Moves are underway for a Dayak chamber of commerce in Sarawak.

This was one of the resolutions adopted at the one-day workshop for the bumiputra minority groups  the Dayaks of Sarawak and Kadazandusun-Muruts of Sabah  held in Kuala Lumpur last week.

A committee headed by prominent Iban businessman and politician Leonard Linggi Jugah is now scrutinising the draft of the proposed chamber's constitution.

According to the spokesperson for the working committee, the workshop had given top priority to the setting up of the chamber.

In the last census, the Dayaks who include the Iban, Bidayuh and Orang Ulu, make up about half of Sarawak's population and form the majority of the bumiputra in the state. Their number represent about five percent of Malaysia's population of 22 million people.

Bigger stake

The spokesperson added that the decision to set up their own chamber commerce of commerce was based on the common desire of the Dayaks to have a bigger stake of the economic cake.

The chamber's role will not only be to receive projects but also distribute them down the line to the Dayak business community, he added.

The recent workshop also adopted a resolution urging that a greater quota be allocated to the Dayaks in institutions of higher learning.

'We're hoping that everything can be finalised soon for the Dayak chamber of commerce to be set up within this year,' the spokesman added.