KUCHING: The Dayak Chamber of Commerce and Industry (DCCI) has called on its members – all 900 of them in the state – to help prevent a Gawai Covid-19 cluster.
“We understand we cannot stop people from celebrating Gawai but we urge our members to play their role by not going back to the longhouses and rural villages during the upcoming Gawai Dayak.
“We must prevent at all costs the infection of our longhouse community by the virus,” chamber president Datuk Leonard Martin Uning told a press conference at the chamber’s office at Jalan Simpang Tiga on Monday (May 24).
“It will be an added problem as healthcare facilities in the rural areas are limited and this will put more pressure on healthcare facilities in the town areas.
“Prevention is best because this virus doesn’t recognise anybody. Anybody can get it,” he said, adding that DCCI would send a circular to all its members on the matter.
The chamber, Leonard added, was discouraging all its members from going back to the longhouses and rural villages during the Gawai Dayak.
“Consider this as your love gift to the longhouse community and to the country,” he said.
Leonard also called upon its members to take the lead in registering themselves for Covid-19 vaccination.
“We urge you to tell your parents, relatives, community leaders and those who are residing in the rural areas the importance of getting vaccinated against Covid-19,” he said.
He said it was worrying to see the increasing number of community clusters in the rural areas and the possible spread of dangerous mutant strains such as the Indian, South African, United Kingdom, and Nigerian variants in the country. Hence, there should not be any delay in getting vaccinated.
“The free vaccination is a government programme. It is implemented based on scientific facts and it is safe. I completed the second dose of the vaccine on May 19,” he said.
Before spreading the message on the health standard operating procedures (SOPs) and vaccines to the rural community, the chamber members, he said, must be equipped with the correct information so that the right messages could be conveyed.
“We must make this as a target for the coming Gawai. Let us focus on making sure the rural folk register for vaccination,” he said.
Leonard also urged media agencies such as Radio Television Malaysia (RTM), TVS, Malaysia Information Department, and others to disseminate official information to the rural communities regularly.
“We hope to work together with the members of the press to go on the ground to capture the real-life situation and how much this pandemic has really affected the lives of the rural communities,” he said.
He added DCCI was grateful to all the doctors, nurses, security personnel and frontliners who had worked so hard on the ground, putting their own lives at risk just to look after the people.
“They made so many sacrifices in dealing with this pandemic. If they can make those sacrifices, we can too,” he said.
Leonard added one of the DCCI members, Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah Embas, had been working tirelessly day and night.
“Despite being under constant pressure by so many groups, he is still able to maintain the composure of true leadership.
“That is why, we give Uggah A+ for his relentless commitment and dedication in handling this pandemic. DCCI is right behind you and the government to combat this virus until this war against Covid-19 is over,” said Leonard.
