PADAWAN: Persatuan Suku SUNA Padawan has received a RM30,000 grant to support its community development initiatives and efforts to preserve its cultural heritage.
Presenting the allocation, Deputy Minister for Transport Datuk Dr Jerip Susil said community-based associations such as the association play a vital role in safeguarding customs, traditions and ancestral history while strengthening ties among members.
“The association plays an important role in ensuring that our customs, culture and ancestral history continue to be preserved and passed down to the younger generation,” he said.
He said this when officiating at the closing of the association’s Gawai 2026 celebration at Dewan @ Barei Biperoh in Kampung Garung, Jalan Puncak Borneo, on Saturday (July 11).
Dr Jerip, who is also Mambong assemblyman, urged the younger generation not to lose sight of their roots and cultural identity despite rapid development and modernisation.
He also proposed that the association introduce incentives for outstanding students as an encouragement for more youths to excel academically while remaining grounded in their cultural values and traditions.
Founded to unite descendants of the SUNA clan, the association continues to strengthen community unity, improve the socio-economic well-being of its members and preserve the cultural heritage of the Bidayuh community in Padawan.
Officially registered with the Registrar of Societies Malaysia on July 28, 2020, the association is built on the legacy of six ancestral siblings and is committed to ensuring its customs, traditions and identity are passed on to future generations.
The name ‘SUNA’ is derived from the abbreviated names of the late male and female ancestors from whom the community traces its lineage, reflecting the association’s respect for the legacy of its forebears.
