KAPIT, Oct 26: The Dayak community has been urged to support the Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) state government for continuous development.
Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah Embas said the GPS state government has always been committed and sincere in helping the Dayak community.
He said a large chunk of the state government’s development programmes had and will involve the Dayak community.
“Let us start with the latest very major rural development programmes.
“At least three of the five newly created and strategic regional development agencies largely involve the (Dayak) community.
“They are the Sri Aman Development Agency (SADA), Upper Rajang Development Agency (URDA) and the Highland Development Agency (HDA).
“A budget of RM1.5 billion each has been allocated to URDA and HDA to initially develop the infrastructures and amenities,” he said during an event here today.
Uggah who is Agriculture Modernisation, Native Land and Regional Development Minister revealed that a budget of RM700 million had been allocated to the Agriculture Department this year to organise income generating modern farming and livestock breeding programmes and activities.
When those are done, Uggah said the government would again move in to create various socio-economic programmes to generate income for the people to effectively raise their standard of living.
“The beneficiaries are again the rural folks with their Native Customary Rights (NCR) land.
“On the NCR, our Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari Tun Openg has allocated a sum of RM40 million for the survey of such land this year.
“He too had recently allocated a piece of prime land measuring 2.32 hectares in Kuching city for the construction of the Dayak Cultural Foundation (DCF) and the Dayak Chamber of Commerce and Industry (DCCI) respective headquarters buildings known as the Panggau Dayak.
“Not only that, he has allocated a sum of RM50 million to build churches, temples and chapels for all non-Islamic religions in the state this year.
“Then again Abang Johari has given a 1.2 hectare prime site in Kuching city to build Unifor (Unit For Other Religions) office complex besides giving it another RM70million to meet the construction cost,” he said.
He added that the initiatives and the many other projects showed that the GPS government under him cared for and is fair to all the community.
“It is only right the Dayak community reciprocate by continuing to fully support the GPS and all its candidates in the coming state election.
“We risk losing a lot if GPS is not given the full mandate again,” he pointed out. —DayakDaily
