MIRI – A Dayak-based party has slammed Sarawak government leaders for trying to shift the blame to Putrajaya over findings that there are up to 97,000 families living in poverty in the state.
Parti Bangsa Dayak Sarawak Baru (PBDSB) today said parties in Sarawak’s ruling coalition, especially Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB), must shoulder the blame for the imbalanced progress in this state.
PBDSB Youth chief Robert Saweng said Sarawak is seeing mega projects being implemented in certain areas, yet its people remain poor at the grassroots levels.
“The Dayaks are the ones mostly living below the poverty line,” he said in a statement today.
“PBB, which has been in power for decades and is the main party behind the state government, has failed its duty to uplift the life of the rural poor in Sarawak .
“PBB cannot push its responsibility of ensuring balanced progress in this state to the federal government.”
He said PBB and other government leaders in the ruling Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) coalition must undertake effective action to remedy the situation, which was disclosed by latest figures cited in Putrajaya’s e-Kasih programme.
Yesterday, a GPS politician said that the federal government must share the blame if the latest national e-Kasih figure of 97,000 hardcore poor people and families below the poverty line in Sarawak is indeed accurate.
PBB Youth information chief Azizul Annuar Adenan yesterday said Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Abdul Latiff Ahmad had recently mentioned in the Dewan Rakyat that Sarawak has at least 97,000 families living in hardcore poverty and below the poverty line.
“If this figure is accurate, the federal government must explain why it has failed to alleviate the poverty situation in this state,” he had said.
“It is their responsibility and duty to improve the lives of the rakyat in Sarawak. The federal ministry people must go to the ground and assess the true situation.”
He added that Sarawak needs more funds from the federal government.
Azizul also said that the e-Kasih list shows the majority of poor families being from Kuching, Serian, and Simunjan.
“This cannot be accurate as there are many more rural Sarawak districts where there are poor people. Their names are not in the e-Kasih list and they are not being helped.
“They are among those who cannot register with e-Kasih due to lack of internet and other logistic problems,” he said.
Azizul said the federal ministries must deploy more teams into the deep interior of Sarawak, and come up with programmes that are more viable and effective.
On May 25, Minister in the Prime Minister Department Datuk Seri Mustapa Mohamed said Sarawak has about a dozen populated localities with a big population of hardcore poor – out of the 80 hardcore poor localities nationwide. – The Vibes, July 27, 2022
