The outstanding legacy of the late Tan Sri Adenan Satem in the Tanjong Datu state constituency will be continued and improved with new plans, said his widow Datuk Amar Jamilah Anu at the Sarawak State Legislative Assembly sitting today.

She said all plans made by the fifth Sarawak Chief Minister in Tanjong Datu during his lifetime would be continued and she would work to implement new plans for development in the area.

Jamilah, who won the Tanjong Datu state seat at the by-election in February this year, held following Adnan''s death on Jan 11 from heart complications, said this in her maiden speech at the sitting here today during the debate on the motion of thanks to the Sarawak Yang di-Pertua Negeri.

In a poignant moment, Jamilah said Adenan's efforts in developing Tanjong Datu and Sarawak were generally acknowledged as hard-to-beat.

She was aware that she bore a heavy responsibility in continuing his legacy, she said.

Jamilah said she would focus her attention on education to ensure that every family in Tanjong Datu had at least one family member who was at least a diploma holder.

Stressing the importance of developing education to strengthen the state's growth, she also praised the move by Chief Minister Datuk Amar Abang Johari Tun Openg to set up an education portfolio in the Sarawak Cabinet recently.

She also praised the efforts of the federal government to develop the Pan Borneo Highway mega project, especially the 33 km-route connecting Teluk Melano with Sematan, which she said would change the landscape of development in Tanjong Datu.

Jamilah said there were several issues related to the highway which must be taken into consideration such as environmental conservation, as well as security, especially in the border areas.

She also stressed that the promises made by federal and state leaders during the campaign period of the by-election should be fulfilled before the general election is held.

-- BERNAMA