1. Miring and politics
As we all know, miring (making offerings to gods) is part of the Iban culture when one is about to venture into something deem to be important such as to start padi planting, going to battle fields, journeying to the unknown, starting a business, constructing a house, and etc.
Usually, as part of the ritual, a pig is to be speared so that its liver is to be examined and interpreted to mean good or bad. For a smaller miring, a chicken is to be used as its blood is to be smeared on the ingredients of the piring.
Both Jawah Gerang, the PKR candidate and Malcolm Mussen Lamoh, the BN candidate, performed miring on their way to the nomination centre on 29 March 2009. Mussen speared a pig, but the pig which was supposed to have been killed, was still alive. Somebody else finished the job.
On 4 April 2009, deputy chief minister Alfred Jabu anak Numpang while at Wong Panjai campaigning for Mussen performed a “genselan” by spearing a pig. Like in Mussen’s case, the pig also was not killed instantly. Some one else used a piece of wood to hit the head of the pig.
According to Iban elders, the two “incidents” were bad omens (jai burong) and they predicted Jawah Gerang to win. Now we know that the so-called "jai burong" turned out to be “manah burong” (good omens) for Mussen.
Of course, what Mussen did was to neutralize the “jai burong” omen, not by another miring, or by waving of cockerels, but by calling on the God of money to help. And the God of money blinded the voters’ eyes and made them deaf and dumb.
2. Tuai Rumah Nyawin
It only takes Tuai Rumah Nyawin to undo the effects of thousands of CDs distributed to longhouses in Batang Ai to discredit the State BN government. The CDs featured scenes of Nyawin’s longhouse and other longhouses destroyed by the Land and Survey, the Police and oil palm companies. Initially, the CDs had some effects on those who saw them; some even cried. But during the last few days of campaign, Nyawin was brought from Bintulu to counter the propaganda and neutralize the effects. He did a very good job for the BN. Why not flying in a helicopter?
A couple of years ago Nyawin was in the limelight after the authorities destroyed his longhouse and sued the government for destroying it, taking away his land and the land belonged to his “anembiaks”.
The CDs featured the destroying of his longhouse and how they were treated as if they were animals. But some months later Tuai Rumah Nyawin was asked to withdraw the case and some compensation was paid. Land titles were given to the land where their houses stand today. He got himself a 4WD vehicle. Today his people are still grumbling as they have no land to farm. But Nyawin enjoys himself and is always seen in Bintulu town. The story reminds me of Iban folklore, the Apai Saloi.
3. Bloggers again under fire
Before and after the Batang Ai by-election, bloggers especially the Dayak bloggers are constantly under fire from the State BN leaders. Deputy president of PBB Alfred Jabu Anak Numpang described the bloggers as “specialist instigators”, while Parti Rakyat Sarawak president James Masing did not read what bloggers wrote, but yet condemned them.
PRS Information chief Joseph Salang said that the impact of the bloggers in the Batang Ai by-election was only 10% of the 22,000 population of Batang Ai, that is, only 2,200 people. If only there are telecommunications towers and broadband centres and longhouses have electricity supply, then the percentage of people using internets would have been higher. The impact by bloggers’ write-ups may be higher.
Now the latest to attack on bloggers comes from Senior vice president of PBB Awang Tengah Ali Hasan, who told Kuching journalists not to abuse media freedom. Press was an important institution in forming public opinion, but a small section of media including bloggers had ignored ethics and law.
He said: “We should not allow internet users and bloggers to use this venue to slander, incite and criticise others including political and government leaders.
“As the position and role of traditional media was being threatened by the new and alternative media, the tasks and responsibilities of journalists in playing ‘check and balance’ role was being more challenging,” he said.
Why bloggers are suddenly becoming a threat is that the people want to read the other alternative views and government leaders and politicians do not want the people to know. They even tell traditional media not to pay much attention to news coming from the Opposition, and if they do, they may be in trouble.
If that is the case, people who are hungry for Opposition news will have to go to the internets and blogs. So other views other than the government’s views are always considered a threat. – The Broken Shield
Source: www.thebrokenshield.blogspot.com
As we all know, miring (making offerings to gods) is part of the Iban culture when one is about to venture into something deem to be important such as to start padi planting, going to battle fields, journeying to the unknown, starting a business, constructing a house, and etc.
Usually, as part of the ritual, a pig is to be speared so that its liver is to be examined and interpreted to mean good or bad. For a smaller miring, a chicken is to be used as its blood is to be smeared on the ingredients of the piring.
Both Jawah Gerang, the PKR candidate and Malcolm Mussen Lamoh, the BN candidate, performed miring on their way to the nomination centre on 29 March 2009. Mussen speared a pig, but the pig which was supposed to have been killed, was still alive. Somebody else finished the job.
On 4 April 2009, deputy chief minister Alfred Jabu anak Numpang while at Wong Panjai campaigning for Mussen performed a “genselan” by spearing a pig. Like in Mussen’s case, the pig also was not killed instantly. Some one else used a piece of wood to hit the head of the pig.
According to Iban elders, the two “incidents” were bad omens (jai burong) and they predicted Jawah Gerang to win. Now we know that the so-called "jai burong" turned out to be “manah burong” (good omens) for Mussen.
Of course, what Mussen did was to neutralize the “jai burong” omen, not by another miring, or by waving of cockerels, but by calling on the God of money to help. And the God of money blinded the voters’ eyes and made them deaf and dumb.
2. Tuai Rumah Nyawin
It only takes Tuai Rumah Nyawin to undo the effects of thousands of CDs distributed to longhouses in Batang Ai to discredit the State BN government. The CDs featured scenes of Nyawin’s longhouse and other longhouses destroyed by the Land and Survey, the Police and oil palm companies. Initially, the CDs had some effects on those who saw them; some even cried. But during the last few days of campaign, Nyawin was brought from Bintulu to counter the propaganda and neutralize the effects. He did a very good job for the BN. Why not flying in a helicopter?
A couple of years ago Nyawin was in the limelight after the authorities destroyed his longhouse and sued the government for destroying it, taking away his land and the land belonged to his “anembiaks”.
The CDs featured the destroying of his longhouse and how they were treated as if they were animals. But some months later Tuai Rumah Nyawin was asked to withdraw the case and some compensation was paid. Land titles were given to the land where their houses stand today. He got himself a 4WD vehicle. Today his people are still grumbling as they have no land to farm. But Nyawin enjoys himself and is always seen in Bintulu town. The story reminds me of Iban folklore, the Apai Saloi.
3. Bloggers again under fire
Before and after the Batang Ai by-election, bloggers especially the Dayak bloggers are constantly under fire from the State BN leaders. Deputy president of PBB Alfred Jabu Anak Numpang described the bloggers as “specialist instigators”, while Parti Rakyat Sarawak president James Masing did not read what bloggers wrote, but yet condemned them.
PRS Information chief Joseph Salang said that the impact of the bloggers in the Batang Ai by-election was only 10% of the 22,000 population of Batang Ai, that is, only 2,200 people. If only there are telecommunications towers and broadband centres and longhouses have electricity supply, then the percentage of people using internets would have been higher. The impact by bloggers’ write-ups may be higher.
Now the latest to attack on bloggers comes from Senior vice president of PBB Awang Tengah Ali Hasan, who told Kuching journalists not to abuse media freedom. Press was an important institution in forming public opinion, but a small section of media including bloggers had ignored ethics and law.
He said: “We should not allow internet users and bloggers to use this venue to slander, incite and criticise others including political and government leaders.
“As the position and role of traditional media was being threatened by the new and alternative media, the tasks and responsibilities of journalists in playing ‘check and balance’ role was being more challenging,” he said.
Why bloggers are suddenly becoming a threat is that the people want to read the other alternative views and government leaders and politicians do not want the people to know. They even tell traditional media not to pay much attention to news coming from the Opposition, and if they do, they may be in trouble.
If that is the case, people who are hungry for Opposition news will have to go to the internets and blogs. So other views other than the government’s views are always considered a threat. – The Broken Shield
Source: www.thebrokenshield.blogspot.com
