Libat Langub
MIRI (Nov 25): The Dayak Chamber of Commerce and Industry (DCCI) called on Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim to establish a dedicated economic unit for the Dayak community.
Its secretary-general Libat Langub said in a statement that the unit, which will fall under the Prime Minister’s Department, will enable the federal government to formulate a specific economic agenda or policy for issues affecting the Dayak business community.
“This is long overdue as we are left economically far behind other business communities. This way, we believe the native business community can be assisted – enabling them to participate in the country’s business and economy,” he said on Thursday.
Libat added DCCI is looking forward to Anwar addressing issues close to the Dayak business community’s heart.
“The federal government should review and monitor the implementation of present economic and educational policies for natives of Sarawak to ensure the target groups are reached and goals are achieved in line with the Federal Constitution, the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63) and Inter-Governmental Committee (IGC) Report.
“DCCI also wants a bigger quota of Dayak student intakes at the tertiary education level as well as bigger allocations of scholarship funds or other forms of financial assistance,” he said.
Libat said DCCI is optimistic that Anwar will understand Sarawak’s demands and agree to restore its rights under MA63.
“Under the new Budget 2023, DCCI wants more development funds to be allocated to build infrastructure such as roads, clean water, electricity, reliable telecommunications and internet connectivity as well as improved educational facilities in Sarawak, particularly its rural areas,” he said.
On national economy, Libat said Anwar must immediately attend to urgent socioeconomic problems that Malaysia is facing such as inflation, high cost of living and unemployment and come up with wise solutions.