TASIK Biru state assemblyman, Datuk Henry Harry Jinep, reflects on growing up in rural Sarawak and the hardships that made him who he is today.
In this interview, he talks about the importance of exposure and education, and how it formed the core of his mission as the people’s representative.
Q: What was education like for you growing up?
Back then, there was no guidance, no career advice. Teachers only taught you how to read, write, sing, and that was it. Nobody told you what you could become. Only when I moved to Kuching in my 20s did I see what was possible. That was when my world opened. When you leave the kampung and see the bigger world, your ambitions start to change.
Q: How did that exposure shape your future?
Being in UiTM Shah Alam changed my perspective on things. I saw friends applying for scholarships abroad. Although I did not understand the opportunities, I tried anyway. From there, I understood what education really meant, what a career can be, and how big the world is. Coming from a rural background, I was not exposed to anything. That is why, today, as a people’s representative, I don’t want this to happen to the next generation.
Q: How did you enter politics?
Politics was never my dream, but I enjoyed following my father during campaigning. He used to bring back posters, and I was the one excitedly putting them up using linut, which could be used as glue. Later in life, I went into business, achieved what I wanted, then asked myself ‘What’s next?’ and that is when politics made sense. It was not for the glamour but to serve the community. I want to help uplift rural areas the way I never had the chance to experience.
Q: What motivates your work as a people’s representative?
I don’t want my people to grow up limited the way I did. They must be exposed to science, technology, new environments, and new opportunities. That is why I support STEM programmes and fight for funding. I want them to see the world earlier than I did. We cannot blame the past, that was the reality back then. But now, if we can change the circumstance, we must be the ones to do it.
