Tan Sri William Mawan Ikom
KUCHING (April 27): Sarawak Dayak National Union (SDNU) has decided to hold its next Triennial General Assembly (TGA) in Sibu on a date to be announced later.
This coming TGA would be historic as it would be the 66-year-old SDNU’s first time ever holding it outside Kuching where its headquarters is located.
The TGA will include election for new office bearers apart from seeking members’ approval to amend the union’s constitution, among others.
Its co-organising event chairmen will be Gerard Joseph and Chambai Lindong, who are the current SDNU secretary-general and Sibu SDNU branch chairman respectively.
The venue decision was made during SDNU’s supreme executive committee (SEC) meeting here last Sunday.
SDNU president Tan Sri William Mawan Ikom described the TGA as an important social forum for unity.
He also said he would like to see more younger blood inside the new SEC to reflect the urgent need for talent to face the much more challenging times in the near future.
“The TGA will be held in Sibu on a date to be fixed later. Various sub-committees to be manned by members and associates would be formed in preparation for this historic moment,” said Mawan, who is also Pakan assemblyman.
Just like any organisations with wings, SDNU Women and Youth divisions will be holding their separate TGA but before that of the main body.
On a separate matter, Mawan said the status of the union’s commercial shop block project at Jalan Satok (dubbed by many as Rumah Dayak project) is pending the issuance of Kuching North City Commission’s (DBKU) occupation permit (OP) since the block has been fully erected.
However, obtaining the SOP is not that straightforward since there are still few things that the project developer needs to do, he added.
It is understood that these include doing some remedial works on the shop block, making sure it is safe, clearing rubbish or debris, pumping out water from the basement area and demolishing structures of the abandoned tower still on the ground which is adjacent to the shop block.
Separately, a special sub-committee chairperson Margaret Bedus said SDNU is embarking on producing a history book about the union but at this juncture, it is still sourcing for funds and also full time researcher cum writer of the book.
SDNU has also decided to postpone its annual Gawai Dayak dinner from May 21 to June 26, tentatively.