A lesson for us all

Pic source: http://www.theborneopost.com/2011/11/09/panic-disbelief-and-anger/a013023/

First, it began through Facebook which is very popular nowadays among young girls, boys and even their mothers and fathers. Through Facebook, many become hooked, intimate and then cheated.

Take for example the case of Beatrice Johie, a 27 year old nurse and a single mother of three from Kampung Seratau, Kuching/Serian Road, who was arrested last Sunday at Melbourne Airport carrying 1.5 kg of heroine in her luggage.

The luggage which she was carrying belonged to her Nigerian boyfriend named Anthony, and the drug was hidden in its lining.

The boyfriend was supposed to go with her but because of his visa ‘problem’ he could not go. He asked Beatrice to carry his bag. Any logic or not?

Beatrice met the Nigerian through Facebook. She was advised by her relatives to be extra careful with the foreign boyfriend especially if he comes from Africa.

She ignored their advice.

Many young Malaysian girls have been turned into ‘mules’ to carry drugs for their boyfriends and several have been arrested overseas.

Beatrice was charged at Melbourne Magistrates Court on Monday. She is now being remanded until January 9, 2012.

She is facing a 25 years imprisonment and or a fine of A$550,000.

In some countries like Malaysia, she could face mandatory death sentence, if found guilty.

Beatrice is bringing shame not only to herself, but also her family members. Worst, her detention is certain to affect the future well-being of her three sons aged two, six and eight years old.

What is so attractive about this African man that she is prepared to risk herself by agreeing to follow him to Australia? Is it the promise of big money? Or is it really love?

She ignored her relatives’ advice and therefore pays a heavy price for it.

Something our young girls should ponder.

Where are the DBNA leaders?

KUCHING: When six Bidayuh villagers who were alleged to have torched seven heavy machinery, four lorries and five logging quarters in Tebedu on May 9, 2011 were arrested, the first thing they did was to look for Nicholas Mujah, Secretary General of Sarawak Dayak Iban Association (SADIA).

Through Mujah lawyers were arranged to represent them.

The six Bidayuhs arrested for defending their own rights and ancestral lands are Bisa Anak Duda, Papai Anak Atin, Barak Anak Kolol, Mani Anak Marin, Karia Anak Daruh and Peter Anak Laiong of Kampong Mawang, Tebedu in Serian District were brought to court at the end of their four-day remand.

These people are the real heroes who dare to go to jail to defend their rights, and we must salute them for their courage.

They were arrested on May 14 following a report made by a camp manager, Chen Teck Soon after seven heavy machinery, four lorries and five logging camps in Tebedu in the Serian District were torched.

A large crowd of family members and village folk working in Kuching turned up in court to show their support for the suspects.

No charge has been brought against any of the suspects and they were released unconditionally.

Meanwhile, I heard some nasty remarks made by some people against Bidayuh leaders. Many asked where the Bidayuh leaders were. Questions like: why none of the so-called leaders of Dayak Bidayuh National Association came to help them? And why did they ask help from an Iban association? Is the DBNA scared that it may not receive funds from the government even if some of its members are unjustly and unfairly treated?

And where are the Bidayuh ministers and elected representatives?

Where are their ‘pelirs’? Are they between their legs?

These are some of the questions that I have heard.

Granda Aing slams Manyin for “stupid” statement

KUCHING: A leader of Sarawak Parti Keadilan Rakyat has described as most “stupid and senseless” a suggestion by a state minister who wants the Bidayuhs to move to town even if they are paid lowly.

A PKR vice chairman Granda Aing said that by asking them to move out of their villages “is tantamount to putting the general Bidayuhs to become coolies, waiters and waitress earning a salary below the poverty line.”

Aing, a Bidayuh from Bau, was reacting to a statement made by Michael Manyin, State minister of infrastructure development and communication.

Last Tuesday Manyin, who addressed Kampung Krusen Bidayuhs, told them to leave their villages and go to towns for jobs in the towns in order to improve their livelihood.

“If they are unwilling to do so, they may be left far behind by other communities.

“Even if they have to struggle now it does not matter as it would provide their children the right exposure to improve themselves in the future,” Manyin had said, citing the Kelabits from the Bario Highlands as the best example.

“That is the most stupid advice coming from a minister,” said Aing.

What the government should have done is to increase the wages of the Bidayuh workers in Sarawak Land Consolidation and Rehabilitation Authority (Salcra) from RM8.00 or RM10.00 per day per worker to RM30.00 per day in its oil palm plantations.

“Why can’t you pay Bidayuhs RM30.00 per person when you pay Indonesian workers RM30.00 each?” he asked.

“That does not make sense. Does it?” Aing asked, pointing out that the government must look and revamp Salcra.

He warns: “If you leave your villages, the State government will take away your native customary rights land and lease it to its cronies for the planting of oil palm.

“By the time you return home, you have no more land left. I think the minister has been asked to say it, because lands in the Bidayuh villages are good for the oil palm cultivation,” he said.

The minister should not compare the Bidayuhs with the Kelabits, as most Bidayuh villages are nearby to towns, while the Kelabits a far away in the highlands.

“What the minister should have done is to get more roads and basic amenities implemented in the rural areas.

“Help them to plant cash crops in their land so that they can generate more incomes in order to sustain their life in the villages,” he said.

What Granda Aing said is correct. Look at some of the Iban small holders involved in the planting of oil palm. Many are earning between RM3,000 and RM10,000 a month. There are many examples of these successful farmers along the Serian/Sarikei Road. And their incomes much are better than those who allowed their land to be used by Pelita and other private companies. Some have not been paid any dividends even after 10 years of operation.

SALCRA is still better than all these Pelita-linked companies. But still compared to small holdings whereby you plant oil palm in your own land, and do it yourself the income is much better than the income of those who joined Salcra.

Food for thought. – The Broken Shield

Let us discuss Dayak Dilemma

KUCHING – Former president of Sarawak Dayak National Union Datuk Daniel Tajem has called all Dayak non-governmental organisations (NGOs) such as the Sarawak Dayak National Union (SDNU), Sarawak Dayak Iban Association (SADIA), Dayak Bidayuh National Association (DBNA), Orang Ulu National Association (OUNA), Sarawak Dayak Graduates Association (SDGA) and Dayak Chamber of Commerce and Industry (DCCI) to organise a seminar on the Marina issue as well as on Articles 161a of the Federal Constitution.

“Let us discuss these issues and submit resolutions to the government especially on the clear definitions of Dayak, Iban, Bidayuh and Lun Bawang in the Federal and State Constitutions as well as in the Sarawak Interpretation Ordinance,” said Tajem, who is a lawyer of some standing.

“We must come together and discuss these issues which are very important to our survival and the privileges and rights that should be accorded to us under the Constitutions.

“Otherwise we will be further marginalized, suppressed and oppressed in the country of our birth,” he added and called on the Dayak NGOs to accept the challenge posed by him.

Marina Undau is not alone. Tens of thousands of other natives in Sarawak who come from mixed marriages cannot be classified as natives (bumiputra) even though their fathers are Dayaks, if the Article 161a (6) (a) Federal Constitution is to be imposed.

161a(6) says that in this Article ‘native’ means (a) in relation to Sarawak, a person who is a citizen and either belongs to one of the races specified in Clause (7) as indigenous to the State or is of mixed blood deriving exclusively from those races; and (b) in relation to Sabah, a person is a citizen, is the child or grandchild of a person of a race indigenous to Sabah, and was born (whether on or after Malaysia Day or not) either in Sabah or to a father domiciled in Sabah at the time of the birth.

(7) The races to be treated for the purpose of the definition of ‘native’ in Clause (6) as indigenous to Sarawak are the Bukitans, Bisayahs, Dusuns, Sea Dayaks, Land Dayaks, Kadayans, Kalabit, Kayans, Kenyahs (including Sabups, and Sipengs), Kajangs, (including Sekapans, Kejamans, Lahanans, Punans, Tanjongs and Kanowit), Lugats, Lisums, Malays, Melanaus, Muruts, Penans, Sians, Tagals, Tabuns and Ukits.

Since Marina’s story was highlighted by a local newspaper on 29 October that she was not a native (bumiputra) even though she was born to an Iban father and a Chinese mother, thousands of the off-springs from these mixed marriages are worried as they will not (from now onward) be entitled to privileges as spelt out in Article 153 of the Federal Constitution. Their investments in ASB, their privileges of scholarships, applications to study in UiTM, special rates to buy houses, special consideration in business and contracts, native customary rights over land, and etc may not apply to them.

Debates and discussions on the issue in coffee-shops, in offices, in newspapers and internets, in some cases bordering sedition, have sprung up from various quarters including Chinese, Malay and Dayak leaders. While some have put the blame on the Ministry of Education, others put the blame on our political leaders. There are those who also blame the pioneers of the Malaysian Agreement.

Deputy Minister of Information, Communications and Culture Joseph Salang, described as “narrow-minded” the officers who rejected Marina’s application to enter a matriculation programme by citing the provision in the constitution.

Salang, who is Publicity Officer of Parti Rakyat Sarawak (PRS), said that Malaysia could do without these officers who were creating tension and disunity in the country.

“Whoever cited the provision does not understand it well. These officers need further education,” he told a local paper.

The MP for Serian, Richard Riot, used equally strong words to describe the rejection of Marina’s application as a “sick policy stuck in a time warp”, viewing the case as “very serious, because if the policy is allowed to remain in place it not only will make a big joke of the 1Malaysia concept, but many children of such mixed marriages are going to lose their Bumiputra status, despite the facts that they are Dayaks and live the life of Dayaks.”

“This is one unhealthy development that I see is a step backward, while the nation seeks to unite Malaysians through all kinds of means like creating the National Unity and Integration Department, celebrating open houses, encouraging Malaysians to mix and mingle and lauding the many mixed marriages among Malaysians.

“The Federal Constitution needs to be amended. Bidayuh people like me, who are proud of our race and are strong supporters of Barisan Nasional, will go extinct if this is allowed to continue,” he said.

PRS president James Masing, who is Land Development Minister said that it was shameful that admission into local universities is still based on race rather than merit.

“Such methods do not sit well with Prime Minister Najib Razak’s concept of 1Malaysia,” he said.

Peter Minos, chairman of Bun Bratak Heritage Association, on the other hand believes that Marina is an Iban and Bumiputra, saying “this is universally the case, law or law or if the law is silent. Someone in the Ministry of Education is very wrong.”

Marina is a Dayak Iban, Minos said, and she should be given access to the best education. She is able and willing, like all the struggling Bidayuhs and Orang Ulu from the rural areas, to further her education.

“It is scandalous to deny a poor Dayak kid a good life through education,” he said.

The newly appointed Chairman of Parti Keadilan Rakyat Sarawak and a lawyer, Baru Bian said that all Sarawakian children should be given free education up to university level irrespective of their racial background.

“It is a shame for Sarawak with its wealth and abundant natural resources that children of low income earning families are deprived of education due to financial constraints,” he said, accusing the Barisan Nasional’s racist policies they profess are causes of increasing racial division in the country.

Deputy Dewan Rakyat Speaker, Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar said that huge political and social-economic ramifications if the Bumiputra status of children in Sarawak, who are born to Bumiputra fathers and non-Bumiputra mothers, are not ratified.

These privileges included land purchases, holding Bumiputra shares in Amanh Saham Bumiputra (ASB) besides education, he said.

But Erang Ngang, Sarawak National Kenyah Association Vice chairman said: “Do not blame the Education Ministry’s officers for rejecting Marina’s application for university matriculation. It is the fault of the Federal Constitution.”

Erang who is married to a Chinese and his son who scored 8A1 and 1B in SPM 2003 was denied a scholarship for reasons which he suspected, is the same as Marina’s.

“The education officer who handled Marina’s application did nothing wrong as the definition of Bumiputra in Sarawak is very clear in the constitution. If this definition is not amended, children of mixed parentage will continue to suffer discrimination in terms of business, government jobs, promotions and other privileges reserved for Bumiputras alone,” he said.

Commenting on the Marina issue, former State Attorney General JC Fong highlighted three points: Firstly, that the Federal Laws are supreme and prevail over state laws. Secondly, the Sarawak Interpretation Ordinance defines the term ‘native’ the way as the Federal Constitution. And his third point, he said that it is possible to change both constitutions through proper procedure.

What are the solutions?

Many talk about amending both the Federal and the State Constitutions as the way to ensure that children born from Dayak fathers and non-native mothers be considered as natives or Bumiputra. This should be easy if there is a political will as both BN and Pakatan Rakyat will certainly support the move. Parliament needs a two-third majority to amend that part of the Constitution.

Salang said that he had written to Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin to recommend Article 161a of the Federal Constitution be amended, otherwise it may cause social and economic complications in the future.

“The time has come to amend Article 161a of the constitution. As society progressed and strived towards achieving the 1Malaysia concept, the issue of ‘Bumiputra’ and ‘non-Bumiputra’ should no longer arise in the future particularly in matters concerning educational opportunities and welfare assistance,” said Deputy Chief Minister George Chan.

Chan, who is also President of the Sarawak United People’s Party, said that if the country keeps on having these sorts of different directions, then our country cannot progress. As Malaysian citizens we must think like 1Malaysia.”

In Sarawak as revealed by Dr. Masing there exists a Cabinet Committee for endorsing Bumiputra status, and the committee which meets once a year and chaired by Chief Minister Abdul Taib Mahmud has so far approved hundreds of applications with the only criterion that one of the parents must be a native.

The committee gives final endorsement to the applications of those who applied to be natives. But the question is whether what the committee has done so far is in violation of the laws.

Another solution is through Native Court declaration. “We have done it before and many of my relatives who are coming from these mixed marriages have now become natives,” said Tajem.

“You apply to the Court to be declared a native,” he added.

He said: “Our problems today were the result of not properly looking into the contents of the Federal and State Constitutions by the British authorities when we first joined Sabah, Singapore and Malaya to form the Federation of Malaysia.

“Our Attorney General at that time was a British and he should have seen that our rights are properly protected and the word Dayak should be properly defined,” he said, pointing out that they could not blame Sarawak’s founding fathers for these “faults”.

“There is no clear definition as to who are Dayaks in Article 160 of the Federal Constitution. There are only words ‘Sea Dayak’ and ‘Land Dayak’. So whether Dayak part can be called Dayak and whether all natives can be defined as Dayaks?’ he asked.

“Dayak is a Bidayuh word means people, and so is the word Iban, a Kayan word, also meaning people,” he said.

The word ‘Iban’ was adopted in place of Sea Dayak during the 1957 Penghulu Conference.

Tajem said that the Federal and State Constitutions as well as the Sarawak Interpretation Ordinance need to be amended together, he said. – The Broken Shield

Source: www.thebrokenshield.blogspot.com

Is Iban a Bumiputra or not?

The Borneo Post today (29 Oct 09) carried a very interesting story of an Iban girl who failed to secure a place in the university as she was considered a non-Bumiputra. Let me produce some relevant parts of the story here:

KUCHING: Getting her Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) result was the best – and the worst thing that could happen to Marina Undau.

The 18 year old science stream student of SMK Simanggang scored 9As and 1B in the SPM examination last year.

She thought she was on her way to university, especially being a Bumiputra and all, but that was not to be.

Born to an Iban father and a Chinese mother, Marina’s life was turned upside down when her application to undergo a university matriculation programme was rejected by the Ministry of Education. The Ministry determined that she is not a ‘Bumiputra’.

He dreams were crushed and in the process she lost part of her identity and the drive that that made her a top scorer. With no chance of entering university for now, Marina has started Form 6 in her old school.

Asked what she thought of everything that was happening, she replied: “What worries me is that will this happen again when I pass my STPM next year?” And what confuses Marina more is how her elder sister could further her studies in Universiti Sains Malaysia in Pulau Pinang where she is now in her second year without ever having her identity questioned.

When Marina’s application was rejected, Undau (the father) contacted the Education Ministry’s Matriculation Department in Putrajaya on June 23 and was told that her daughter was not a ‘Bumiputra’.

Dissatisfied, the father, a government servant, wrote to the ministry on July 1 and the reply he got shocked him, and it bound to challenge the identity of many Sarawakians who are born of mixed parentage.

The ministry said in a reply on July 14 that Undau’s appeal was turned down because “the candidate is categorized as non-Bumiputra (father is Iban and mother Chinese)” based on a definition used by the Student Intake Management Division, Higher Learning Department and Higher Education Ministry.

Their definition is as follows:
# Semenanjung - If either parent of a candidate is Malay who is a Muslim/Orang Asli as defined in Article 160 (2) of the Federal Constitution, the child is considered a Bumiputra.

# Sabah – If the father of the candidate is a Malay/native of Sabah as defined by Article 161a(6)(a) of the Federal Constitution, the child is considered a Bumiputra.

# Sarawak – If the father and mother is a native of Sarawak as defined under Article 161A (6)(b) of the Federal Constitution, the child is considered a Bumiputra.

Article 161a of the Federal Constitution

In this Article ‘native’ means –
• (a) in relation to Sarawak, a person who is a citizen and either belongs to one of the races specified in Clause (7) as indigenous to the State or is a mixed blood deriving exclusively from those races;

• (b) in relation to Sabah, a person who is a citizen, is the child or grandchild of a person of a race indigenous to Sabah, and was born (whether on or after Malaysia Day or not) either in Sabah or to a father domiciled in Sabah at the time of the birth.

(7) The races to be treated for the purposes of the definition of ‘native’ in clause (6) as indigenous to Sarawak are the Bukitans, Bisayahs, Dusuns, Sea Dayaks, Land Dayaks, Kadayans, Kelabit, Kayans, Kenyahs (including Sekapans, Kejamans, Lahanans, Punans, Tanjongs dan Kanowits), Lugats, Lisums, Malays, Melanaus, Muruts, Penans, Sians, Tagals, Tabuns and Ukits.

A spokesperson for the National Registration Department here said that in Sarawak, if a person is born to an Iban and his mother is Chinese, he is considered as an Iban according to the race of his father.
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If the Higher Ministry of Education really applies the ruling as it does to Marina, then many of those having native fathers with Chinese as their mothers in Sarawak will suffer. For Marina, her status as a Bumiputra is being questioned and it is made worse by the amendment to the Sarawak Interpretation Ordinance in 2004 when the State Government banned the use of the word “Dayak” in official communication. Thus “Sea Dayak” has been changed to “Iban”, “Land Dayak” has become “Bidayuh” and “Murut” to “Lun Bawang”.

The words “Iban, Bidayuhs and Lun Bawang” are not listed in Article 161a (7) and thus they are considered as non-natives under the Federal Constitution. The legal effects of these are many and Marina when she puts her race as Iban, she is not considered as native or Bumiputra, and should not be accorded any privileges given to natives.

Even now, there are efforts to say that Ibans do not have any native customary rights over land as they are not natives according to the law due to the amendment to the Interpretation Ordinance. When the bill was passed, our Dayak elected representatives including Alfred Jabu, William Mawan, Michael Manyin and James Masing were too eager in supporting the amendment in 2004. They did not realise the legal implications.

From now on, it is advisable for Iban when filling a form asking for race, to write down “Iban (Sea Dayak)” to ensure that they are not going to be disqualified. I believe Marina could have been a victim of the doing of our elected representatives.

Since the story has been highlighted by The Borneo Post, our leaders like Jabu, Masing and Mawan should do something to help her and many others by urging the authorities to relax the conditions of entry to matriculation, etc. These students really need their help since they (ministers and our elected representatives) are walking along the corridors of power and rub shoulders with the powers that be. If they can do this, then they really help Prime Minister Najib Razak in his campaign of 1Malaysia. Otherwise the 1Malaysia is a mere lip service.

These are the issues that our Ministers – Jabu, Mawan, Masing and Manyin – should be very vocal and firm in fighting for the rights, the future and livelihood of the Dayaks rather than shouting at the top their voices on petty issues such as “cawat” “sirat” (loin clothes) or Miss Dayak Borneo pageant contest.

Don’t you think so? – The Broken Shield

Source: www.thebrokenshield.blogspot.com

The PKR pledge on NCR Land

A Sarawak PKR leader has warned the Bidayuhs that the land on which they are standing now may be taken away from them.

“Be careful if anyone takes away your land, you will have no more land on which you stand,” said Baru Bian, a member of PKR political bureau at a dinner last night at a Bidayuh village in Bau.

"Like Lun Bawang which means natives of the country, Bidayuh as he is given to understand means someone standing on the land. But one day, Bidayuhs will have no more land on which they can stand as their land may be taken away. They will stand on the air” said Baru who is a Lun Bawang from Lawas.

He said that land especially the NCR land issue is a very hot issue now as the government is leasing them to giant companies for the planting of oil palm. And as a lawyer, he said he is currently handling more than 100 court cases against the government.

Altogether there are more than 200 cases pending in the High Court, he said.

“So we have to be very careful, as there are companies which want to take away our land. Even the governor’s NCR land is being taken,” he said, adding: “Land is our life. Without land we will die.”

Baru said that PKR had now made its own land policy when it took over the administration of the State government.

“First, we will survey all NCR lands and declare them as NCR land reserves. This is to be done along the line the Malay Land Reserves are being done in the Peninsula. No non-natives can buy or deal with them.

“Secondly, any NCR land owner wants his land to be surveyed and given title, the PKR government will comply with his request. This is being done in the States under the administration of the Pakatan Government,” Baru said.

He said in Sarawak the State government refused to survey NCR land saying the government had no money.

“That is not the reason. The reason is that government fears that once NCR lands are being surveyed, the whole of Sarawak will be under the NCR land,” Baru said.

He called on Bidayuhs to work together with PKR to see a new dawn is coming to Sarawak.

The dinner which was attended by 2,000 Bidayuhs from the three parliamentary constituencies of Mas Gading, Mambong and Serian was organised to welcome the visit of Anwar Ibrahim to Bau.

Datuk Sri Daniel Tajem, the former president of the defunct Parti Bansa Dayak Sarawak was also invited to the dinner where he met Anwar who called him “Chief” and Chua Jui Meng who described Tajem as the “greatest”. - The Broken Shield

Source: www.thebrokenshield.blogspot.com

News and Views: Crab and snail mentality

Henry Harry Jinep, a Bidayuh intellectual and entrepreneur, spoke of crab mentality among the Bidayuhs, saying that the Bidayuhs had no one to blame, but their crab mentality of pulling down those on top when they lost a representation in the federal cabinet.

The community lost a federal cabinet post of deputy minister when Tiki Lafe was not reappointed as a result of the ”community’s internal politicking to pull him down.”

The politicking against Tiki was so bad to the extent that Barisan Nasional leaders feared the community was heading towards disintegration with leaders going separate directions.

“From the first day that Tiki was made a deputy minister, there was a lot of politicking to pull him down or to ensure that he would not go up again,” he said.

The crab mentality reminds me of a woman selling two types of snails in a market. A man came enquiring what was the woman selling. Replying the woman said she was selling snails. The man looked into an open pail and asked what was inside the other pail that was covered. The woman said both pails contained snails. Curious the man asked again why she needed to cover the pail.

The woman said that she was selling two types of snails. The one side the covered pail was the “town” snails and it must be covered, because if one of the snails escaped, it would pull up the rest so that they all would escape. The other pail was open, because if one snail tried to escape, the rest would pull it down, so that nobody would escape.

Is there any similarity to the crab mentality of the Bidayuhs as mentioned by Henry Harry Jinep?


Financial grants to small-scale pepper cultivation

The Ministry of Plantation, Industries and Commodity has allocated a grant of RM4.09 million to encourage pepper cultivation among small-scale farmers in Sibu, Kanowit and Selangau.

The allocation has been channeled through the productivity and income enhancement programme for pepper smallholders, said Nangka Awang Bemee Awang Ali Basah.

He was speaking at the launch of a three-day pepper production and marketing technology course in Sibu. Forty participants from Sibu attended the course organized by the Malaysian Pepper Board Sibu branch.

Due to low prices of pepper and high costs of production, Sarawak has slipped into fourth position in the production of pepper in the world after Vietnam, Brazil and Indonesia. Decades ago Sarawak occupied top position.

In order to stimulate the pepper industry the Ministry of Plantation, Industries and Commodity should extend such grants to farmers in other division, so that Sarawak farmers can produce from the current production of 4,000 to 10,000 metric tonnes by 2020.

We know in the past the government did not really care about the problems faced by the farmers otherwise Sarawak would not have fallen into poor fourth position. Incentives should have been given as the government did to oil palm smallholders.

It is suggested that the government should buy back both black and white pepper say at RM700 per ton for black and RM1200 per ton for white. In this way the pepper prices will not only be stabilized but will not go down below the government prices.

But has the government the political will to do it? – The Broken Shield

(See SNAP story from Malaysiakini below)

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Source: http://www.malaysiakini.com/news/102542

Snap at it again: No 2 vs No 1

The latest crisis in the Sarawak National Party (Snap) is reaching a point of no return with Ting Ling Kiew, its deputy president, threatening to sue the party leadership if they pursue with their show-cause letter against him.

“I have not received the letter and I do not know what the contents and the allegations against me,” he said when contacted today.

“Tell them, they should withdraw the show-cause letter. Otherwise they will feel sorry for their actions. Don’t play with me. I will sue them,” he warned.

Ting accused Edwin Dundang, Snap president and Stanley Jugol, its secretary general, of not following procedures when they called an emergency meeting to discuss the show-cause letter, alleging that there was no notice of meeting and there were no text messages to the members.

“How can they do this?” he asked.

Snap had sent the show-cause letter to Ting and Augustine Sating, appointed vice- president and a CEC member.

It is understood that the allegation against Ting was that he was 'selling' the party to the Barisan Nasional when he met the newly elected Umno president and Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak early this month. He did not consult the CEC members.

For Sating, he was given the show-cause letter because he campaigned for the BN candidate Malcolm Mussen Lamoh against Jawah Gerang of PKR during the Batang Ai by-election. The Snap leadership had earlier declared its solidarity with Pakatan Rakyat and PKR.

The show-cause letters which give them 30 days to reply will expire on May 6 . But sources close to the party leadership did not expect the duo to reply to the show-cause letters.

It is said that the dispute in the party started to flare up when Dundang and his deputy Ting did not see eye to eye on the Batang Ai by-election. While Ting wanted Snap to contest the by-election, Dundang and Jugol insisted on supporting the PKR candidate Jawah Gerang.


Disagreement over Batang Ai

According to Ting, he was directed by the president to form a committee to gauge whether the party should contest in the by-election.

“After I formed the committee, suddenly I found out that the president and secretary-general threw their support to PKR and Jawah and insisted that Snap would not be contesting” he said.
Ting said he was furious that Snap had aligned itself with PKR as he saw no future for the party in PKR and called for an emergency CEC meeting. According to him, all members attended, except Dundang and Jugol, as they were campaigning for Jawah in Batang Ai.

The meeting agreed that Ting should see the newly elected Umno president and convey the party’s support for his leadership.

Ting had said that he did this for the love of the party. “We want to save the party and we don’t want to leave the BN.”

He also sought Najib’s help to resolve Snap’s problem with the Registrar of Societies which had de-registered the party on November 5, 2002. Snap has been granted a stay of execution pending an appeal.

In 2002, the party faced a similar leadership crisis between the then president James Wong and his deputy Peter Tinggom and eight other CEC members, resulting in the de-registration of the party and the formation of Sarawak Progressive Democratic Party now led by William Mawan.

In 1983, Snap faced its first major leadership crisis, also involving the then president James Wong and a team of Dayak leaders, led by Leo Moggie and Daniel Tajem. Moggie fought Wong for the party’s presidency but lost. Together with Tajem, Moggie founded Parti Bansa Dayak Sarawak the same year.

Virtually reduced to a skeleton today, the party which can take pride in producing Sarawak’s first chief minister Stephen Kalong Nngkan is slipping further down the road of oblivion.

News and views

1. One Malaysia, one family?

Each Prime Minister has his own slogan to strengthen his government. While Dr. Mahathir Mohamad stressed on the “Ketuanan Melayu”, Abdullah Ahmad Badawi spoke of “Islam Hadhari”. Najib Tun Razak talked about “One Malaysia”.

But what is One Malaysia? Is it like a big family? Sharing common identity, enjoying same privileges and rights? To many of us that is what it means.

As a member of the One Malaysia, we as Dayaks do expect to be treated with equality and fairness and to enjoy the various privileges. Under the Abdullah government, the Dayaks were not allowed even to form their own party, Malaysian Dayak Congress (MDC), rejecting it on grounds of security threat.

What threat? Tell me how many Dayaks have become terrorists, have been organising illegal demonstrations in the streets of Kuching or Kuala Lumpur or have been arrested under the famous Internal Security Act (ISA)?

The only arrests made were those Dayaks who are defending their NCR lands from being robbed and sold to big companies for the planting of oil palm.

If the Prime Minister is really serious about implementing the One Malaysia concept, then he should do something to prevent the NCR land from being taken away. What he can do is to tell the State government to put a stop to such discriminatory practices. But will Najib do it?


2. YB Dayaks should be blamed?

While the Democratic Action Party (DAP) state secretary Chong Chieng Jen blamed the Sarawak United People’s Party (SUPP) for the racial imbalance in the public service, the Dayak community should blame the Dayak elected representatives be they in SUPP, PBB, SPDP and PRS for not bringing up the matter with the government.

Like SUPP who always claimed that they “are Chinese representative in the government,” SPDP and PRS who also claimed that they represent the Dayaks in the government should speak up. Failing which they are doing disservice to the community they suppose to represent.

Now you go to every office or department, you only see one race. Seldom have you seen other races. Certainly this is not good to the One Malaysia concept as espoused by the newly appointed Prime Minister.


3. Dayak Bidayuhs upset over exclusion

The Bidayuh community is unhappy with the newly formed government of Najib Tun Razak over the non-inclusion of a Bidayuh MP in the cabinet. – The Broken Shield

(See the full story of Malaysiakini below)
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Source: http://www.malaysiakini.com/news/102325

Najib to face a Bidayuh mutiny?

The Dayak Bidayuhs - numbering more than 200,000 in Sarawak - once again feel slighted when none of their three parliamentarians was included in the recently-formed Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak's cabinet.

The three MPs - Richard Riot (Serian MP from the Sarawak United People's Party), James Dawos Mamit (Mambong, Parti Pesaka Bumiputra) and Dr Tiki Lafe (Mas Gading, Sarawak Progressive Democratic Party) - have received negative reactions from their constituents as a result of them being overlooked by Najib.

Some called for them to resign their seats in order to show their displeasure against the Najib government, while others have called on them to join PKR.The three MPs admitted receiving many SMSes from their supporters and members of the Bidayuh community.

"I know that the prime minister has the prerogative to appoint members of his cabinet, but by not appointing one from the Bidayuh community, he has made his 1Malaysia concept a mere rhetoric," said Dawos when asked by journalists.

Tiki, when contacted, also expressed disappointment and said he was now on the ground to seek feedback from his constituents on the next course of action to be taken.

This is the second time that the Bidayuh community has been sidelined from the cabinet.After the March 2008 general election, the community was excluded from the cabinet of Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi.

Tiki was a member of the Abdullah government but was dropped from the cabinet after the 2008 general election.

His place was taken over by another SPDP leader and a member of the Orang Ulu community, Jacob Dungau Sagan.

Last year, there were rumours that Riot and Tiki were on the verge of joining the opposition. Riot and 1,000 supporters burnt their Sarawak United People's Party (SUPP) membership cards but he and Tiki withdrew their threats after BN leaders met them.

‘Bidayuhs are penumpang'

In a related development former Mas Gading MP and Star president Dr Patau Rubis urged the Bidayuh community to stop complaining and give Najib a chance to settle into his job.

"All the Bidayuhs are penumpang (passengers) of other people's boats and we should not complain.

We do not have a voice," he said, adding that the Bidayuhs were now further divided after joining PKR.

Another Bidayuh leader Patrick Anek Uren, also a former MP for Mas Gading, called on Tiki to quit as MP as he had failed to represent the community in the federal government.

"As an MP, you are elected by the people and to serve them as well as to deliver all things that benefit the people. It is not a privilege for you to seek employment for yourself.

"I think Tiki has failed us and I demand his resignation immediately," said Anek, who was noted for his oratory and courage for fighting for the Bidayuhs' interests.

choing Anek's comments, PKR Bidayuh chief coordinator Granda Aing said the three MPs should become independents or join his party.

Otherwise, he said, their worth was only RM4 million, referring to the money given by Najib to the Bidayuh community a couple of months ago.

Former president of the deregistered Parti Bansa Dayak Sarawak (PBDS) Daniel Tajem said that the Bidayuhs should not complain as they were always very close to the BN government.

"Accept whatever is given to the community," he said.