KAPIT: A permanent Penan Affairs Department or Unit has been proposed to address issues relating to the community.
Assistant Minister in the Chief Minister’s Office (Native Adat and Penan Affairs) Datuk John Sikie Tayai disclosed that he would bring the proposal to the state cabinet soon.
Sikie said he would get the State Planning Unit (SPU) to organise a study tour to the Orang Asli Department in Kuala Lumpur to learn from them and meet the minister in charge of Orang Asli affairs next year.
He said this when launching a three-day workshop in Miri to review and recommend changes to the Penan Volunteer Corps (PVC).
“I would like the PVC to play a more effective role in bringing the Penan community forward in terms of development. The PVC or whatever we call it after this workshop is now becoming more relevant, especially in Baram and Belaga where we have mega hydro projects.
“I therefore call on all of you to keep abreast with the latest developments and equip yourselves to play your role as the link between your community and the government,” he said.
Meanwhile, SPU deputy director Fedrick John George said the government hopes to help all nomadic Penans in the Limbang District to adopt a settled way of life within the next few years.
He added that all those who are eligible will be registered under eKasih by the end of this month.
Organised by SPU, the workshop aims to bring together PVC members to discuss issues affecting them.
Feedback and suggestions from the community will be consolidated and compiled as input for the review.
PVC was established in November 1989 to help the nomadic and semi-nomadic Penans roaming the jungles in Baram, Belaga and Limbang to transition to a settled way of life.
Today there are only 275 nomadic Penans in the state and they are found in Ulu Sungai Tutoh and Ulu Sungai Limbang. The other Penan communities, mostly in the Baram and Belaga Districts, have settled down and are benefiting from development programmes thanks to education.
The latest census completed in September indicated that there are now 17,784 Penans from 3,732 families in 135 settlements or villages in Sarawak.
Most of them are in the Baram District (11,408) followed by Belaga District (3,456), Bintulu District (1,297), Miri District (1,053) and Limbang District (576).
At the end of last month, 3,222 out of the 3,732 households were registered in the eKasih database to enable them to benefit from the government’s 1Azam programmes.
Among those present at the opening ceremony were Miri Resident Anthonio Kathi Galis, Kapit Resident Dahim Nadot and Sarawak administrative officer (SAO) Racha Balang, who represented Limbang Resident Maria Hasman.