SDGA extends olive leaf to BN

KUCHING: After 10 years of animosity, Sarawak Dayak Graduates Association (SDGA) is ‘building bridge’ to the state government in the hope of helping them to launch its higher education relief fund by inviting top Barisan Nasional leaders.

Sarawak Progressive Democratic Party President (SPDP) and Social Development and Urbanisation William Mawan Ikom was invited to launch the project on Saturday 30 July 2011.

Top leaders from Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB) and Parti Rakyat Sarawak (PRS) present at the function pledged donations to the fund.

Also attending the function were leaders from Parti Keadilan Rakyat, academicians, businessmen and civil servants.

SDGA President Dr. Dusit Jaul said: “Our leaders who are with us this evening are exemplary of matured politicians; they have set aside political differences to pursue a common cause, that is, education.

“It is obvious that our passion for education and pursuit of knowledge is able to bring us together. Taking a cue from this, we in SDGA will initiate more programmes and activities under the 4B concept – building bridges, breaking barriers,” he said.

He warned them of a new threat that may undermine the survival of the Dayak community, describing it as a new form of poverty of the 21st century - the knowledge poverty.

Jaul, who is INTAN (Institut Tadbiran Awam Negara) senior lecturer, said: “We are now into the knowledge-based economy. In the knowledge-based economy, knowledge itself is treated as a priceless commodity.

“When we have knowledge, we can sell it or we can rent it.

“In the old economy, we use to talk about tackling poverty. Through our government’s various programmes, we have managed to reduce poverty with some degree of success.

“However though, with the advent of the knowledge-based economy, what worries me is the rise of a new form of poverty – the knowledge poverty.

“If we don’t have knowledge what is there to sell and rent?” he asked, adding that they must buy the idea that in today’s world, knowledge is the most valuable commodity to be sold, and thus becoming a pathway to opportunity.

“In other words, knowledge is an effective weapon to compete in an increasingly globalised world,” he added.

He said: “Modern education is indispensible in sustaining Dayak survival in the 21st century. The day of reckoning is here.

“Our community cannot afford to relegate the importance of education if we are to progress alongside other communities,

“As far as our community is concerned, we in SDGA would like to see that our children agenda should move beyond party and ideology.

“Let us focus our collective resource to create hope for our youth; hope for those who aspire to become engineers, doctors, accountants, teachers, lawyers, and so on,” he said.

Talking of challenges during the 10th year of its existence, Jaul said that such challenges are internal, from within our community. One of these challenges is perception on the association.

“I would like to correct certain quarters’ perception or rather, misguided perception of SDGA.

“There are some quarters who perceived SDGA negatively to such extent that we are said to be not toying the line,

“To our detractors, let me say this. Article 3 of our rules and regulation clearly states that ‘SDGA is to cultivate and advance a learning culture among members of the society in the areas of education, socio-economics, technology and spiritual development’.

“In other words, SDGA is an association dedicated to the upliftment of Dayak educational attainment. Our core business is education. In 2009 and 2010, we conducted more than 40 programmes associated with our core business.

“Based on these achievements, it is not out of line for me to say that if there is still lingering doubt as to our professionalism and impartiality, it is because we have been steadfast in upholding the original objective of the association,” he said.

Jaul was referring to some ‘problems’ with particularly Deputy Chief Minister Alfred Jabu Anak Numpang, who has some lingering doubts about the association which he accused of being anti-government.

Right from the start of its formation, Jabu had already clashed with the committee members of the association when his suggestion to make him as the adviser and the chief minister as the patron was turned down.

Since then the first 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.

He also demanded that SDGA apologised to Chief Minister Abdul Taib Mahmud for not inviting him to speak at a ‘poverty’ seminar in Kuala Lumpur in 2003 which was officiated by the then Prime Minister Dr. Mahathir Mohamad.

Jabu also accused SDGA for organising another ‘poverty’ seminar without consulting him on the date which he said clashed with the birthday celebrations of Tuan Yang Terutama in 2004.

The date of the seminar which was highlighting the ‘challenges and responses to poverty eradication among Bumiputera minorities in Sarawak’ according to Jabu, was disrespectful to TYT and an embarrassment to the Dayak community.

Jabu was also alleged to have played a role in the formation of Bidayuh Graduates Association (BGA) in an attempt to draw away Bidayuh graduates from SDGA and at the same time to undermine its influence.

Jabu’s continued bashes of SDGA including accusing its officials of anti-government killed all efforts at reconciliation.

Now with Dusit, a senior civil servant, helming the association supported by a corps of professionals with varied educational qualifications, SDGA should not become the ‘vanguard’ of the Dayaks moving towards the 21st century, but also become a ‘bridge’ between the community and the government particularly in the field of education.