KUCHING, Oct 10 2026: Think tank Dayak Native Initiative (DANI) has expressed its hope that the increase in allocation for Sarawak will accelerate efforts to narrow the development gap between urban areas and rural and interior communities.
It said priority should be given to communities that continue to face inadequate basic amenities and limited access to education, healthcare and economic opportunities.
"For us, the success of the budget must be measured by tangible improvements in people’s lives, such as roads that remain accessible throughout the year, clean water, reliable electricity, good internet connectivity, and adequately equipped schools and clinics are basic necessities that require urgent attention," it said in a reaction to the federal 2027 budget tabled by Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim in Parliament yesterday.
Under the federal budget, Sarawak will receive RM16.2 billion next year.
DANI said it is concerned that uneven development and limited employment opportunities are among the factors driving young people to migrate from villages and longhouses to urban areas.
"When young people have to seek livelihoods far from home, their communities lose the productive workforce needed to sustain agriculture, drive local economic activity and care for ageing family members," it said.
"This can leave more longhouse units without permanent occupants, while community life increasingly depends on older residents," it added, stressing that the consequences also affect the continuity of the customs, culture and communal life that define longhouse identity.
DANI also said that development in the interior must therefore go hand in hand with opportunities to earn an income, and it calls for greater attention to strengthening agriculture, small businesses, community cooperatives and cultural tourism, supported by training, access to financing and marketing assistance.
"Young people need viable options to build their future in their own communities. They should be able to remain in or return to their villages with confidence that adequate amenities and opportunities to earn a decent income are available.
"We also urge that projects be implemented transparently, on schedule and according to communities’ actual needs," it said, suggesting that the involvement of longhouse chiefs, village heads and local residents is essential to ensure that projects effectively address their concerns.
"Project progress and maintenance after completion must also be monitored consistently," it said, hoping that the federal and Sarawak governments will continue to strengthen their cooperation so that the benefits of the federal budget reach even the most remote communities in the interior.
“Successful development reaches the people, revitalises rural economies and ensures that longhouses continue to have a future," DANI added.
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