A SOCIAL activist in Sarawak has questioned how the achievement of a "region" status for Sarawak will benefit the poor.
Harry Wing asked if the "region" status will mean that the GPS govewrnment repair roads, bridges and rural longhouses plagued by floods.
"Will GPS leaders use the "region" status to provide food for rural families still living in huts made of plywood and zinc and struggling to have enough to eat daily?" he asked.
Wing, who is a native of the Belaga district deep in central Sarawak, said GPS leaders must first alleviate the hardships of rural Sarawak folk.
"It sounds very grand for GPS to want to turn Sarawak into a region and enjoy a status higher than that of a state.
"Unfortunately, the realities on the ground are that the rural poor are getting poorer by the month as the cost of living shoots up.
"Rural roads and bridges are deteriorating by the week, and longhouses are flooded more than six times a year.
"We still have a big population of scattered families living in huts made of zinc and plywood. I urge GPS to help us poor Sarawakians first,” he said.
Wing recently visited the rural poor housed in wooden and zinc structures in settlements in Balaga linked by rundown bridges and bad roads.
Yesterday, The Vibes reported that the Sarawak assembly was taking steps to assert that Sarawak is a region and not a state of Malaysia. – April 27, 2024.
