KUCHING, March 31 — Parti Bansa Dayak Sarawak (PBDS Baru) said today it would campaign for single mothers and housewives to receive a monthly allowance of RM1,000 from the government.

PBDS Baru deputy president Patrick Anek said the Opposition party will also raise this issue in the Dewan Rakyat if any of its candidates won seats in the upcoming 14th general election (GE14).

“As homemakers, mothers have contributed much to society, their families and in bringing up their children, many of whom are successful in business, politics, education and other fields,” he told reporters after attending the party’s supreme council meeting here.

Anek said his party will release its election manifesto after Parliament is dissolved.

He said PBDS Baru will also call for balanced recruitment among the various communities into the government service.

He claimed many federal and state departments, like the National Registration Department, Education Department, Lands and Survey Department and Yayasan Sarawak, were mostly staffed by one particular community.

“Applications from the Chinese and Dayak communities should also be considered so long as they meet the requirements,” he said, pointing out that the recruitment into the government service should be based purely on meritocracy.

Anek said the party was not trying to play up racial issues, but wanted the imbalance to be corrected as Sarawak did not belong to any single community.

He said PBDS Baru will also call for the speedy return of Sarawak’s rights under the Malaysia Agreement, which have been knowingly or inadvertently taken by the federal government since 1963.

He said these include the return of ownership of oil and gas resources in Sarawak’s territory and reinstatement of Sarawak’s status to one of the three territories from one of the 13 states in the federation.

“We want Article 2(1) of the Federal Constitution, which was amended in 1976, to be reinstated to its original position that placed Sarawak as one of the four territories, including Singapore, that formed the federation of Malaysia in 1963,” he said.

Singapore was expelled from the federation in 1965, leaving only Malaya, Sabah and Sarawak.

 On the party’s candidates, Anek said their names, including that of a woman, will be released after the dissolution of the Dewan Rakyat.

“We have identified at least 10 constituencies where we will contest,” he said, adding that these are Dayak majority seats.