Poor Dayak/Iban In Kuching Scavanging For Living : Where Are the Iban Politicians and NGO like SADIA and SDNU?

KUCHING
Tuesday, 23rd March 2010

Where are the Iban Politicians and NGO such as SADIA and SDNU?

Sometimes in November last year (2009), while I was driving in the vacinity of Stapok, I saw two adult females and two children at the age of between 8 to 10 years scavanging the rubbish bins placed by MBKS in that area.

Based on their looks, I knew that they were the  poor dayak/Iban who lived around that area or could be as far as the Desa Wira resetlement scheme. And this morning, Borneo Post published the hardship of a single mother by the name of Entunan and her three young children age 11, 9 and 6 years old.

Entunan story that she shared with the Batu Kawah representative YB Tan from Sarawak United People Party (SUPP) was really sad. According to her, she built the hut where she and her children is staying using the scrapped metal, zinnc sheet and wood that she could found nearby. As for the expenses of the family, she relies on the money provide by the government and the local church. Looking at the high cost of living in Kuching, I just could not imagined how could she and her four children could live with the amount of RM 340 in Kuching. Another sad story that she shared with YB Tan was how the children going to school which is located about thirty minutes walking distance from their hut.

Entunan story is just a tip of an iceberg of the poor dayak/Iban in Kuching. There are many more Iban who migrated to Kuching and suffer like Entunan. But the point that I want to raise this morning is about the roles of the Dayak YBs and NGOs in helping these poor Iban families in Kuching.

We have so many YBs in DUN and parliament, but why none of them came forward to help these poor Iban. Politician like Jabu Numpang, Jemut Masing,Snowdan Lawan who openly claimed themselves as the dayak politicians and who had won the seats by dayak votes, but doing nothing to help the poor Iban/dayak in Kuching. Where are they?

Talking about dayak association or NGO, we have SADIA, SDNU and many more, but where are they? Are they only interested to get government grant or joining the association as a stepping stone to enter politic? And if barisan Nasional (BN)  politicians have been doing nothing to help the dayak, the PKR should take this opportunity. Being the new party to the dayak, helping the poor dayak/Iban in Kuching can help to increase PKR popularity amongst the dayal/Iban voters.

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