BUKIT Assek Assemblyman, Joseph Chieng Jin Ek, took time out with Sarawak Tribune (ST) on the sidelines of the assembly sitting, opening up about his favourite comfort food, the harmony of Sarawak, and the unique charm of fellow assembly members.
From laksa cravings to jungle survival picks, here’s a glimpse into the man.
ST: What is your go-to food after a long day in DUN?
Chieng: As for my comfort food, I would say I am in love with laksa Sarawak as it is the best of all in Kuching.
ST: What is the specialty of Sarawak that you like?
Chieng: First and foremost, the people here, Sarawakians are always living in harmony regardless of the background of each one of us, which depicts the beauty of Sarawak.
Especially during the sitting, I will be meeting up with elected representatives (YBs) from other constituencies, sit together and having a good lunch over our work discussion.
ST: If you can describe Sarawak in terms of one food, what would it be?
Chieng: If you realise, over in Sibu, there is a very famous food that we call kampua sapi, a transformation of the Foochow kampua mee to something that can be consumed by other races, especially Muslims.
From there, we can see that we are learning from each other. Like some Chinese hawkers, they even make laksa and kompiang in a halal style that every race can taste.
ST: During the sitting, who do you think is the funniest person on and off the microphone?
Chieng: Actually, for this one, I respect all in the sitting. We are all just here to do our job for our own constituency.
ST: If you were not an assemblyman, what job would you imagine yourself doing?
Cheng: Before I became an ADUN, I was a naval architect.
Basically, I did the designs for ships, and the shipbuilding industry is actually very famous in Sibu, it enjoys international status with overseas buyers.
ST: If you could bring one famous person to the sitting, who would it be?
Chieng: I would say Donald Trump. It is because I want him to learn from Sarawak by looking at our mission, vision that is compatible with all backgrounds.
Here, we still manage to stay together and learn from each other despite different racial and religious backgrounds.
So, I would like to bring him over, to see how we develop our state and how we go about green energy.
ST: If you had to survive one week in the jungle with another assemblyman, who would it be?
Chieng: I would say the honourable member from Katibas, Lidam Assan, because before we were both with the Sibu Municipal Council.
I would love to see both of us working together to survive in the jungle because if I may say, he has the skills to be in the jungle, maybe we both can help each other.
