Affairs (JASA) who was stationed at the Sibuti Parliamentary constituency to help his then MP Datuk Ahmad Lai Bujang.
Popularly called Luk, he is known as a loyal young man, was always accompanying Ahmad Lai, including helping to prepare drafts of his speeches and debates in the Dewan Rakyat.
With an approachable character, he rarely stood out, especially when dealing with senior politicians and veterans in the Sibuti constituency at that time.
As a civil servant, he listened, saw and appreciated whatever the people expressed. He also observed the polemics and politicking that took place.
The loyalty and character of Lukanisman at that time attracted the attention of Ahmad Lai.
When Ahmad Lai left active politics, he named Lukanisman as his successor.
Luk’s resume changed from there, and eventually he was named as the candidate for the Sibuti constituency – at a time he himself never dreamed of or predicted. Not to mention that it happened when he was just 36 years old.
That’s the story and the new face of this Universiti Malaya graduate who has successfully steered the boat of Sibuti Parliamentary constituency.
It is not an easy task as Luk told the writer last week. After taking over the role as a member of parliament, he was actually “forced” to complete many projects and plans that were delayed during the Ahmad Lai era.
“Part of it has been completed, but there are still many more that have been delayed. That is why I set this second term to implement the rest of the delayed and unfinished projects,” he said.
Apart from that, he said, he also focused on solving the problem of electricity and water supply being cut off in some areas, as a result of a broken pipe when the Pan Borneo Highway was constructed.
He said, he is optimistic that Sibuti will be more cheerful and lively after this, when all these projects are completed, on top of the Pan Borneo route able to be used comfortably.
The fact is, despite being a young person, and a political newbie, Lukanisman proved that his election as a member of parliament was worthwhile.
Here he gained knowledge as a political leader of Sarawak, being elected as chairman of the Sustainable Energy Development Authority (SEDA) in addition to being appointed as a member of several selected committees including the Public Accounts Committee or PAC.
Last term, he was also seen as a diligent debater, as he was recognised as the second best after Dr Maszlee Malik.
That is Lukanism. The “youngest” character in Parliament made him easy to be directed, and he learned a lot from that.
As a young leader, he also wants to see many young voters being treated equally. That’s why we always celebrate the views of the generation of 18-year-old voters who need a good job, a dignified minimum wage and dream of affordable housing.
At the Sibuti constituency, the voice of Lukanism echoed the demand of the democratisation of education. He demanded that poor schools be replaced and as a result, several projects that were cancelled by the Pakatan Harapan (PH) government in 2018, are now implemented again.
As announced by the Minister of Finance in the 2023 Budget, in the Sibuti constituency, the era of poor schools is about to end with the construction of SK Kita and SK Rancangan Sepupok in Niah, as well as SK Kampung Selanyau in Bekenu.
In GE-14, Lukanisman won the Sibuti parliamentary seat with 12,214 votes, beating PH candidate Jemat Panjang who polled 8,538 votes and PAS candidate Zulaihi Bakar who received 1,617 votes.
In the upcoming polls, Zulaihi or Anai Zulai, 53 years old is expected to enter the ring again. This native of Tanjung Belipat is expected to once again wave the flag of struggle, but based on initial information, the flag is in the form of the Perikatan Nasional.
But Lukanism’s biggest challenge is expected to come from the senior politician of Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR), Zulhaidah Suboh.
Zulhaidah, born in Miri and of Kedayan descendant, contested in Lambir state constituency in the last state election. Now her role is greater, as she has been elected as a member of PKR Majlis Pimpinan Wanita Pusat, Sarawak’s Deputy Women’s leader and Sibuti Branch’s Women’s leader.
It is this experience that she will use to challenge Lukanism, and one of the big agendas of her campaign includes defending Bumiputera indigenous land.
To be fair to Zulhaidah, she is actually active in charity activities. And among the activities she runs include the PekaB40 programme for the community in Limbang, Miri, Baram, Sibuti and Sibu.
She is also an activist in the “Back to School and Free Haircut” programme with orphans, needy and children of the B40 group.
Therefore, the presence of former students of SMB St Joseph, Miri and graduates of IBS Miri College Business Management should not be taken lightly.
In 2018, the number of voters in the Sibuti Parliamentary constituency was 31,868, most of whom are non-Muslim Bumiputeras.
This time the number of young voters is also believed to be large, and this gives an advantage to any candidate who can appeal to them.
On paper, Lukanisman as the incumbent has an advantage. But he must move in line with his two assemblymen in Lambir and Bekenu state constituencies.
Various issues, including those related to water and electricity problems, need to be resolved, while the area’s development master plan needs to be revealed to the public. And, he also needs to maintain his excellent momentum of courting the people. With his track record, he should be able to handle the challenge of “underdogs” like Zulhaidah without too much trouble.
