Datuk Seri Daniel TajemA prominent Dayak leader today called for a change of government if the Dayaks want to remedy the injustices that have been meted against the community.
“For the past 45 years the Dayaks have suffered injustices, have been marginalized and have been sidelined in education, scholarships, business opportunities and our NCR lands have been taken and given to big companies,” Datuk Sri Daniel Tajem (pic above) said.
Tajem, who was former Deputy Chief Minister and president of the defunct Parti Bansa Dayak Sarawak (PBDS) was opening a one-day Dayak symposium at a leading hotel in Sibu.
Some 200 professionals and members of the Dayak organisations coming from through the State attended the symposium.
“The only remedy or option open to us is to change the State government,” he said and added that failing to do so would further disenfranchise and disempower the Dayaks.
Tajem said that the State government had introduced a bill to change “Sea Dayak” to “Iban”, the “Land Dayak” to “Bidayuh” and “Murut” to “Lun Bawang”.
The governor has not signed the bill into law, but once it becomes law it means that “Iban”, “Bidayuh” and “Lun Bawang” are no longer natives and will not enjoy the rights and privileges as embodied under Article 153 of the Federal Constitution.
“Even forming a party of our own as provided for under Article 10 (1) (c) we are not only not allowed to form one, we are being accused of likely to cause a threat to national security, public order, peace and harmony.
“During insurgency, we are made heroes and during peace time, we are considered as a threat to national security. Can you believe that?” he said.
Tajem also touched on the amendments to Section 5 (a) (2) of the Land code that have eroded our rights over land.
Earlier the chairman of the Dayak symposium, Augustine Liom said that the ultimate aim of the symposium would endeavour to expose and deliberate on the many sins of the Barisan Nasional Government that have caused miseries, grievances and frustrations to the Dayak communities, be they Bidayuh, Iban or Orang Ulu. – The Broken Shield
“For the past 45 years the Dayaks have suffered injustices, have been marginalized and have been sidelined in education, scholarships, business opportunities and our NCR lands have been taken and given to big companies,” Datuk Sri Daniel Tajem (pic above) said.
Tajem, who was former Deputy Chief Minister and president of the defunct Parti Bansa Dayak Sarawak (PBDS) was opening a one-day Dayak symposium at a leading hotel in Sibu.
Some 200 professionals and members of the Dayak organisations coming from through the State attended the symposium.
“The only remedy or option open to us is to change the State government,” he said and added that failing to do so would further disenfranchise and disempower the Dayaks.
Tajem said that the State government had introduced a bill to change “Sea Dayak” to “Iban”, the “Land Dayak” to “Bidayuh” and “Murut” to “Lun Bawang”.
The governor has not signed the bill into law, but once it becomes law it means that “Iban”, “Bidayuh” and “Lun Bawang” are no longer natives and will not enjoy the rights and privileges as embodied under Article 153 of the Federal Constitution.
“Even forming a party of our own as provided for under Article 10 (1) (c) we are not only not allowed to form one, we are being accused of likely to cause a threat to national security, public order, peace and harmony.
“During insurgency, we are made heroes and during peace time, we are considered as a threat to national security. Can you believe that?” he said.
Tajem also touched on the amendments to Section 5 (a) (2) of the Land code that have eroded our rights over land.
Earlier the chairman of the Dayak symposium, Augustine Liom said that the ultimate aim of the symposium would endeavour to expose and deliberate on the many sins of the Barisan Nasional Government that have caused miseries, grievances and frustrations to the Dayak communities, be they Bidayuh, Iban or Orang Ulu. – The Broken Shield
Source: www.thebrokenshield.blogspot.com
Picture credit: http://www.tvantara.com/See a video report of this story http://www.tvantara.com/v1/video?id=127
24 comments:
Yes! We must change the government now. It is now or never Dayaks.
“During insurgency, we are made heroes and during peace time, we are considered as a threat to national security. Can you believe that?”
Amat nya..maya kelia suba bansa dayak sarawak/sabah maioh dah ngetan ka menoa malaysia...tang sapa ka paling maioh bulih pingat & niki pangkat? I'm not racist tang sidak BN ngasuh kitai think like a racist..we love peace...don't treat us dayak as a racist...or else..dayak also has their limit...
No..no.no For godness sake don't change this government.There is nothing wrong with it. What is needed is to "change" Jabu, Tajem, Moggie,Manyin, Mawan ,Masing.Remove them from the government would help resolve the Dayak dilemma.
DANIEL TAJEM HAS MADE IT CLEAR AGAIN AS HE HAD USED TO DURING THE PBDS TIME OF THIS MAD SITUATION OF THE DAYAKS IN SWAK. EVERY DAYAKS WHO HAVE GOOD EARS TO LISTEN WITH AND GENUINE HEART TO FURTHER THE STRUGGLE TO REVERSE THIS PROBLEM MUST STAND UP AND JOIN FORCES. FORGET AND FORBID THE GREEDY DAYAK LEADERS FROM THE GROUP. TIME FOR THE ANTI MDC AND PBDS POLITICAN TO CALL IT QUIT BOTH AT STATE AND NATIONAL LEVELS. I BELIEVE THAT ALL DAYAKS ASPIRES TO ACHIEVE THE DREAMS OF ENDING THE CURRENT STATE GOVT BUT HAVING BEEN TAMED BY POLITICS OF TAMING THE DAYAKS ALL THIS WHILE MAY HAVE LOST OUR TRUE COLOUR. wAKE UP AND JOIN DANIEL TO TAME AND OUTS THE KEEPER OF THE ANIMAL FARM.
Tajem says government must be changed ? My foot...senile,must be joking!!!!We had wanted to change this government last parliamtary election and you know what? This sick old man openly campaigned for BN candidate in Sri Aman, so how could we possibly succeed in changing or toppling this government?
Yes change we must.Mr.Tajem and Mr.Augustine please show us the
way,we will follow.
WE have enough of the nonsense.May GOD bless you.
Yes, 100% Yes, Sarawak BN government must be removed and changed. BN-Sarawak has been responsible for those injustice toward the Dayak-communities, and most painful are that many BN Dayak leaders and ministers bow toward what ever PBB and Pahin Uban says
This government must be CHANGED by the hands of all the races and communities of Sarawak,if they want a better future. CHANGE, CHANGE, CHANGE, CHANGE, CHANGE...
Thank you, Datuk Seri Daniel. This are your most heart-felt words
kalau melanggar Federal Constitution challenge them in Court, apa ditunggu
A video report of this story
http://www.tvantara.com/v1/video?id=127
I saw some familiar faces in the background. SOme of which are known to be strong PBB supporters. So the PKR ground-swelling support is true and the threat of eroding Dayak support for the BN is real!
Another hair raising point from Daniel Tajem on why we must change, in order to effect change. Is this the week that we Ibans have finally lost it? It must be, because all the encouraging signs that I’ve read in the press, only serves to show how a strange mood of defeatism grips the opposition, in the face of much serious Barisan Nasional strategy in Sarawak.
Look at it properly, the Sarawak electorate is somewhat jaundiced. What was it’s share of the vote at the last election, in Sarawak? If we had more polls tomorrow and over the coming weeks, the findings will not make for interesting reading. More seriously, even our identity is being phased out in the State. Tajem makes a good point about it, the Federal Constitution guarantees the rights of Sea Dayaks, but it makes no mention of the word “Iban”. In fact, in pure legal language, the word Iban does not exists, and is it not the case that the State Government’s constitution must follow the Constitution of Malaysia? Why the deviation?? And why now?
Do you Ibans actually know what it means to be a non native???? Do you Ibans know what you are doing??
But then again, if the Bill is signed, then the changes will be immediate. As an Iban, you could be recognised as a Sarawak bumiputera in SARAWAK, but as soon as you set foot on Malaya, officially, any legal papers identifying you as an Iban, will mean nothing to the Federal authorities, ranging from Education to Defence. The constitution explicitly recognises bumiputeras listed as Sea Dayak, so how could you be a Sea Dayak if you are an Iban??? The law being an ass, either sees a Sea Dayak or an Iban, but not the two together, unlike it is now presently.
I must be dreaming, have the Melanaus changed their own ethnic title in the Federal and State Constitutions??? No, the reason being that it follows it’s definitions strictly.
The other issue is restoring NCR status, but this is almost a dead end. A foregone conclusion. No Iban in Sarawak today sincerely believes in protecting his ancestral land from predatory Chinese managed Palm oil plantation and logging companies, the likes of Shin Yang, Rimbunan Hijau, etc, etc, etc, because effectively, their bought up tuai rumah’s, penghulus and pemanchas, right up to the wakil rakyats actively persuade them to look the other way, and endorse their own displacement and destitution each election. The Iban in Sarawak, are effectively saying to a certain body of people in government, and in power, “here is my land, take it” , at least that is the unstated view in MALAYSIA. There is no amount of ignorance that contributes to this, it is deliberate, it is by choice, and it is desired. No amount of fear about losing favour, patronage and protection that unusually form the basis of votes for the BN is going to reverse that patronising view of the Iban. In reality, the Iban are probably killing off their heritage, and they do so willingly. And the final nail in the coffin is 5 years away. Then all Iban land in the 2nd and 3rd division will be sold or leased to well placed companies in the nation. The Iban will be forced to either work with Indonesian labour, which eventually would force the Ibans out of the plantations, or live enslaved to another migrant population, the arrival of the Javanese, Madurese, and Bugis workers and their families to Iban houses, farms and cementeries. That is happening now, and will continue to escalate in number over the next few years.
Otherwise, just look at the way the Iban behave when certain Chinese towkays give them beer and babi. Now you know what the real problem is, it is not just a lack of education, personally I doubt it if education helped at all in the first place, it is sheer stupidity. The kind of rational small minded thinking that dwells in our rural population that cannot, will not, is not amenable to any other views but that what is repeated like manna from meligai keling. Anang laban printah !
So Joseph Tawie, and the rest talk about restoring their people’s rights. But has anyone told Jetty yet that maybe, just maybe his people are not interested in their rights?? Look at James Masing now, not one word from him, and the Iban are sold this image that he is far sophisticated than Tajem or Moggie. Iban 3rd generation politicians and leaders now are just a reflection of Iban people. That, I am afraid is closer to fact than fiction.
Voters play an important role if we want to change the government, but how to disseminate the message effectively to rural voters when we know that they do not access to internet.They do not know what we are talking about in this blog.
Will the dayaks wake up!The alarm clock have been ringing for so long already but till today they are still in bed dreaming.
Wiil the dayaks be force to drag out of their beds and make to swallow this bitter pill of changes.Lets see!
To: Daniel Tajem
From: J.Masing
Remember out gentlement agreement DS Daniel, "PRS would pick your son to replace Mong Dagang as PRS/BN candidate in the coming state election"...Now you walk the talk by asking the Dayak to revolt against the state BN government...
To Agom,
FYI, Pakatan Rakyat is planning to produce VDCs, pamphlets in BM, Iban and Bidayuh as part of its communication tools to disseminate the "anti-BN" message to these rural voters.
Likewise, copies of the articles from this blog have been printed and also translated into Iban language and have been distributed to rural kampungs for them to read. Do not underestimate the intelligence of rural voters in this ICT age.
I am going to underestimate everything I've read so far, from the official press right across to the liberal news media.
Dayaks are now surviving on less. That is a fact. Their agricultural beliefs and traditional customary practices are now curtailed, their voting behaviour dictated to, their spheres of influence split into smaller and smaller pockets of resistance, and now migration, and don't tell me that sarawakians are interested in bekuli in plantation work these days, most are too spoilt, so those poor and impoverished sons of java, sumatra and madura make the journey and settle in Sarawak. They are literate, they are cultured, they are muslims and they are organised labour. They will chase Ibans away from the land. How many migrants are there in Sarawak, 100,000 ?, 200,000?, 300,000??? Uban does not need to rely on the traditional structures for support, all he has to do is cultivate these new labour groups, and anyway, most of them will get projek IC soon enough, so who loses here???
There is no more land in the 2nd or 3rd divisions for the Iban. All NCR land is Palm oil land. All labour in plantations are Indonesian, and all business contracts belong to one exclusive group. Where does that leave the Ibans???
I totally agree with the contents of Tajem's speech but certainly it should be read out by someone's else, not by a person who had his time in power (to change the fate of the Dayaks), not by a person who had a birthday cake delivered by Masing (knowing fully well what Masing had done to PBDS) and certainly not by a person who openly supported Masir (knowing fully well he was planted by PBB). Had a political green horn said out those things, it would have made a greater impact.
Friends,
Sad-Dayakism is DOA. There is absolute nothing that binds the Iban,much less the Dayaks.
That's why the Dayaks are fraternising all political parties. And remain fragmented.
The rich Dayak will want to get his brethren's NCR land, given half the chance.
The Christian-ised Dayak, carries with him the air of his new-found belief,thumpimg his nose at his pagan relatives. Yes, sidak ya ka bedau nemu Jesus !
If you are a poor Dayak from the rumah panjai,well - you will see me, as in cahoot with the powers-that-be. Not that I'm in anyway rich.
And imagine, if you are an Orang Ulu - what would you think of the Ibans political ambitions ?
And so on, ad nauseum - as they say.
Would be nice, to have a fabric of identity (institutions etc) that mature into a political awakening, that can be respectably called Dayakism.
But look around you-there is no Dayak-ism, no matter how much you wish.
For the gentleman scholar who attempt to invoke tribal loyalty with Broken Shield, I salute you.
However,it remains a far cry from Dayak-ism.It takes more than the tribal loyalty (exception: PBB shield)for ism to take root.
Historically,the Dayak never had an ism. Its only a convenient identity. Dayak has some cultural similarity, so the anthropolist gave them a label. That's all.
Granted-much injustice has befallen the Ibans,and the Dayaks.Some homemade; some perpetrated.
It remains, that any effort to "correct" the injustices does not automatically create another ism or another political party - with sustainable philosophical foundation.
I wish I know the secret to give birth to Dayakism, and then to a political awakening, that at least can begin to be respected at state and national level. But I'm at a loss.
Religion, food, clothing/sirat, race, social class, headgear,language, downtrodden people,- the Dayaks has it all; so non of the elements is strong enough to carry the "race" forward into a Dayak-ism.
As to the Dayak leaders: they operate in a realistic political environment, nooo Dayakism-much less Iban-ism. So figure that.
As to Tajem's remark: don't know the man - but on the surface, appear opportunistic,self-serving.
To restate it: Dayakism is DOA. But see if anyone can think of other ways to give birth to it, and perhaps nurture it to maturity for another 100 years ?
No..no.no For godness sake don't change this government.There is nothing wrong with it. What is needed is to "change" Jabu, Tajem, Moggie,Manyin, Mawan ,Masing.Remove them from the government would help resolve the Dayak dilemma.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
I don't agree with that ideas, removing Jabu, Tajem, Moggie,Manyin, Mawan ,Masing,etc. If you remove them all, who do you think the most likely leaders for the Dayaks communities? Do you have standby leaders at hearts who earned the respects,experiences,exposure,skills in running the governmemt effectively and efficiently? If unskilled leaders,unexperienced leaders and so forth, they will be tantamount to pressures by the Federal Malay Leaders and consequently would lead to Second Tun Jugah breedings episode, just the "Mr. Yes Man!!!". So the roots impacts would be to Dayaks themselves.Their destiny and rights would remained as it today.
So we need a Dayaks leader like Daniel Tajem who had Iban at hearts to fight for Dayaks cause and to correct the mistakes made by Jabu and other Iban Leaders who submitted themselves so mush to Taib Mahmud inorder to get wealth for themselves and familiy members.
Thanks.
Its non of my concerned whether u agree on suggestion to remove the current Dayak leaders including Tajem . What I know is that DSAI prefer a new crop of Dayak leaders and not the so-call political-has-been.And I want to bet with u or anybody else that Tajem is not in Anwar's list. And u need not be undully worried or underetimate Anwar's ability to identify our future leader.
Aku nyukong penuh pasal utai ka disebut DS DTajem.
Ngagai bala kaban ...aku udah mupuk kimpen diatu. Asai-asai enti baka ngiga buah..maioh amai ulih aku diatu.
Aram kimpen. Anang lupa ka bala nembiak2 baru.
non of my concerned whether u agree on suggestion to remove the current Dayak leaders including Tajem . What I know is that DSAI prefer a new crop of Dayak leaders and not the so-call political-has-been.And I want to bet with u or anybody else that Tajem is not in Anwar's list. And u need not be undully worried or underetimate Anwar's ability to identify our future leader.
______________________________________________________________________
Your view-points are more on self-interests without taking into accounts the prolong problems faced by the Ibans communities in general.
If for example DSAI has some future Dayaks Leaders lists on hand in the first place, would they be able to uphold the true struggle of Dayaks in Sarawak? Where are their track records...?? If there is,it's a good track records or questionable ones.Or No records at all. Are they approachable,visionaries for the Iban future,besides of possessing academics qualifications such as Bachelors Degrees, Masters Degrees or even PHD...etc. The roots of the Dayaks Dilemma NOW are; How are we going to help the Dayaks AND UPHOLD THEIR interests AND STRUGGLES so that everyone would benefit from the fruits of developments and Sarawak wealth be shared equally amongst the various ethnics groups in Sarawak?
If unskilled leaders,unexperienced leaders and so forth, they will be tantamount to pressures by the Federal Malay Leaders INCLUDING THE FUTURE/PRESENT PKR LEADERS LIKE DSAI and consequently would lead to Second Tun Jugah breedings episode, just the "Mr. Yes Man!!!". So the roots impacts would be to Dayaks themselves.Their destiny and rights would remained as it today.
So we need a Dayaks leader like Daniel Tajem who had Iban at hearts to fight for Dayaks cause and to correct the mistakes AND wrongdoings made by Jabu,James Maseng,Leonard Linggi Jugah,Kenneth Kanyan,Ambrose Blikau,Alexander Nanta Linggi,Dr. Stephen Rundi,Douglas Uggah Imbas,J. Mersat, Jacob Dunggau Sagan,Joseph Entulu,Mong Dagang,Joseph Salang Gandum,Billy Abit Joe and other Iban Leaders or Dayaks Leaders who submitted themselves so much to Pehin Seri Abdul Taib Mahmud inorder to get or secure more wealth for themselves and their family members.
Self-interest? Not quite! My contention is the type of leaders that we need to be able to topple the present government...it is not the question of whether a person have Dayak cause at heart.Its has been proven time and again that Tajem failed to change the Dayaks political landscape...he tried but failed and DSAI is fully concious of this fact. Hencethforth DSAI wants a change....a change for the better of course. If you asked a patient to see a good Doctor but his sickness is not cured, you will be surprised if the same patient chose to see a bad Doctor. Why ? for change! Same...trust me, god's willing DSIA would be able to come out with good and capable Dayaks leaders to lead the battle against the migthy BN but certainly not Tajem. Note: I ve no personal grudge against your idiol.
Political history through the world were all the same. (i) there will be one who lead a struggle and (ii) another one in succession to the first to develop the people, community or country. Yes, Tajem may be the person to lead the Dayak but can he develop the dayak in par with other community? In educating our people in all areas can we substained. I am talk about the devcelopment of the mind. Mind like you and mine that can think. This has to be instill in our people and not the hasut type of awareness. If our people is not develop after a hard struggle than we are doom to repeat the same mistake. But first thing first lets have a good fight and arouse in us the fighting spirit the even our colonial masters praised.
Post a Comment