KUCHING: A special committee has been formed to look into various problems faced by hard-core poor urban Ibans, including squatters at the Chawan Road Cemetery.
The committee is under the chairmanship of the Kuching Iban community paramount chief Temenggong Datuk Bernard Agan while his deputy is retired Lt Gen Datuk Stephen Mundaw.
The patron of the special committee is Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah Embas.
Its spokesman Wit Malang said yesterday that they had visited the Chawan Road Cemetery squatters’ colony on Tuesday.
“We went together with members from the Kuching District Dayak Iban community leaders association (Persatuan Ketua Masyarakat dan Tuai Rumah Kaum Iban Bahagian Kuching – Pemaik) led by its chairman Penghulu Gunting Hiang,” he said.
According to Wit, they were there to gather more information about the squatters.
“The few that we met were very cooperative and were willing to explore any possible solution to their woes with the help of the state government,” he said.
Wit remarked that they had decided to meet there again on August 12.
“After this meeting, we plan to meet the chief minister (Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari Tun Openg) himself to brief him on their problems,” he said.
Meanwhile, Uggah (during a dinner here organised by Pemaik on July 11) advised the association to collect data on those living in their respective areas of jurisdiction.
“The data should include the problems faced by the people coming to live in the city, including housing and social problems,” he said.
He added that he wanted the data ready by the end of this month. The data would be studied to evaluate how the government could help them solve their problems.
