Give Rural Folks Vital Info On Improving Economy, Says Pairin
Tuesday, 13 July 2004 (Source: Bernama)

KUDAT: Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Joseph Pairin Kitingan wants government agencies and departments to relay information on economic facilities provided by the government to the rural communities.

By exposing them to such information and ideas, the target group would be more aware of the opportunities offered by the government, he said when officiating the seminar themed "Increasing the Income of the Indigenous People in Various Development Aspects" here, Tuesday.

He said that knowing the facilities available, the rural folks could take advantage of the facilities to improve their living standard.

"We cannot change the situation until we change the mindset of the target group. We are not just stressing on the physical aspect of development but the humanity aspect as well, because there is a noticeable income divide between the urban and the rural areas," he said.

The one-day seminar, organised by the Institute of Development Studies (IDS) Sabah, saw the participation of some 80 senior officers from government departments and agencies from the state's northern region.

Pairin, who is also the Rural Development Minister, said indigenous people, who make up majority of rural settlers here, could engage themselves in the production of handicrafts to increase their income.

He said they could also learn marketing techniques to promote their products locally and internationally.

Pairin said the federal and state governments had set aside allocations for many rural community economy development projects with RM444.57 million allocated for this year.