Photo shows members of the Dayak community. — Photo by Chimon Upon
MIRI (Feb 22): A group of Dayak-based organisations here has called on the federal government under Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim to create a special fund for the community under the annual budget.
In a press statement issued today, the group said it believes the request is in line with the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63).
According to the group, one of the main points of the Malaysia Agreement 1963 is equality of development between Malaya, Sarawak, and Sabah.
“We notice that attention has been given to various other races in the federal government’s annual budget in the past. It is also common knowledge that the federal government has allocated special funds for the Orang Asli, Indian, and Chinese communities.
“However, for the Dayaks the situation is very disappointing. Our existence in the formation of Malaysia seems to be marginalised and there has never been any special funding allocated and distributed, especially to the Dayaks in Sarawak. We also never heard of special funds for the Kadazan-Dusun-Murut-Rungus (KDMR) community in Sabah,” the group said in the statement.
The group said this demonstrated an imbalance in terms of allocation for the various races in Malaysia.
“We cannot have a race that is left behind when it comes to distribution of allocations, because the phrase ‘shared prosperity’, which is constantly mentioned, needs to be enjoyed by all Malaysians including the Orang Asal of Sabah and Sarawak,” said the group of non-governmental organisations (NGOs).
The group said another important condition when the people of Sabah and Sarawak agreed to form Malaysia was the guarantee of special rights for indigenous people as enshrined in Article 153 (1) of the Federal Constitution.
“Article 153 (1) states: ‘It shall be the responsibility of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong to safeguard the special position of the Malays and Natives of any of the States of Sabah and Sarawak and the legitimate interests of other communities.’
“More that two million Malaysians are from the Dayak community of Sarawak and Sabah’s KDMR. But the federal government has never set aside a special allocation in the annual budget for these Native communities,” said the group.
The group said if the matter has been overlooked all this while, then now is the time for the federal government to start including it in the annual budget.
“Budget 2023 will be announced soon and we hope the current government can start the ball rolling and create history by kickstarting this special allocation for the Natives of Sarawak and Sabah.
“Maybe the Dayak political leaders from Sarawak or KDMR are tight-lipped for whatever reasons, so let us the NGOs of Sarawak and Sabah speak for the people from the island of Borneo, who are still far behind in terms of physical development and human capital,” said the group.
The group said the special fund request could be considered as part of ongoing MA63 negotiations.
“We really hoped that we will not be left behind in the government’s efforts to fulfil demands under MA63,” added the group.
The press statement was signed by Dayak Think Tank Association Sarawak deputy president Ricky Sani; Dayak National Congress president Paul Raja; Iban Association Sarawak president Samuel Suring; Terabai Menua Association Sarawak adviser Wilfred Nissem; Sarawak Native Customary Land Rights Network president Romuald Siew; Salako and Rara Community Association president Robert Umping; Society for Rights of Indigenous People of Sarawak secretary-general Michael M Jok; and Sarawak Dayak Iban Association Miri secretary Rafael Dru.