By Jacob Achoi
BAU, Sept 12: Youths who account for 43 per cent of the 2.6 million state population ought to be nurtured and given proper guidance, says Minister of Youth and Sports Datuk Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah.
He said this was crucial to ensure the state administration falls into safe hands when they play the role of becoming leaders in the future.
“The state government acknowledges the role of youths in the state who will become the leaders in the future.
“And this is the very reason why the state government set up a ministry named as Ministry of Youth and Sports to specifically look after the welfare and interests of youths in the state,” he said when officiating the Sarawak Youth Tour programme at Kpg Skiat Baru community hall, near here today.
“This ministry (Ministry of Youth and Sports) provides allocation in the form of outright grants for youths for training in various fields,” Abdul Karim, who is also Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture, pointed out.
Quoting a saying, “if we want to see how a nation wanted to be, we need to see the situation of our present youths”, he said that the state government aspires to develop the talent and potential of the local youths as the future leaders.
Abdul Karim also urged local youths not to ‘pollute’ their mind with social ills and singled out drug abuse that they must never try.
“Dont get yourselves be tamed with drugs because once you try them, your future is bleak,” he stressed, adding that rural areas were being penetrated with drugs due to infrastructure development like roads and Internet.
Present were Tasik Biru assemblyman Datuk Henry Harry Jinep and Bau district officer Anielia Siam, among others.-DayakDaily
