Jabu receives a memento from SIDS deputy chairman Catherine Gramong during the dinner at the Christian Ecumenical Centre in Kuching.
KUCHING: The state government will be emphasising a lot more on developing the rural areas to enable the Dayaks to catch up with the other communities.
Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Alfred Jabu Numpang said it was vital for the Dayaks to be at par or better than the other races, especially in view of globalisation.
“Rural development is very important for us, especially the Bumiputeras who are comparatively backward in many ways,” he said at a dinner held in conjunction with Sarakup Indu Dayak Sarawak (SIDS)’s Biennial General Meeting 2014 here on Saturday.
Jabu, who is also Modernisation of Agriculture Minister, told those present that the globalised world was very challenging and competitive in literally every sector, and it demanded quality manpower.
He added that the knowledge-based economy of today meant it was vital for Dayak non-governmental organisations (NGOs) to motivate and encourage the community to adapt to change.
On SIDS, he applauded the association for taking the initiative to organise activities and programmes throughout the state.
“SIDS has also been giving out incentives to students who excelled in their studies and served as role models for their peers.”
He said each longhouse was now able to produce four to five graduates from each `pintu’ (room), and this meant the Dayak community were catching up on education.
During the Sarawak Career and Training Fair (SCaT) 2014 themed ‘Enhancing Employability’ at the Borneo Convention Centre, he noted that a lot of Dayak students and their parents turned up.
“I am very motivated to see a lot of students from the Dayak community who were appointed as ambassadors for Tegas (Bumiputera Trust Fund) to promote technical skills and trainings for the Sarawak Corridor of Renewable Energy.”
He advised parents to make sacrifices by enrolling their children at institutions of higher learning.
During the dinner, he announced an allocation of RM30,000 for SIDS to top up allocations from Assistant Minister for Rural Development Datuk Francis Harden Hollis, Assistant Minister for Land Development Datuk Gramong Juna, Assistant Minister for Youth Development (Rural Areas) Datuk Dr Stephen Rundi, Assistant Minister for Local Government Datuk John Sikie Tayai, Assistant Minister for Welfare Robert Lawson Chuat and Kapit MP Datuk Alexander Nanta Linggi.
They donated RM10,000 each.
Natural Resources and Environment Minister Dato Sri Douglas Uggah Embas gave RM20,000.