Committee to identify urban poor Ibans
Published on: Monday, April 29, 2019
By: Bernama
KUCHING: A committee of Iban community leaders has been formed to identify urban poor Ibans in the capital city, said Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah.
He said the committee, comprising one Temenggong, one Pemanca, seven Penghulu and a number of Tuai Rumah, would identify those in need of help and to know their problems.
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“There are many fortunate Ibans who have better lives, have their own houses and their children are doing very well …They can compete with the rest of the communities in the city.
“On the other hand, we have the unfortunate ones, the squatters and their children are victims of their circumstances,” he said at a fund-raising dinner organised by the Christ Baptist church.
Uggah, who is also chairman of the Unit for Other Religion(UNIFOR), said he was quite taken aback when he learnt of a voluntary food kitchen set up by an organisation that fed some 300 clients, many of whom were the Ibans, daily.
“For the squatters, they squat near riverbanks and in places close to the graveyards. We are looking at the lists to come up with the appropriate action plan,” he said.
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He said there were many facilities and programmes from both the government and the private sectors available to help them, such as aid programmes in agriculture, education, welfare and in business start-up.
“I would like for us all, including the churches, to pool our resources together to help them,” he said.
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On another issue, Uggah called on the people to be vigilant against those with extreme racial or religious views in their midst, trying to pit Sarawakians against each other .
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