KUCHING: The Dayak Chamber of Commerce and Industry (DCCI) president Datuk Joseph Salang Gandum is delighted that Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak had listened to Dayak MPs’ request to increase housing loans for the building of longhouses.
The Julau MP said Dayak MPs had met the prime minister on Monday to discuss matters affecting the community, including longhouse loans that were too small to assist the mainly low-income longhouse dwellers.
“We are glad he listened and accommodated our request. By announcing a new programme for the longhouse loan under Budget 2016, this showed he had been receptive of our ideas,” he said when contacted in Kuala Lumpur yesterday.
Najib announced a new programme that collaborated with the Sarawak government to provide RM70 million under Bank Simpanan Nasional for interest-free loans for the purpose of building longhouses.
The maximum loan for every unit in the longhouse is RM50,000, up from RM10,000 currently.
Salang also expressed his gratitude on behalf of the Dayak community for the allocation of RM30 million to continue perimeter survey of Native Customary Rights (NCR) land.
He said this would ensure more NCR land titles be issued to the Dayak community under the NCR New Initiative that was launched in 2010.
Najib, in his budget speech, announced the allocation of RM30 million to continue NCR land perimeter survey. It comes under the RM115 million allocated to the Special Programme for Bumiputeras in Sabah and Sarawak, which also includes building native courts in the two states.
On another matter, Salang urged more Dayak entrepreneurs to seize opportunities presented with the continuation of loans and schemes provided by Bumiputera Agenda Steering Unit (Teraju) and Tabung Ekonomi Kumpulan Usaha Niaga (Tekun).
“My hope is that more DCCI members would apply and participate (in the opportunities presented to them). As far as we are concerned, Tekun is always there while we in DCCI have been working together with Teraju to provide training and organise programmes to produce more Dayak entrepreneurs,” he said.
For Budget 2016, Najib announced a further RM150 million to Teraju to develop Bumiputera schemes.
He also announced that Tekun would allocate RM600 million, including RM500 million for Bumiputera entrepreneurs, as he emphasised that Bumiputera empowerment, being a national agenda, would encompass the development of the Bumiputera communities in Sabah and Sarawak, as well.-Borneo Post
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