Manyin (second left) presents a certificate of appreciation to one of the recipients at the Serian Division Bidayuh Community Leaders Association appreciation and award presentation ceremony.
SERIAN: Minister of Infrastructure Development and Communication Dato Sri Michael Manyin Jawong wants the Bidayuh to be more united in their struggle to becoming a developed and progressive community.
The Tebedu assemblyman said the Bidayuh community should not identify themselves according to their regional groupings such as Bau-Jagoi, Bukar or Sadong but instead think of themselves as one community.
“We should not think of ourselves as Bidayuh Serian, Bau or Lundu, instead we must adopt a ‘sehati sejiwa’ mentality for us to develop together with the more progressive communities.”
“If the Chinese, Malay and Iban communities can be developed, then so can the Bidayuh community,” Manyin stressed in his speech at the Serian Division Bidayuh Community Leaders Association appreciation and award presentation event held at the Serian Community Hall yesterday.
He added this would be in tandem with the plan of turning Sarawak into a developed state by the year 2030.
“One of the great policies that our Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Adenan Satem has implemented is bridging
the urban-rural divide. This will help to ensure that the people living in the rural areas will experience the same development as those enjoyed in the urban areas.
“Therefore, it is imperative that the Bidayuh community band together to ensure that we are not left out in this development,” Manyin added.
During the event, Manyin presented certificates of appreciation to over 20 Bidayuh community leaders who retired in the years 2013, 2014 and 2015.