Zuraida (third right) presents a memento to Abang Johari. Seen at right is Sarawak Local Government and Housing Minister Datuk Dr Sim Kui Hian.
KUCHING: Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari Tun Openg has been entrusted to address two issues — the Penan community welfare and stateless rural Sarawakians as raised by Housing and Local Government Minister Zuraida Kamaruddin.
Zuraida, who paid a courtesy call on Abang Johari at his office at the State Legislative Assembly Complex in Petra Jaya here yesterday, mentioned specifically these issues before the Chief Minister.
“I raised two issues which have been my passion before. One is about Penan girls being raped as the royal report released. It seems that the perpetrators have not been brought to justice.
“I raised to him (Abang Johari). I said ‘Please look into these Penan cases, we have to take action against those perpetrators. He acknowledged this,” she told a press conference at Pullman Hotel following the courtesy call.
Zuraida said the Chief Minister had informed her that the Penan community’s living conditions had improved compared to 11 years ago.
“Things have improved, according to him, that they (Penans) have schools, that some of them go to university and that they have been taken care of much better,” she added.
On the other issue, she noted that quite a number of Sarawakians from the rural areas had been denied their birth certificate and MyKad.
She said she had requested Abang Johari to set up a special taskforce or a mobile unit to reach out to rural Sarawakians on matters pertaining to registration of births and issuance of MyKad.
“Of course it has to do with the Ministry of Home Affairs, and it has to be supported by the state government.
“In the past, we raised this issue but we did not get the support of the government of the day because we were the opposition,” said the Ampang MP from Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR).
She pledged that the ministry will hold talks with Home Affairs Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin to look into the plight of the Penan girls, the Penan community as well as people in some other rural areas who were denied their birth certificate and MyKad.
She said the people need both the birth certificate and MyKad in order to receive proper education in school and pursue tertiary education.
“Apart from that, I also talked about land (that are) gazetted and low-cost housing. I’d like to focus on low-cost housing and the B40 group whose living conditions have to be improved in order for the country to progress.
“We have to rectify the situation of B40. Both state and federal governments have to work together,” she pointed out.
Zuraida said she had also told Abang Johari that the premium on state land “should not be going at high price” to prevent developers from including the high cost of land in the construction cost of housing, which would result in expensive homes.
“This is not affordable for the B40. So he (Abang Johari) is willing to look into it and work with us, the ministry. Apart from that, he also promised to develop infrastructure such as roads,” added Zuraida.