The 100,000-strong Dayak union has justified its decision to elect SPDP president William Mawan as its new president.
KUCHING: Fed up with Senior Minister James Masing’s disinterest in their affairs, the 100,000- strong members of Sarawak Dayak National Union recently rejected his presidency and elected instead his arch political rival William Mawan.
According to the union’s deputy president John Anthony Brian, Masing, who is also State Land Development Minister, had never responded to the union’s invitation to be its patron of its functions nor has he contributed to SDNU’s coffers.
“We often invited him, but he failed to respond to our invitation to be a patron of a Gawai Dayak function, not to mention donating funds to SDNU.
“He just refused to respond to the union’s functions. So how could the union members want him to be their president?” asked Brian, adding that members themselves were clueless as to what Masing was thinking.
Brian was responding to Masing’s statement that a full-time politician should not be elected as SDNU president.
This, however, did not stop members from voting in Mawan, who is Sarawak Progressive Democratic Party (SPDP) president.
Mawan was elected unopposed as president of the 66-year-old union, which is one of the most influential Dayak NGOs in the state. Kapit MP, Alexander Nanta Linggi, was elected deputy president.
Masing, who is Parti Rakyat Sarawak (PRS) president, is rumoured to be miffed by the turn of events. But the union feels that Mawan’s election is justified.
‘Interfering wife of a leader’
Mawan is not only committed to the cause of the Dayaks, but has never failed to attend its functions, Brian said, adding that he even donated some funds to the union.
“We had a discussion among our members and decided to approach Mawan to be our president, and he accepted our invitation.
“We have willingly accepted a new leader to take over the union, especially someone like Mawan. We believe Mawan can help solve some of the problems like restarting the stalled the Rumah Dayak project as well as some other projects which the union has proposed to build on its own land.
“Our projects had also been cancelled even after agreements were signed just because a wife of a senior Dayak minister had complained to the State Planning Authority not to entertain our proposals,” Brian said.
Although he did not name the person, it was learnt that the “wife” is Empiang Jabu. Empiang is the wife of Deputy Chief Minister Alfred Jabu Anak Numpang. She is also the president of Sarawak Indu Dayak Sarawak (SIDS).
On why SDNU had not approached Jabu to helm the union, Brian said that Jabu had always been critical of the union since the time it was headed by Daniel Tajem, former president of the defunct Parti Bansa Dayak Sarawak in the early 1980s.
“Jabu is not the right person. He has been criticising nearly all Dayak non-governmental organisations.
“So instead of uniting the Dayaks, especially the Ibans, Jabu keeps them away from the union,” said Brian.
‘Dayak unity elusive’
Meanwhile, Masing said that it was not wise for active politicians to head the union because their inherent enemies would tend to follow them wherever they went.
“Because of this, unity is an elusive dream,” he said.
He said that he had been approached to head the union, but had to reject it.
However, Masing gave an assurance that he would assist the union behind the scene if needed.
In his acceptance speech, Mawan called on members to cast aside past problems and political affiliations so that the union could move forward.
“Unity must prevail and past issues should never be allowed to become distractions. Now is the time to uphold the spirit of working together and moving forward,” he said.
Source: Free Malaysia Today
7 comments:
With due respect to members of the association (SDNU), I am of the opinion that YAB Tan Sri Datuk Patinggi Hogansiau Alfred has a lot of better and more urgent things to do for the dayak community than to anchor himself with petty SDNU Presidency appointment. So THANK YOU very much to those who may have thought of offering YAB Tan Sri Datuk Patinggi Hogansiau Alfred the post.
Take my word that it may be YAB Tan Sri Datuk Patinggi Hogansiau Alfred who might reject the appointment if offered instead of him and his lieutenant Deputy Hogansiau YAB Tan Sri Dr. James Masing being rejected as claimed.
To sign off please remember to vote for BN always. Thank you
Neither Jabu,Masing nor Mawan are qualified to helm SDNU.All these three stooges are good in politicking but zero when it comes to Dayak interest.Jabu has been hypercritical of SDGA .Jabu is critical of DCCI as he was not asked to head DCCI and even mocked the Forum Jako Iban.Therefore Jabu is an enemy of all Dayak NGOs that are not headed by him for his political interest.The same goes for Masing.And these 3 stooges will be super quite when the Dayaks raised their hands to protect their NCR.They will be super quite when the Dayaks ask for the very basic amenities like treated water,roads and electricity and considered themselves as 'TAUKAY' once became meaningless Senior minusters.Fuboooo
Which dayaks in their sane mind would stoop so low to want the appointment of "towkay" Masing as president of SDNU?
The towkay appears to have his perverted democratic definition that once elected he gets to rule the coop with zero tolerance on dissenting views, punishment by withdrawal of welfare allowance and agriculture subsidy on those of differing opinions. A very rich towkay but not a penny to the coffers of SDNU? His generosity speaks volume of his interests and commitment towards the dayak community.Shame!
From the 'approachability' point of view,Mawan may stand better than Jabu and Masing.We do not hear so much of Mawan scholding the Ibans like Jabu and or fool the Ibans so much like Taukay Masing.But,beware.This Mawan fellow is equally destructive politically and his victims are none other than his own Ibans.He is greedy.His brothers are made Tuai Rumah and Pemancha and his daughter Barbara is a councillor.Without Salang in Julau there are hardly any development in Pakan,Mawan's seat.And Mawan was responsible for the axing of many Tuai Rumahs in Pakan for not supporting him,therefore he also acted like Masing and Mong, the taukays Honestly,he is not a fit person to lead SDNU.Pity to note that SDNU does not have any qualified person in their rank to lead the association to the extent of having to 'appoint' Mawan as their chief.
If Dayak ministers, Dayak MPs and Dayak state assemblymen do not support Dayak NGOs, who else?
Jabu will you forget what you said to SDGA before, when you said SDGA was being polluted by dirty tactics and that the Dayak themselves were the ones who caused the retardation of Dayak progress.
And to our brother James Masing, we still remember what you said regarding Dayak during PRS Inaugural Generel Meeting in 2005 and I quote it here " I was very convinced that the Dayak must fight for the Dayak. If we don`t do that nobody else will. I WAS WRONG."
My dear Iban ministers, please throw your support to safeguard the interest and welfare of the Dayaks of Sarawak and protect their rights as enshrined in the Federal Constitution.
I sincerely hope that SDNU is not let up the garden path and end up disappointed at the end of the day in appointing Mawan as its president. Honestly I do not think, based on how he has handled SPDP and its Group of 5, shooting himself at the foot, Mawan anak Ikom can do anything more than warm his arse at SDNU. I can see obviously Mawan is on the way out from the corridor of poer managed and controlled by Taib Mahmud. And he is not able to salvage his SPDP and what make himable to spring a surpise for SDNU. Worst now that he has a new problem with PRS, whether intentionally on his part or not, he has a new crying baby to soothe. And for those "political" nature of problems besetting Mawan I believe it is entirely wrong to bring him as president of SDNU. However, good luck.
The statement made by Masing when he said, admitting it, that he was wrong to have earlier harboured the belief that Dayak leaders should fight for Dayaks otherwise nobody else would do the fight for them, is a clear tel-tale that he has never fought for Dayak; never been struggling for Dayak. He is only a great opportunist, and a great pretender at that. Now he is paying a price for his arrogance too, a new feature in him found manifesting in his streak to try to rise above Jabu, be a Numero Uno among the Dayak, and become a DCM. He failed to get that and his ministry is now with any budget to boot. In other word his own arrogance has brought about a situation whereby he is a minister "without portfolio" by virture of the fact his ministry has no budget. A Ministry of Land Development without budget! What a fate!
Of course Taib and Jabu are not wasting time either. To counter Masing arrogance and ego a new political party, Sarawak Workers Party, is registered. And now for the first time CM Taib has welcomed a new party registered by ROS. Taib said "the more the merrier, we are democractic country". This type of statement from Taib especially after the recent open spat becoming known between Sng and Masing's saying he is not afraid of a fight with Sng. Masing also said that "Sng would come around before every election and would fade out after elections are over". Thus Taib's statement welcoming the Sarawak Workers Party, beside of course the too welknown strategy of the old but brainy cunning and powerful sultan without a crown but more powerful than a sultan CM Taib, the divide and rule over the Dayaks, is poignant and fortelling. Masing and his PRS beware!
Except I don't think Masing deserve the Dayak's sympathy anymore, although I do sympathise with Joseph Salang Gandum who will have to face Dato Sng combined with Wong Judat, the latter sitting on the periphery of BN/SPDP, with nothing anymore to loose. At least working with Sng might just give him a new platform or a new political lease of life. Staying in SPDP as it is having only 2 seat ADUN with the rest 4 ADUN already in Nansen's camp of Group of 5 opposing Mawan, I agree with Wong Judat must find his own niche to maintain his clout still works with the voters, why not?
In the final analysis Masing must really go too. Just as much as Mawan has to go. The former over his ego and arrogance and the latter for his ineptness in politics.
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