SANDAKAN: GRS’s Sekong candidate Puan Sri Diana Diego has urged coastal families to place academic education at the centre of their children’s future, saying it remains the most reliable path out of hardship.
She said many coastal children display strong creative and technical talents, but academic foundations are still needed for them to compete confidently with other communities.
Diana stressed that mothers play a decisive role in nurturing an early love for learning so their children do not remain trapped in cycles of poverty and low self-esteem.
She said education would be her main focus if elected, noting that stigma such as being labelled “anak atas air” continues to discourage many coastal children from attending school.
Diana, who calls herself “Ibu Rumpun Pesisir” (Mother of the Coastal Community), said she aims to uplift all coastal communities regardless of ethnicity and wants their children to stand proudly alongside others.
