KUCHING: The state’s biggest youth organisation, Sarawak United National Youth Organisation (SABERKAS) is now more multi-racial with the increasing participation of the Chinese youth compared to the past when it was dominated by the Bumiputeras.
Its president Datuk Seri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah said the participation of the Chinese in its activities on the ground is very encouraging.
“They also offered themselves to be in the executive committee as shown during last year’s triennial general meeting,” he told reporters after chairing the executive committee meeting yesterday.
He said SABERKAS now has 55,694 members as more youth are joining in as members as they know that it is a good platform for them.
Abdul Karim, who is also Youth, Sports and Entrepreneur Development Minister, said the organisation has 82 branches throughout the state, up from over 40 previously.
He explained that the increase is due to the exercise to set up a branch in each of the 82 state constituencies.
Abdul Karim said SABERKAS is also the envy of the youth movements from other states because it is known to be a good platform for the youth and how it organises its activities.
“They even come here to study how we make money,” he said.
Abdul Karim said SABERKAS’ strength lies in its ability to organise activities, especially sports carnivals, almost every week either in Kuching City or outside.
He said it is involved in organising 272 programmes at various level so far this year, with 208 programmes organised by the state body itself while the other 64 were jointly organised with its strategic partners, including the Sarawak Ministry of Youth, Sports and Entrepreneur Development and federal Ministry of Youth and Sports and the Youth and Sports Department.
Abdul Karim said the state youth organisation is in good financial position, with an income of over RM100,000 a month from the rental of its assets, mainly in Bintulu and Miri.
He said SABERKAS also receives dividends from its investments including in the oil palm plantations.
It also receives an annual contribution of RM500,000 from the state government and another RM150,000 from the Youth, Sports and Entrepreneur Development Ministry.
He said an overseas trip for SABERKAS leaders will be organised soon to study how youth movements in other countries organise themselves and their activities.
