Iban longhouse chiefs and representatives from Sibu parliamentary constituency at the grant presentation.
Residents of 51 Iban longhouses have more to cheer about in the upcoming festive season after receiving grants from Sibu MP Oscar Ling’s service centre.
An Iban church has also been given a grant to cover expenses needed for the Christmas and New Year 2025 festivities.
Ling said most members of the Iban community were Christians and longhouses typically celebrate Christmas on a grand scale.
“These grants aim to provide sufficient funds for the longhouses to organise events to enrich their programmes.
“Christmas celebrations have become a distinctive culture in the Iban community and have the potential to be one of our tourism attractions,” he said.
The MP added that the longhouses were located within the Sibu parliamentary constituency, which included rural areas such as Rassau, Pasai and Rantau Panjang, the villages of Tutus, Bungan, Sebedil, Penasu and Banyok, the Bawang Assan settlement and the neighbourhoods of Oya and Teku.
During the grant handover ceremony, Ling advised people on the need to reduce the consumption of sugary foods and drinks during festivities.
On the subject of health, he had also told Hospital Sibu to address end-of-year medicine shortages by ensuring adequate supplies for patients.
In a media statement, Ling said he had received complaints from two residents who visited the hospital but were informed that there was an insufficient supply of heart medication and statins.
“Some medicines at Hospital Sibu may experience stock shortages towards the year end, possibly due to early depletion and delayed funding,” he said.
Ling said national demand for medicine was growing, along with an increasing healthcare budget each year.
This situation, he said, reflected two key challenges.
Firstly, he shared that reports show that half the population was overweight and thus, Malaysians needed to focus on healthier lifestyles.
He urged people to get more exercise and reduce consumption of unhealthy foods and sweet drinks.
Healthier lifestyles, he added, could alleviate Malaysia’s diabetes treatment costs amounting to RM4bil annually.
Ling also reminded patients not to waste medication, advising them to take home only what they needed and to finish their medicines before they expired, prior to requesting for more.
“As the government bears the cost of these medications, waste should be minimised.
“Instead of letting unused medicine expire in cabinets, the people should take advantage of Sibu Hospital’s medication recycling programme to help reduce the waste of national resources,” he said.
