Old Unimas campus possible site of DCF HQ KUCHING: Dayak Cultural Foundation (DCF) founding chairman, Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Alfred Jabu, is adamant that its new headquarters should be built within the Kota Samarahan education hub, despite the foundation still in search of fund to build one. Jabu, who is Deputy Chief Minister, said the location of DCF headquarters should be close to higher learning institutes such as Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM) and Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (Unimas), “to ensure that it can play its role to encourage education development and human capital development among the Dayak communities”. At the moment, the application for the site of the new headquarters is still in process. He said it would take time for the foundation to plan the building of the headquarters as acquisition of inputs from the state planning authority was also needed. One of them is how the foundation could maximise its income from the properties that are to be developed. Its major source of finance comes from property businesses “We do not want to be isolated from the mainstream of education business. Furthermore, DCF is very much interested to be part of the development of new areas in Kota Samarahan,” he told reporters during a handing over ceremony of a commercial unit at Lubok Antu from Permodalan Amanah Saham Sarawak (Assar) Sdn Bhd to DCF at his office in Wisma Bapa Malaysia here yesterday. Also present were Assar chairman Tan Sri Bujang Mohd Nor, DCF managing trustee Tan Sri Leonard Linggi Tun Jugah and a member of the board of directors Dato Sri Michael Manyin, among others. Touching on the size of the proposed headquarters, Jabu said the project capacity would depend on the amount of money the foundation could raise. He also assured that designs for the building would incorporate beautiful ambience of all Dayak ethnic cultures of Iban, Bidayuh and Orang Ulu. When in Betong for Gawai visit in June last year Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak announced a RM5 million initial allocation to build the headquarters. Later that week, Jabu mentioned of a piece of land of about four acres near the old Unimas campus that has been earmarked for a possible site. On cost, he said that could not be determined as yet. The DCF office is presently located on Level 6 of the Tun Jugah building here. Apart from Jabu, the foundation has 16 other members in the board of trustees, comprising Iban, Bidayuh and Orang Ulu personalities. BP 17/7/13
Posted on: Wed, 17 Jul 2013 00:52:18 +0000