KINABATANGAN: The State Government has agreed to provide RM20,000 in compensation to residents affected by the Pan Borneo Highway project who do not possess land titles but are recognised as Sabah natives.
Kinabatangan Member of Parliament , Datuk Mohd Kurniawan Naim Moktar, said the assistance is expected to help ease the burden faced by affected residents.
“It is hoped this assistance will help ease the burden of residents affected by the project,” he said.
According to him, several residents had expressed dissatisfaction over the compensation process handled by the relevant authorities, prompting him, together with Lamag Assemblyman Mohd Ismail Ayub and the Kinabatangan District Officer, to organise an engagement session with government agencies recently.
He said the session proceeded smoothly and enabled villagers to obtain clarification regarding issues that had been raised.
“Any unresolved matters will be forwarded through official correspondence to ensure residents receive clearer explanations,” he said.
Mohd Kurniawan said residents understood the importance of development and stressed that his office would ensure that no community would be marginalised in the implementation of the project.
Meanwhile, he said future Kaamatan celebrations in Lamag would be further enhanced with additional cultural and traditional activities representing the district’s various ethnic communities.
Among the proposed improvements are the expansion of traditional sports events and the construction of more traditional houses aimed at exposing younger generations to cultural heritage.
He said such efforts are important in educating children to better understand their culture and traditions from an early age while ensuring the customs of various ethnic groups continue to be preserved.
“We want younger generations to become familiar with their own culture from young. Next year we may hold the event at a different location and, if all goes well, the new hall is also expected to be completed,” he said.
“We are also planning to build more traditional houses and expand traditional sports activities so the wider community can better appreciate and understand the culture and traditions of the various ethnic groups in this district,” he added.
Mohd Ismail said the programme not only showcased the culture of the Kadazandusun Murut (KDM) community but also involved the Sungai community and other ethnic groups as part of efforts to strengthen unity among Sabah’s multi-ethnic society.
He added that proposals had also been made to introduce children’s categories for Sugandoi and Unduk Ngadau competitions during future district-level Kaamatan celebrations to ensure cultural traditions continue to be passed down to younger generations.
Mohd Kurniawan said early exposure for children was important to ensure the community’s cultural heritage would not be forgotten or eroded by modernisation.
“Perhaps we can introduce children’s categories such as Sugandoi and Unduk Ngadau competitions so they can gain early exposure to the customs and traditions of the community,” he said.
