(The story was first published by Free Malaysia Today)
KUCHING: Three top Iban unionists have offered themselves as candidates for Sarawak PKR in the coming election, and their candidacies have been endorsed by the Movement of Change Sarawak (MoCS).
They are the President of Sarawak National Union (SDNU) Mengga Mikui, the SDNU Deputy President Dr. John Brian and the Secretary General Joshua Jabeng who met the Press in the Stampin Office of PKR in the company of Francis Siah, head of MoCS.
They said that they are ready to contest against the Barisan Nasional.
Mengga, who is a former Deputy General Manager of Sarawak Forest Corporation, has chosen his own home ground of Tamin in Mukah to launch his political career. His opponent is likely to be a newcomer, Edwin Banta of Parti Rakyat Sarawak (PRS). The incumbent is Joseph Mauh, who is to be dropped to open way for Banta, a businessman.
Since retiring from the government, Mengga who joined PKR in 2009 has been working almost around the clock in the constituency.
“I have not learnt the nitty-gritty of politics, but I emphasise that my place is Tamin,” he said, believing that this is the time to change the present government.
“If you don’t change this corrupt government now you, then we are going to be slaves. We may one day go to our neighbouring countries for employment,” he said.
“Native customary rights (NCR) land is the issue. I am personally affected and our land of 500 hectares which are also owned by 19 longhouses is given to a company."
The land, he said, is behind their longhouses.
“It is the only piece of land that is left, where our people have been earning their living every day, and I am going to head the struggle to get it back,” Mengga said, pointing out that the people have lived there since 1830.
Brian, an activist and blogger, is tipped to contest the Meluan constituency where his grandparents came from.
Born in 1955 in Sebauh, Bintulu in 1955, Brian is a PhD holder in management from the Southern Cross University, Australia.
He obtained his Master’s degree in business administration from Oxford Group of universities, and a diploma in chartered institute of marketing from UiTM.
He had worked in a number of companies in Kuala Lumpur and Singapore, before opening his management consultancy in Kuala Lumpur of which he is the managing partner.
Elected as Deputy President of SDNU, Brian is also the Deputy Chairman of Borneo Dayak forum (BDF) which is headed by DR. Jeffrey Kitingan.
“Our focus in BDF is to declare Borneo as Dayak land. This is parallel to Aborigines to Australia, Maoris to new Zealand and Red Indians to America,” he said.
In the last election, Brian contested on Sarawak National ticket in Kemena when the Malaysian Dayak Congress (MDC) could not be registered against Stephen Rundi. Despite the lack of funds, resources and logistics, he secured 3,178 votes against the BN man who spent hundreds of thousands of ringgit and promised “instant” projects. Rundi obtained 4,750 votes.
“In the coming election, I am eyeing the Meluan seat,” he said.
He may face the incumbent Wong Judat of Sarawak Progressive Democratic Party or Larry Sng, the partyless assemblyman for Pelagus.
Jabeng who was born in Tatau 61 years ago is believed to be the only Iban who is doing very well in insurance business. He is now the Group Agency manager of ETIQA insurance under the Maybank group in Kuching.
He is now the elected President of ETIQA FAA (Financial Advisor Association) Malaysia dealing with management and agency bosses.
“My exposure in this helps me a lot in terms of organizational skills,” he said.
Jabeng said that he is going to contest in Kakus against the incumbent John Sikie of PRS, if he (Sikie) is going to be re-nominated by PRS.
Meanwhile, in endorsing them as the candidates, Siah said the three are not only top Iban unionists, but also very much qualified in terms of educational qualifications.
“We are endorsing them as candidates and the people should support and vote for them in the coming election,” he said.
KUCHING: Three top Iban unionists have offered themselves as candidates for Sarawak PKR in the coming election, and their candidacies have been endorsed by the Movement of Change Sarawak (MoCS).
They are the President of Sarawak National Union (SDNU) Mengga Mikui, the SDNU Deputy President Dr. John Brian and the Secretary General Joshua Jabeng who met the Press in the Stampin Office of PKR in the company of Francis Siah, head of MoCS.
They said that they are ready to contest against the Barisan Nasional.
Mengga, who is a former Deputy General Manager of Sarawak Forest Corporation, has chosen his own home ground of Tamin in Mukah to launch his political career. His opponent is likely to be a newcomer, Edwin Banta of Parti Rakyat Sarawak (PRS). The incumbent is Joseph Mauh, who is to be dropped to open way for Banta, a businessman.
Since retiring from the government, Mengga who joined PKR in 2009 has been working almost around the clock in the constituency.
“I have not learnt the nitty-gritty of politics, but I emphasise that my place is Tamin,” he said, believing that this is the time to change the present government.
“If you don’t change this corrupt government now you, then we are going to be slaves. We may one day go to our neighbouring countries for employment,” he said.
“Native customary rights (NCR) land is the issue. I am personally affected and our land of 500 hectares which are also owned by 19 longhouses is given to a company."
The land, he said, is behind their longhouses.
“It is the only piece of land that is left, where our people have been earning their living every day, and I am going to head the struggle to get it back,” Mengga said, pointing out that the people have lived there since 1830.
Brian, an activist and blogger, is tipped to contest the Meluan constituency where his grandparents came from.
Born in 1955 in Sebauh, Bintulu in 1955, Brian is a PhD holder in management from the Southern Cross University, Australia.
He obtained his Master’s degree in business administration from Oxford Group of universities, and a diploma in chartered institute of marketing from UiTM.
He had worked in a number of companies in Kuala Lumpur and Singapore, before opening his management consultancy in Kuala Lumpur of which he is the managing partner.
Elected as Deputy President of SDNU, Brian is also the Deputy Chairman of Borneo Dayak forum (BDF) which is headed by DR. Jeffrey Kitingan.
“Our focus in BDF is to declare Borneo as Dayak land. This is parallel to Aborigines to Australia, Maoris to new Zealand and Red Indians to America,” he said.
In the last election, Brian contested on Sarawak National ticket in Kemena when the Malaysian Dayak Congress (MDC) could not be registered against Stephen Rundi. Despite the lack of funds, resources and logistics, he secured 3,178 votes against the BN man who spent hundreds of thousands of ringgit and promised “instant” projects. Rundi obtained 4,750 votes.
“In the coming election, I am eyeing the Meluan seat,” he said.
He may face the incumbent Wong Judat of Sarawak Progressive Democratic Party or Larry Sng, the partyless assemblyman for Pelagus.
Jabeng who was born in Tatau 61 years ago is believed to be the only Iban who is doing very well in insurance business. He is now the Group Agency manager of ETIQA insurance under the Maybank group in Kuching.
He is now the elected President of ETIQA FAA (Financial Advisor Association) Malaysia dealing with management and agency bosses.
“My exposure in this helps me a lot in terms of organizational skills,” he said.
Jabeng said that he is going to contest in Kakus against the incumbent John Sikie of PRS, if he (Sikie) is going to be re-nominated by PRS.
Meanwhile, in endorsing them as the candidates, Siah said the three are not only top Iban unionists, but also very much qualified in terms of educational qualifications.
“We are endorsing them as candidates and the people should support and vote for them in the coming election,” he said.
6 comments:
So be it! May our three "Rentaps" stay true to their missions and walk the talk. The era of change is on the horizon. We dayaks are here given another opportunity to decide our destiny for the next five years after 50 years of discrimination. Let history not repeat itself again. Our votes cannot be bought for the sake of our children and their children. Currently, we make up the bulk of Sarawakians and the majority of us are still living in poverty. Lets vote for change and hopefully a new regime will supply our longhouses with basic amenities like piped water and electricity.
Lets vote in unison for change. Lets move forward......change we must for betterment of all Sarawakians!
Yes...its time for changes! the time in NOW or NEVER! we have to free this beloved land from the hands of irresponsible leaders who only wants to fill their own pocket at the expense of ordinary people like us...hopefully PAKATAN will be able to grab this land this coming election...
Southern Cross University offers courses in arts, education, social sciences, business, tourism, law, health, indigenous studies, and environmental science and John Brian Anthony did his PHd in Management. Congratulation!!
I have two boys who just completed their STPM and SPM respectively last year. I am very very attracted to the achievement of Dr. John Brian especially the manner he skipped his first degree from a Diploma that frogged up to Masters- Phd of course later part of the line.
Can The Broken Shield provide me the address of the universities in order for me to save a bit of money to enable my boys to do their diploma to Masters. Maybe not phd.
Thanks
Tun Rahman Yakub and Taib Mahmud are true breed Sarawakians and so are all the past and current Dayak political leaders. Past and present history linked Rahman Yakub and Taib Mahmud to splitting the various races in Sarawak especially the Dayaks in their well concorted agenda to divide and rule. It was not Tawi Sili and neither Stephen Kalong Ningkang that had grabbed NCR lands under Taib’s so called politics of development. It was not Anwar Ibrahim, Lim Kit Siang, Awang Hadi our fellow Malaysians from West Malaysia that grabbed NCR lands and plunder Sarawak through their party PKR, DAP and PAS. It has always been our local leaders and parties that work in cohort with Rahman Yakub and Taib Mahmud to rob Sarawakians and marginalised and oppressed our own Dayaks. Have any Dayak leaders such as Leo Moggie, Daniel Tajem. Celestine Ujang, James Masing, Alfred Jabu, William Mawan,Douglas Uggah or the like of Paul Kadang, Stanley Jugol and Edwin Dungang stand up to him and unite to seek justice for their own community? Have they lost their balls or they were drown by Rahman Yakub and Taib Mahmud patronage?
Dayaks living in the rural constituencies are no longer stupid just as much as Dayak leaders in the corrupted regime of Taib Mahmud wanted them to stay that way. We know who can help us and are with us. We are not interested in the toothless and useless local political parties that are Blind, Deaf and Dumb and allow the thief minister to plunder Sarawak and robbed the natives of their NCR lands and their rights to socio economic developments on par with West Malaysia.
Tamin is not in Mukah. Well, not technically...
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