MIRI, May 17: Parti Bansa Dayak Sarawak (PBDS) wants greater transparency over how applications for education aid, loans and scholarships given by Yayasan Sarawak are evaluated and approved.
PBDS vice-president Sawing Kedit in a statement today lauded Marudi assemblyman Datu Dr Penguang Manggil for recently urging Sarawakians, especially Dayaks who have received offers to further their studies at institutes of higher learning (IPTs), to apply for online assistance such as one-offs, loan assistance and scholarships from Yayasan Sarawak (Sarawak Foundation).
However, he claimed, in recent years, many Dayak students and their parents have complained that they have not been successful in getting these forms of aid and assistance even when they have met the conditions and criteria that have been set, even when they have scored excellent academic results.
Sawing urged Dr Penguang to meet with the top management of Yayasan Sarawak to obtain detailed information on the conditions and criteria to enable an applicant to be approved.
“In addition, I would also like to ask Dr Penguang to ask the Sarawak Foundation to release data and details of aid recipients from the Sarawak Foundation for the past 50 years to date,” he added.
Sawing opined that Dr Penguang should then issue a public statement with these statistics and data so that the people can see and evaluate transparently what has been implemented by Yayasan Sarawak and the State government in terms of their role, function and responsibility to provide education assistance services through the said foundation.
“He can asked the Sarawak Foundation to release the latest list of management and administration organisations (sic) of the Sarawak Foundation so that Sarawakians can see the distribution of races and who holds the highest positions in the Sarawak Foundation,” he added.
Sawing said there should be transparency in the matter because the funds allocated for Yayasan Sarawak are from taxes paid by all citizens.
He also urged the Sarawak government, led by Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) to act fairly, transparently and with integrity in carrying out the task of helping all citizens regardless of race, religion and political ideology.
Sawing said, government agencies such as Yayasan Sarawak is not a political agency of any political party but an agency which is responsible for helping and providing services to all Sarawakians.
He noted that Dr Penguang is the elected representative for Marudi, a rural Dayak-majority area.
“I urge Dr Penguang to study and obtain data on how many Dayak children have received offers to further their studies at higher learning institutions and how many Dayak students have been given assistance by the Sarawak Foundation,” he said.
Sawing opined this would allow the Marudi rep to come up with short-term and long-term strategic plans for education development and issues in the constituency and Sarawak as a whole. — DayakDaily
