By Voon Shiak Ni, PKR National Women
vice head.
KUCHING, June 6, 2014: A reflection of Chief
Minister Adenan Satem's 100 days heading
our state of sarawak , I have this to comment .
In his 100 days , no doubt he has tried
to be bold and to be different in his approach to strengthen his influence and
power as the new head of state .
He had tried to mediate the then
existing political bickering among his BN component parties and had also tried
to be more friendly and approachable by the opposition divide .
We applaud his earnest efforts
positively in trying to stabilise the political scenario in sarawak .
However, as an observer in the aspect of
welfare of the society, we are still waiting for Adenan for his agenda for
women and children in the state .
In his 100 days of focusing on
addressing the political bickering in Sarawak which has actually yet to see any
light of stability until to-date with the emergence of TERAS, we wish to
comment that Adenan has been too busy and taken up with the trying to shape a
new politicial landscape and slow in turning his attention on his agenda for
the women and children welfare and issues in the state .
He has been slow to see that it is high
time that the social ills and welfare issues especially issues which
are plaguing our state now should be given due focus and attention as soon too.
There is no women and children agenda
brought up yet in Adenan's 100 days propaganda .
We wish to highlight that the issue of
baby dumping has been on the increase in Sarawak and is a mounting social
crisis and a worrying issue that will
rot the society and the younger generation.
There are horrifying news of babies
found in dustbins and toilets.
What has our state government's plans to
combat this social crisis? To embark on more awareness campaigns? Or the
introduction of sex education in schools?
The number of teenage pregnancies is on
the rise in Sarawak over the last two years and there has been an increase of
unwed and underaged pregnancies registered in a few major hospitals in the
state as revealed byFatimah Abdullah and her women ministry .
We hope that Adenan in the next 100 days
will produce a women and children agenda to empower our state women ministry
and the women NGOs to combat serious
social problems.
In addition , pertaining to sexual abuse
issues, we are still waiting for the stage government to step in to pursue the
issue of the allegations of rape and abuse of the Penan girls and women in the
interior of Sarawak by timber loggers, an issue which had waited six long years
for justice to be seen but no light had been shed by the Sarawak state
government on the issue so far .
We hope that Adenan will not fail the
women community in Sarawak and we believe that
enhanced attention and efforts by state government will lift the social
status of women and children and we have confidence that our hard working and
committed women minister Fatimah will see through all that is needed to ensure
that welfare for women and children be carefully attended to with more extended
funds and help from state government.
It is an issue which needs urgent
address and cannot be swept under the carpet anymore .
Another issue is the concern of the many dilapidated
schools in the rural areas in Sarawak which are desperately in need of repair .
We have been given to understand that
though there has been funds allocated for education sector but funds for
repairing and rebuilding of the many
dilapidated schools is not clearly specified and funds is a problem .
It would be a relief to many Sarawakians
if Adenan can step in to help the ministry to get additional funds and assistance
for the upgrading of the many
dilapidated schools in Sarawak .
We believe that only when the basic
needs and welfare of the society and the people are looked into properly will
political stability comes along .
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