KUCHING, Sept 7: Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah Embas has urged members of Unit for Other Religions (Unifor) to be strong in resisting extreme teachings and bad influences from outside of Sarawak.
He said these influences, if spread throughout the state, could break the religious and racial tolerance, harmony and peace Sarawak has been enjoying till now.
“Sarawak is facing its biggest challenge in history to maintaining the present racial and religious harmony and political stability because that was what have enabled us to reach the development that we are enjoying today,” he highlighted at Unifor’s Assistance Recipients Meet here this morning.
“And for us to continue to achieve the ambition of the Chief Minister (Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari Tun Openg) to make Sarawak a developed state by 2030, political stability and racial harmony is a basic requisite,” he reminded.
However, Uggah remarked that Sarawak was fortunate that it was separated from the Peninsula by the South China Sea, where many extreme forces had consistently tried and continued to assault Sarawak’s shores.
He observed that their objective was nothing else but to disrupt the unity in the state for political gains, and to take away the state’s rights.
“Our Chief Minister (Abang Johari) has a formula with Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) to protect Sarawak from such threat. But he cannot do it alone, he needs all of us to support his struggle and his mission,” he said.
“Thus I am appealing to all of us here to give full support to the leadership of our Chief Minister (Abang Johari) in his mission to protect Sarawak’s rights and to bring Sarawak development to a new height for a prosperous Sarawak,” he urged.
Meanwhile, Uggah, who is also minister in-charge of Unifor, thanked the state government for its contribution to the Unit in terms of funding.
He shared that for the last two years, the state government had given allocation totalling RM35 million to Unifor and for this year alone, RM30 million has been allocated.
However, he added that it did not include allocations from Abang Johari’s walkabouts and “rakyat” projects yet, which summed up to around RM27.3 million this year.
“This brings up to a total RM57 million all in all this year (given by the state government to Unifor). I’m sure by the end of the year, the figure would increase to RM60 million,” he said.
“We pray that the allocation for next year would not be less than that because we have our oil and gas five per cent sales tax,” he added.
Uggah also recorded his appreciation to the state government for giving a three-acre plot of land at Jalan Ong Tiang Swee for the building of proposed Unifor building, as well as the setting up of Unifor Trust Board to raise funds for Unifor to help the needy.
“We pray that the Chief Minister (Abang Johari) can consider some allocations for this next year so that we would be able to carry out our programmes to help the needy people, so that they would not miss out on the development of the state,” he said.— DayakDaily
