SDGA must remain non-political, says Dr. Dusit

Deputy Chief Minister Alfred Jabu’s campaign for Dr. Joseph Jawa Kendawang, the incumbent president and the RM20,000 carrot for the Sarawak Dayak Graduates Association (SDGA), did not influence the delegates to the SDGA annual general meeting last Saturday when they elected a new man, Dr. Dusit Jaul, an INTAN (Institut Tadbiran Awam Negara) senior program coordinator.

Pity on Dr. Jawa; his efforts to bring the association closer to the BN politicians especially Jabu backfired; and a number of projects supposed to be carried out in collaboration with the BN politicians failed to get off the ground due to the lack of support from the members.

Against the members’ wish, Dr. Jawa went to see Jabu alone to invite him to open the association annual general meeting one week before the meeting. That was a big misjudgment on the part of Dr. Jawa.

Perhaps Dr. Jawa might not have been told the whole truth regarding the formation of the association. Right from the start of its formation, Jabu had already clashed with the exco of the association when his suggestion to make him as the adviser and the chief minister as the patron of the association was turned down.

Since then the first SDGA president, Prof. Dr. Dimbab Ngidang had a hell of problems with the State government and Jabu. Even the RM50,000 promised by the State government during the launch of the association was never fulfilled.

After Prof. Dr. Dimbab, Dr. Jawa took over. But why Dr. Jawa was elected? Since Dr. Jawa was close to Jabu and the State government, it was hoped that SDGA could work side by side with Dayak politicians in the Barisan Nasional for the interests of the community.

But Jabu’s continued bashes of SDGA including accusing them of anti-government and disrespecting the Governor’s birthday celebrations killed all efforts at reconciliation. He accused SDGA members of using their “knee-caps” to think rather than using their heads. Worse, he was also alleged to have been involved in the formation of Bidayuh Graduates Association (BGA) in order to undermine SDGA’s unity and strength.

Now with Dr. Dusit helming the association supported by a corps of professionals with various educational qualifications, SDGA should become the “vanguard” of the Dayaks moving into the 21st century.

Every effort must therefore be made by SDGA to recruit more graduates to join so that SDGA must be felt by the Dayaks, relevant to the Dayaks and do something for the Dayaks, said Dr. Dusit, adding: “Above all else, I want to reiterate here that, SDGA must be a non-political organisation”.

He said: “In our endeavour to serve, we are mindful of the golden rule of leadership which had been overlooked by many leaders, Dayak leaders no exception. The golden rule of leadership is this: ‘Under promise, Over deliver”.

“Within this framework, I and my team are crystal clear on what we plan to do for SDGA. This is stated clearly in our vision, mission and slogan,” he said.

The following are the newly elected SDGA office-bearers:-

President: Dr. Dusit Jaul;
Deputy President: Dr. Elli Luhat;
Secretary General: Stanley Lingoh Gara;
Deputy Secretary General: Jona Kerani;
Treasurer: Johnny Jalin;
Deputy Treasurer: William Howell;
Exco members: Dajai Mancha, Edwin R. Tawie, Utap Sebau, Dr. Thomas Buan, Winston Bale, Diana Ningkan, Albert Julin, Edmund Dagin, Elli Lawai, Dr. Alex Sayok and Eli Luntai. - The Broken Shield

Source: www.thebrokenshield.blogspot.com

Why can’t we accept Jabu as our leader?

Dr Dusit Jaul....newly Elected President of SDGA 2009

Deputy Chief Minister Alfred Jabu’s speech at the Annual General Meeting (AGM) of Sarawak Dayak Graduates Association (SDGA) this morning (21 Feb 2009) was more a smack of self-glorification and superciliousness rather than anything else.

If you were not present at the meeting, you would have thought that he was talking to a group of longhouse chiefs, where he could bluff his way. But to address the “cream of the Dayak society”, his speech appeared more like his curriculum vitae (CV) applying for a job.

Let me quote some parts of speech without editing it:-

# My experience when I started 42 years ago working as Divisional Agriculture Officer, then Staff Officer in-charge of Regrouping and Resettlement during the emergency due to communist insurgency in RASCOM areas in Sibu, having to brave the communists threat in Kanowit, Song, Kapit, Mukah, Balingian, Meradong and Sarikei areas, then followed by 35 years of active political life with Barisan Nasional government tell me that there are plenty of good things which the government has done to protect the people and to benefit our people.

# When I introduced Sarawak Land Consolidation and Rehabilitation Authority (SALCRA) in 1976 to develop Native Customary Right Land as a conscious program on the part of Barisan Nasional Government to fight poverty some quarters including the Opposition from our own community opposed SALCRA.

# About 25 years ago I started with a small group of our Iban education officers, thereby gaining more support from our community and supported by YAB Pehin Sri Taib Mahmud, the chief minister of Sarawak and the Federal government especially with the help of YB Datuk Douglas Uggah who works in Kuala Lumpur after several years I eventually managed to get our Iban Language recognized by the Federal government as Pupils Own language to be taught as Second Language in schools in Sarawak.

# When unity and cooperation amongst the Dayaks were ruined as a result of native politicking in 1987 historically known as Ming Court political fiasco, working together with few Dayak leaders in Barisan Nasional I took a bold step to organise the Dayaks through the Gawai Dayak as an institution of Segulai Sejalai which is still actively being adhered by the Dayak community.

# I also initiated the Dayak Technical Committee which then systematically developed to the formation of Dayak Cultural Foundation in 1972 where I was appointed as the Founding chairman until now.

# Since 30 years ago I introduced the seeding of Rivers and Lakes with millions of fish fries to repopulate and replenish the depleting fish stock. This programme of fish fries release gained momentum throughout Sarawak and benefited our rural population as increased source of protein to fight poverty/malnutrition and source of income to the rural people.

# I was responsible for the breakthrough in ikan terubok research and development as a result of my visit to commonwealth scientific and industrial research organisation in Australia.

# Another scientific research success was the Ikan empurau and ikan semah which I started through our inland fishery research and development station at Nanga Adang Ulu Limbang.

# I also helped to design ponds in Tarat to accommodate broodstock of Ikan empurau and ikan semah collected from Katibas, Kapit, Baram, etc.

While Jabu tried to project what he had done to the Dayak community, he had, however, failed to mention that he is the chairman of the recruitment and promotion bureau of the state civil service which determines the promotion of Dayak civil servants as well as approving of the appointment of community leaders such as Temenggong, Pemanca, Penghulu and Tuai Rumahs by virtue of the fact that he is the Minister of Rural Development.

Can we know how many Dayaks have been promoted to hold senior posts in the state civil service? Or how many have been recruited into the State civil service?

Meanwhile during the election of office-bearers, Jabu’s “manok sabong”, Dr. Joseph Jawa Kendawang, the incumbent president was trounced by his challenger, Dr. Dusit Jaul with a majority of 61 votes. Jawa polled 29 votes as compared to 90 votes by Jaul out of a total of 119 delegates.

Jabu’s backing for Jawa and his speech at the meeting was believed to have caused the defeat of Jawa. Despite his efforts to project himself as a Dayak leader, his leadership is not accepted. So one may ask: What’s wrong with Jabu that even the Dayak intellectuals do not like him? - The Broken Shield

Source: www.thebrokenshield.blogspot.com

Unemployed local graduates are unhappy

The influx of 2,000 Kursus Perguruan Lepasan Ijazah (KPLI) teachers from West Malaysia into Sarawak is not only causing uneasiness to the people of Sarawak but it is also depriving thousands of local graduates of employment opportunities.

Under this KPLI scheme those graduating from ordinary degrees are compelled to attend a one-year diploma course before they can be recruited as teachers. But why preference is only given to West Malaysians?

Chairman of Baleh branch of Parti Rakyat Sarawak (PRS), Dr. James Masing, has expressed concern over this new development. In a resolution passed during the branch AGM over the week-end in Kapit, Masing who is also the PRS president and Minister of Land Development called on the government to address the lack of employment opportunities for local graduates especially in the teaching profession.

“The people in Baleh are uneasy as the employment of teachers is mostly from outside Sarawak,” he was reported to have said. Of course Masing is worried as 313 of those teachers have been sent to 47 primary schools in Kapit division.

Not only parents in Kapit have felt uneasy and unhappy, but parents in other Divisions have also expressed similar sentiments. Their posting to Sarawak, as mentioned earlier will not only deprive our own graduates of employment opportunities, but will also affect the standard or the quality of education in the rural areas.

Educated mostly in the Malay medium, they do not in the first place choose the teaching profession and many of them in the past are known to have low determination and motivation.

Posting them to the interior areas of Sarawak especially in Kapit may not be a good idea, where rivers are the mainstay of communication, where accommodation may be a little bit better than chicken sheds, and where they may be cut off from the outside world. As strangers, they are sure to suffer from cultural shocks. Worst if they are unmarried lady teachers. All these will add to their woes.

And it will not be surprising if some of them are asking to be transferred back or leaving even before the year ends. It has happened in the past and it is going to happen in the future. And if this is going to be the case, not only the government will waste millions of ringgit in training and transferring them, but the performances of the rural pupils will also be affected. This is our main concern.

But on the other hand, it is also a good thing if more qualified West Malaysian teachers come to teach in Sarawak so that they can learn the various cultures of the local people, see how the Dayaks, the Malays and Chinese live harmoniously and respect each others’ religions and see the people of Sarawak display the highest degree of tolerance towards each other. At the same time our students will also benefit from qualified and experienced teachers.

Moreover, when these teachers return to their respective towns and villages, they will tell their relatives and friends that Sarawak, the Land of the Hornbills, are not bad after all and that Dayaks do not live on tree tops. – The Broken Shield

Source: www.thebrokenshield.blogspot.com