Monday May 13, 2013

Jabu: Greater development for Sarawak and Sabah as promised

KUCHING: Sarawak and Sabah will enjoy greater development following Barisan Nasional’s return to power in the 13th general election, Deputy Chief Minister Tan Sri Alfred Jabu said.

He said the acceleration of development and promises of increased allocation for rural areas in the two Borneo states would be the Federal Government’s main agenda.

“This has been spelt out in the Prime Minister’s Budget speech last year as well as the Barisan manifesto, committing the Federal Government to allocate more funds for Sarawak and Sabah to catch up because we are still backward compared to the peninsula,” he said during the Kuching District Iban Community Leaders Social and Welfare Committee’s Gawai dinner here on Saturday night.

As such, he urged the rural people not to lose this opportunity for development but to continue to work with the Government.

He added that the Government’s target was to eradicate poverty by 2020, even among the remotest communities in the state.

“By 2020, even the Penans will have the opportunity to earn income above the poverty line,” he said.

Jabu also said Barisan’s victory in the just-concluded polls showed that the people wanted peace, stability and harmony.

“We condemn people who do not respect the rule of law and democracy. We condemn people who go to the streets to demonstrate.

“This is not our culture. We love peace and stability. No place in the world can progress if there is chaos,” he said, in a thinly-veiled attack against the rallies organised by Pakatan Rakyat to protest electoral fraud.

Meanwhile, Jabu advised the Ibans not to lose their culture but to preserve it for future generations.

He said although many Ibans had migrated from their longhouses to towns and cities, they should remember their roots and identity.

“When we lose our traditions and culture, we lose our identity,” he said.

In line with this, he said an Iban cultural symposium would be held in Sibu in a few months’ time to discuss how to preserve the culture and move forward.

He also called on the Dayak Cultural Foundation to explore the possibility of holding classes on traditional Iban poetry.

A traditional poem was recited by an Iban teacher during the dinner, which also featured a performance by top Iban singer Melissa Francis and a Kumang Gawai beauty pageant.

Jabu later announced a grant of RM20,000 to the committee for organising next year’s Gawai dinner.

News

Monday May 13, 2013

Jabu: Greater development for Sarawak and Sabah as promised