KUCHING: A committee has been established to look into the problem of urban poverty among the Iban community and recommend strategies to deal with the issue.
Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah Embas said the committee is tasked with gathering data on the number of poor families among the urban Ibans and the problems they faced with a view to solving their predicament.
“The data is very critical. We want to determine the number of poor households, the daily problems they face, the number of school dropouts among their children, cases of truancy, the number of squatters, ect.
“I hope to get the data by end of August for us to come up with area profiling.
“Then we will sit down together to work out solutions and programmes on how the government could assist them,” he said at a thanksgiving dinner organised by the Persatuan Ketua Masyarakat dan Tuai Rumah Kaum Iban Daerah Kuching (Pemaik) on Thursday.
Uggah said the committee comprising officials from the Ministry of Modernisation of Agriculture, Native Land and Regional Development and Pemaik represented by Temenggong Datuk Bernard Agan, Pemanca John Tambi, seven Penghulus, 27 longhouse chiefs and 17 settlement chiefs (ketuai genturong), has been collecting data in their respective areas since early this year.
Their findings would assist the state government to come up with programmes on how to effectively assist poor Iban families in state capital.
“Our aspiration is for all of us living in the city to enjoy the same level of comfort and benefits available.
“This committee is one of the machinery, the data which will be obtained end of August, we will analyse it and come out with programmes to address the issue,” he said.
Uggah noted that there was a society known as Society For Kuching Urban Poor (SKUP) which provides free meals in the city.
“The question is why the need for such a service? And I want to know how many Dayaks are receiving the service?
“We don’t want to see some groups have no food to eat, while some are too rich.
“This would not augur well for the state and the country,” he explained.
He said rural-urban migration was inevitable as people, especially the youths, would look for greener pastures.
“The attraction is here, there are jobs in the city, but when they come here can they face a life here? Can they get a job? Can they get a house?”
Uggah said rural-urban migration had increased over the years whereby about 70 percent of the state’s population was located in the urban areas.
At the function, Uggah announced a grant of RM30,000 for the association, while Local Government and Housing Minister Datuk Dr Sim Khui Hian gave RM20,000; Local Government Assistant Minister Datuk Dr Penguang Manggil gave RM10,000; and Batu Kitang assemblyman Lo Khere Chiang gave RM5,000.
