SIBU: Sarakup Indu Dayak Sarawak (SIDS) has been urged to go further to nurture women leaders who shape policies and determine Sarawak’s future.
In making the call, Bawang Assan assemblyman Datuk Seri Wong Soon Koh stated he is looking forward to seeing more Dayak women in government, business and legislative insitutions.
“Dayak women understand real challenges – rural education gaps, limited healthcare, economic hardship, and youth migration. These are lived realities, not statistic,” he said at the closing of the SIDS Sibu Branch’s 34th Annual General Meeting held here recently.
Wong, who is also the Progressive Democratic Party (PDP) senior vice-president, pointed out that women must not only be recipients of policy but drivers of policy.
He said Sarakup Indu Dayak must be a strong bridge between grassroots voices and decision-makers.
“If we want real change, we must confront a fundamental issue: Does Sarawak have sufficient control over its own resources? This brings us to the Malaysia Agreement 1963 – the constitutional foundation of Sarawak’s rights.
“Without greater autonomy, we cannot achieve fair development especially for rural women and families. With autonomy, we can invest more in women, healthcare, education, and local opportunities.
“The struggle for Sarawak’s rights must not belong only to political leaders, it must become a people’s movement. Women must be at the forefront.”
Meanwhile, he paid tribute to all Dayak women – pillars of families, builders of society, guardians of culture, and leaders of the future.
Without women in decision-making, there can be no truly just policies, he said, adding without women’s leadership, development will remain incomplete.
Among those present was SIDS chairperson Angelyn Uchi Maseng.
