File photo showing the Rumah Dayak project site next to the completed shoplots. — Photo by Roystein Emmor
KUCHING (June 10): Dato Sri Dr Stephen Rundi Utom said he will assist the Sarawak Dayak National Union (SDNU) to meet Premier Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg to solve its long-delayed Rumah Dayak project.
The Minister of Food Industry, Commodities and Regional Development however advised the union to sort out matters first with the contractor involved in the project prior to meeting the Premier.
“Once that is done, we can sit down and I can make appointment for you to meet with the Premier, and I will go along with you,” he said at the SDNU Gawai Dayak open house held at the shoplot compounds next to the Rumah Dayak site at Jalan Satok here on Friday night.
Dr Rundi (fifth left) and his wife Datin Sri Loreta Sawot (fourth left) join the SDNU main committee for a group photo.
Dr Rundi said this when responding to requests made by SDNU president Tan Sri William Mawan to help expedite the completion of the Rumah Dayak project.
The project was launched in 1997, but has yet to be completed almost 27 years later.
Dr Rundi said that the Rumah Dayak represents the image of the Dayak communities in Sarawak, and felt obliged to take up the challenge.
“We want our younger generation to see the completed Rumah Dayak. We have to settle it — don’t think about your friction and don’t let the diverse opinions that we have to have a negative impact on whatever we want to do,” he said.
The minister believed that the Premier also sympathised with the situation regarding the long delays and would want to provide assistance.
As such, he called on the Dayak communities to live up to the ‘Segulai Sejalai’ motto to have their voices heard loudly and clearly on the project.
“The words ‘Segulai Sejalai’ means a lot to all of us — until the Prime Minister (Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim) took it upon himself to nationalise the words, which mean ‘unity’,” he said.
Meanwhile, the open house was held as a continuation of the Ngabang Gawai organised by Radio Televisyen Malaysia (RTM), SDNU and the Department of Agriculture at the nearby RTM Sarawak office.
It was also announced that SDNU would receive RM100,000 in government grants, with RM50,000 coming from Dr Rundi and RM30,000 from Mawan. The remaining RM20,000 grant will come from SDNU deputy president Christopher Gira.