Uggah pays tribute to Jabu
KUCHING: Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah Embas has praised his predecessor Datuk Pattinggi Tan Sri Alfred Jabu Numpang for taking a holistic approach towards poverty eradication and creating opportunities for the Dayak community.
He noted that the state has seen a huge decline in poverty in the rural areas, from 54.9 per cent in 1970 to only 1.6 per cent in 2015.
“He (Jabu) has played a big role in eradicating poverty in Sarawak especially among the Dayak community,” said Uggah during an appreciation dinner for Jabu at the Borneo Convention Centre Kuching on Sunday.
Uggah also said Jabu has always been his political mentor since 1977.
He added that Jabu and his wife Tan Sri Dato Sri Empiang Jabu have always been people-oriented and would constantly be at the forefront on matters concerning the Dayak community.
He commended the couple for looking into the plight of the Dayak community especially regarding education, infrastructure, Iban language and cultural development.
“His passion is to see the uplift of the livelihood of the Dayaks to be much better and comfortable. He has committed much of his time to eradicate poverty. He has travelled to every nook and cranny of Sarawak to make sure the issue of poverty is addressed,” Uggah said of Jabu.
On another note, he said the passion shown by Jabu to uplift the livelihood of the Dayak community came in the form of Sarawak Land Consolidation and Rehabilitation Authority (Salcra) which plays a huge role in the decline of poverty in the state.
In addition, Jabu was the chairman of the Dayak Cultural Foundation (DCF), which acts as a vehicle for the Dayak community on socio- economic development, when it was set up in 1992, Uggah said further.
“DCF is currently in the midst of applying for government land to build a Dayak cultural complex to showcase the culture and heritage of the Dayak community,” added Uggah, who is the current DCF chairman.
He also said Jabu had been appointed as the advisor of the foundation due to his vast experience to guide it to greater heights.
Since its humble beginnings in 1992, DCF has been financially healthy and able to carry out various economic programmes and cultural activities for the Dayak community, Uggah added.
“In 2015 to 2016, DCF provided full scholarships to five Dayak students to pursue their tertiary education,” he further said.
He believes the time has come when there should not be anymore Dayak students who are unable to pursue their education due to financial constraints.
Also speaking was the event’s organising chairman Datu Ose Murang, who said Jabu has completed his epic marathon of 43 years in the state’s political scene successfully.
“His heart and feet are set firmly on the ground for the people he is serving,” he added.
Among the people attending the dinner were Deputy Chief Minister Tan Sri Datuk Amar Dr James Masing, Minister of Youth, Sports and Solidarity Dato Sri Michael Manyin, Deputy Minister of Rural and Regional Development Datuk Alexander Nanta Linggi, State Legislative Assembly deputy speaker Datuk Gerawat Gala and Dayak Cultural Foundation managing trustee Tan Sri Datuk Amar Leonard Linggi Jugah.
His passion is to see the uplift of the livelihood of the Dayaks to be much better and comfortable. He has committed much of his time to eradicate poverty. He has travelled to every nook and cranny of Sarawak to make sure the issue of poverty is addressed. Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah Embas, Deputy Chief Minister