Dato Sri Joseph Kong Ted Chong...
Reflections of an 'Agriculture' Man

Dato Sri Joseph Kong Ted Chong, now the Deputy Chairman of Sarawak Public Service Commission, provides an interesting glimpse of his days in the Department of Agriculture.

He graduated with a Bachelor of Agricultural Science from the University of Adelaide, South Australia in 1961. He was awarded the Colombo Plan Scholarship to do the course. He joined the civil service as an Agricultural Officer in the Department of Agriculture Sarawak in March 1962 and served in various capacities until his retirement on 27th July, 1990.

In the course of his service in the Department, Dato Sri Joseph has also served as Controller of Rubber, Board Member of Sarawak Land Development Board (SLDB), Sarawak Land Consolidation and Rehabilitation Authority (SALCRA), Pepper Marketing Board, Malaysian Cocoa Board and Majuternak. He was also the President and Secretary of the Rotary Club of Kuching; Sarawak, Australia, New Zealand Association (SANZA) and Senior Government Officers Association Sarawak (SGOAS).

Training

"I remember very well the type of practical training the potential scholars have to undergo before they were sent overseas to do the agricultural science course," said Dato Sri Joseph. "In those early days, prior to our departure for overseas we had to work like any other daily paid workers for a spell of a couple of months at Semongok Agricultural Station and Tarat Agricultural Station."

The work involved maintenance of fruit nursery, marcotting of fruit trees, budding of fruit trees, budding of rubber seedlings, selection of coconut seedlings, keeping of cattle, pigs and poultry, freshwater fish keeping and many other farm chores. "This kind of practical attachment may sound ridiculous," added Dato Sri Joseph, "but," he continued, "to those who have undergone such a stint of attachment, they would treasure the opportunity given to them to know some aspect of the work involved in farming under local conditions and also to know the working ethics of the workers."

Early Education

Dato Sri Joseph started his schooling in Chung Hwa School, Sibu. He then changed to the Sacred Heart School, Sibu and after that moved on to St. Joseph's School, Kuching and then to St. Patrick's School Singapore and St. Joseph's Institution Singapore before proceeding to the University of Adelaide to take Agricultural Science course.

What does he think of switching from school to school for students? "There are pros and cons," according to him. The good thing is that he was able to meet and mix with more students. He was a boarder in St. Joseph's School, Kuching and St. Patrick's School, Singapore. But on the other hand, because of the varying syllabi and different standard of teaching in the old days in the different schools he considered it better to remain with the same school or change school as little as possible so as to minimise disruption.

The Minister of Agriculture and Community Development, TB Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Dr. Wong Soon Kai presenting prizes at the State level wet padi competition

Joining the DOA

Dato Sri Joseph is the first local to graduate in Agriculture and being a graduate he was appointed as an Agricultural Officer. "I was then given an attachment in the Department Headquarters for a spell of two weeks spending a couple of days in each of the sections to familiarise myself with the work involved."

The attachment included the general clerical service in the Correspondence, Account and the Establishment sections and the technical sections included the Extension, Research, Education, Rubber, Veterinary and Inland Fisheries.

"On completion of my familiarisation, I was posted to Tarat Agricultural Station to take charge of the Station as Agricultural Officer-In-Charge. At the time of my posting, the then Director of Agriculture, Mr. James Cook who was the Director of Agriculture from 1956-1964, told me that I would occupy the Class II quarters in Tarat built especially for the Officer-In-Charge."

He was also told that when it came to payment of wages to the labourers he should personally pay them himself. These instructions seemed to be a simple matter but in the course of his working life and when he looked back on them, they are important in upholding the dignity of the post one is holding and the financial control in the payment of wages.

Tarat

Tarat was the main agricultural station of the Department in the old days. Field research work was undertaken there particularly pepper and field crops. The station was also the main producer of improved planting material particularly rambutan, durian and citrus for supply to farmers in the department's development projects.

Brahman and Sindhi cattles were bred and the male calves used for subsidised sale to local cattlemen for up-grading their livestock. Fish fry were produced for stocking of farmers' ponds.

The Tarat School of Agriculture undertook the training of the departmental staff at the Agricultural Assistant, Junior Agricultural Assistant and Home Demonstrator level. The station had its own electricity generator for the supply of electricity to the whole station at regulated hours, while the gravity-fed water supply system provided free water supply to all the occupants of the government quarters.

"I had Chen Ko Ting, the Assistant Agricultural Officer and a handful of junior staff to help me run the station. In the office, the clerk-in-charge was the late Wee Wak Seng from whom I have learnt a lot on the General Orders and the Financial Regulations and many of the trick of the trade in the running of the office such as financial control, the proper keeping of vote books, running record of vehicles and machinery, etc."

"I remember my professor at the University told me once that 'we cannot teach you everything, but we can teach you the basic so that you can teach yourself'. In Tarat I had the vast opportunity to teach myself both in the technical and administrative matter and I treasure that one year posting to Tarat."

To Limbang I Went…

Sarawak achieved its independence within Malaysia in 1963. Before that 'Konfrontasi' had started. Towards the end of 1962, on 7th December, the 'Brunei Rebellion' took place which shook the administration in Limbang and the whole of Sarawak.

The 'Great Flood' in the Limbang Valley and the Trusan Valley soon followed from 15th to 22nd January 1963 after the 'Brunei Rebellion.' Rehabilitation for the farmers whose crops and livestock were destroyed in the Great Flood was inevitable.

There was no Divisional Agricultural Officer stationed at Limbang at that time. The Fifth Division was departmentally administered from the Fourth Division. The department had to act fast and as an immediate measure an Agricultural Officer, B. C. Balbernie was posted there as Divisional Agricultural Officer to start the rehabilitation project.

Agricultural Research Officers at the Annual Research Officers Conference

Divisional Agricultural Officer

It was under that kind of circumstances that the Director of Agriculture told Dato Sri Joseph that he was to be posted to Limbang as the Divisional Agricultural Officer, taking over from B.C. Balbernie. "I accepted the posting without any hesitation," he recalled.

"I arrived in Limbang via Brunei in July 1963. There was much work to be done. There was the 'heart and mind campaign' to win back the people's trust in the Government after the 'Brunei Rebellion' and the rehabilitation for the farmers and such a task required extensive travelling."

"I must say the staff in the department were hard working and covered the Division extensively even with the most difficult travelling conditions mainly done by boats and on foot. Nanga Medamit could be reached by a one day speedboat journey from Limbang compared to a one to two hours drive by road now."

Travelling from Lawas to Long Semado was done with the help of the Borneo Evangelical Mission four-sitter plane. One could then walk to Ba Kelalan from Long Semado taking a full day's walk. In Limbang the dusty road ran from the town centre to Pandaruan on one end and Kubong at the other.

Agriculture in 1962

The Department of Agriculture's organisation structure was quite a simple one. The Agriculture Department bear triple responsibilities - Agriculture, Veterinary Services, Freshwater Fisheries and the sections included the Research Branch, Extension and Training Branch, Veterinary and Animal Husbandry Branch, Agricultural Education, Development Schemes and Rubber.

At the field level there was an Agricultural Officer in each of the four Divisions and because of a shortage of Agricultural Officers, the Fifth Division was looked after by the Agricultural Officer, Fourth Division.

Exports

The export crops in order of importance were rubber, pepper, sago and coconut and from export duty levied on rubber and pepper a considerable proportion of the general revenue of Sarawak was derived.

Much of the rubber produced was of poor quality through faulty processing. Rice was, and still is, the staple food but the total production of both wet and hill padi was insufficient and could meet only about half of the State's requirement.

Livestock number was small except for the reasonable number of buffaloes in the Fifth Division. The only classes of livestock kept in significant numbers were pigs and poultry. Accurate agricultural statistics were not as yet available for the State.

Visit by the Minister of Agriculture and Community Development, YB Tan Sri Alfred Jabu to the temperate fruit Orchard at Ba' Kelalan

Policy

The overall agricultural policy was:-

(a) while maintaining soil fertility, to develop, intensify and diversify agriculture paying particular regard to food supplies, especially rice and all forms of animal and vegetable protein;

(b) to increase exports of cash crops particularly rubber, pepper, coconut, sago and improve quality of the resultant produce;

(c) to introduce and develop new crops shown by experimentation to be of economic significance;

(d) to promote and assist in the sound agricultural development of new lands; and

(e) to safeguard crop and livestock industries from disease by the imposition of controls regulating the entry of stock and plants into Sarawak.

While maintaining the importance of extension service to the farmers, a new emphasis was started with agricultural research from 1962 onwards and the importance of the long-term rural improvement programme consisted of agricultural research and extension.

Spearheading Agriculture Development

The Governments' policy of improving communications through the construction of more roads - trunk, secondary and minor roads - and a network of airfields linking remote areas and also the provision of agricultural credit through financial institutions had a direct bearing on agricultural development.

With better transportation the farmers relied more and more on cash and thus income to the farm families grew in importance. The Department of Agriculture geared itself to the changing environment with the introduction of the Farmers Organisation (started in 1972) and the National Extension Project (started in 1978).

In addition to rubber, pepper and coconut, crops such as cocoa, oil palm, sago and various annual fruit crops were introduced into the agricultural programme to enhance the income of the farmers.

Agenda

Adaptation to the changing environment with the aim of increasing the income of the farm families and eradication of poverty has been on the agenda of the Department.

The early programme of extension through the agricultural subsidy schemes in the First, Second and even into the Third Malaysia Plans gave way to planned community approach with the advent of the National Extension Project and strengthening of the Farmers Organisations in the latter Development Plans.

Community Development towards the women was not neglected. The women were assisted with a focus on extension, nutrition and child care. Cottage industry for the women was not left out and to-date it has been intensified into food industry.

The Chief Minister, YAB Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri (Dr.) Haji Abdul Taib Mahmud declaring open the Farmers and Fishermen Day in Lawas

Heads of department

From 1956 until today the Department of Agriculture has been led by Directors James Cook (1956-1964), R. O. Williams (1964-1969), B.C. Balbernie (1969-1972), One Kee Chong (1972-1974), Dato Sri Joseph Kong Ted Chong (1974-1990), Andrew Tan Cheok Chiew (1990-1992), Henry Jantum Bakit (1992-1993), Julaihi Ismail (1993-1997), Edwin Liew Chung Hiung (1997-1998), William Chang Wei Say (1998-1999), and Mohd. Sepuan Hj. Anu (1999-to date).

In conclusion, Dato Sri Joseph Kong wish to acknowledge the significant role played by staff of all ranks and convey his debt of gratitude to them for whatever achievements made during his tour of duty as the Director of Agriculture.

"Whatever achievements made by the Department is incomplete without special mention to all whom I had the good fortune to serve with."