MIRI: The Ministry of Youth and Sports (KBS) will expand its Kembara Inspirasi Belia Akar Umbi (KIBAR) programme to Sarawak’s interior, bringing youth development initiatives and direct engagement with the government to more rural communities across the state.
Deputy Minister of Youth and Sports Mordi Bimol said the move follows the encouraging response to KIBAR in Sarawak and reflects the ministry’s commitment to ensuring that youths in remote areas are not left behind in national development efforts.
“We want to bring KIBAR to communities deep in the interior so that more rural youths can be engaged and benefit from the youth development programmes provided by the government,” he told a press conference after the KIBAR 2.0 programme at Dewan Serbaguna Haji Saban Garip in Kampung Luak here on Sunday.
Mordi said Sarawak is among the few states selected to host KIBAR 2.0 at two locations — Kuching and Miri — unlike most other states which only have one venue, in recognition of Sarawak’s vast geographical size and the need to reach a wider youth population.
He said KIBAR serves not only as a platform to communicate government policies and initiatives but also as a channel for gathering direct feedback from youths, particularly those in rural areas.
“The town hall session, which is the programme’s main component, enables youth views and suggestions to be collected before being forwarded to the relevant ministries and agencies for follow-up action,” he said.
Apart from the town hall, the programme featured various community-based activities, including a ruai gathering, the Jualan Rahmah affordable sales programme, traditional games and other activities aimed at strengthening engagement between the government and local communities.
About 500 participants attended the town hall session, comprising youths from various associations and educational institutions in Miri, including state colleges, the Miri Technical Excellence Centre (MTEC) and the National Youth Skills Institute (IKBN) Miri.
