A total of RM66 million has been approved by the federal government through its Ministry of Rural and Regional Development to provide water supply to various longhouses here.

Assistant Minister of Local Government Datu Dr Penguang Manggil said the project would benefit 8,000 to 10,000 people in the area.

“The project was delayed due to the Sabah water scandal but is has resumed and is expected to be ready in one to two years,” he said after ‘Ngiling Tikai’ (closing of Gawai Dayak) at Rumah Benang, Sungai Bakas in Bakong yesterday.

“This kind of progress and development brought by government cannot be measured in terms of money as the lives and wellbeing of our people in the rural areas would be much better,” he added.

Penguang, who is Marudi assemblyman, said with better lives, ‘our children’s future would be brighter and they would be our leaders in the future’. He assured the people that with better basic infrastructures like water and electricity supply as well as good roads, many of the longhouses here would benefit.

“We must change and work together with the government so that we will not lag behind other communities, or be left out of mainstream development,” he said.

Penguang also advised the rural folk to form their own Neighbourhood Committee (KRT) to unite the people so that they could look after themselves and pool their resources together to better develop their areas.

Later, Penguang handed over cheques amounting to RM660,000 under the Prime Minister’s Special Project to various village security and development committees (JKKKs) and longhouses here.

The special project was announced by the prime minister before the state election last year, he said.

Rumah Benang is a 44-door longhouse, headed by Ketua Kaum Benang Pilang.

Source:
courtesy of THE BORNEO POST

by THE BORNEO POST

If you have any stories or news that you would like to share with the global online community, please feel free to share it with us by contacting us directly at [email protected]