SIBU: The state government through the Unit for Other Religions (Unifor) will continue to provide financial assistance to non-Muslim religious institutions for the use of their respective houses of worship, said political secretary to the chief minister Romeo Christopher Tegong.
He said for this purpose, the state government had allocated RM50 million annually to Unifor which was established in 2017 to assist non-Muslim religious institutions.
“The amount of money may not be enough for all 82 constituencies in the state. What is important is that those in need should apply to Unifor and if there is an urgent need, their application will be given priority,” he said.
Romeo said this when officiating at the earth-breaking ceremony of the Iban Methodist Church (GMI) in Kampung Sentosa Phase II here, today.
He reiterated that the extent of Unifor’s assistance was not limited to only churches, but also included other religious houses of worship such as temples and shrines.
Earlier, in his welcoming speech, GMI Sentosa Phase II chairman Entusan Utom said the church which was constructed out of wood was already 15 years old and had collapsed twice due to its structure no longer being able to accommodate many worshippers at one time.
He hoped they would be able to apply for funds to build a new church on the same site.
The construction of the concrete church costs RM1.1 million and is expected to be completed within 15 months.
