Are Dayak leaders prepared to merge?

KUCHING – Are Dayak-based parties and Dayak leaders prepared to merge to form one single entity? Or do they dare to merge?

These are the questions posed by Tedewin Ngumbang, a supreme council member of Parti Rakyat Sarawak.

Writing in his blog, The Borneo Warrior, Tedewin said: “Dayak leaders in Sarawak Progressive Democratic Party, Parti Rakyat Sarawak, Pesaka and Sarawak United People’s Party should come together and form a merged entity.

“Don’t think only about Dayak leaders in SPDP and PRS. James Masing, PRS president and William Mawan, SPDP president are not the only Dayak leaders.

“There are Dayak leaders in PESAKA and SUPP such as Alfred Jabu, Michael Manyin, Douglas Uggah, Alexander Nanta Linggi (all from PBB), Jerip Susil, Francis Harden, Ranum Mina and Richard Riot from SUPP,” he said.

“I challenge them if they dare to come out from their respective parties and form a bigger union of Dayak party.

“If this can be done, the Dayaks can become a very strong and formidable political force and can afford to choose whether to support BN or PR,” he said, urging PESAKA which forms the Dayak branch of PBB since January 1973 to detach itself from PBB and join the merger.

“Are they daring enough to come together and form one single party?’ he asked.

Tedewin, a confidant of Masing, made those remarks after a PBB leader poking fun at PRS and SPDP over the merger between the two parties.

The merger proposal was suggested by Chief Minister Abdul Taib Mahmud four years ago in order to strengthen the Dayak political unity and struggle.

But until now the merger remains an illusive dream as both sides are rather hesitant on the move.

Few issues need to be solved such as the question of leadership and Chinese membership in the new entity.

SPDP did not discuss the merger issue during its last month’s triennial general assembly.- The Broken Shield

Source: www.thebrokenshield.blogspot.com

Excerpts from Chapter 1: The Formation of SNAP

The formation of the Sarawak National Party (SNAP) in Sarawak on 10 April 1961, the third party to be formed after the Sarawak United People’s Party (SUPP) and Parti Negara Sarawak (PANAS), opened the way for Dayaks’ active participation not only in the efforts to prepare Sarawak’s independence, but also to be fully involved in political activities. Although there were Dayaks in SUPP and PANAS, which were and are essentially and basically Chinese and Malay in character and in their objectives respectively, the Dayaks’ interests in the two parties were secondary and their roles minimal.

Thus the Dayaks, particularly the Ibans felt that they might be left behind in the decision making of Sarawak that was desirous of becoming an independent country, if they did not have a party of their own. So SNAP was born in Betong, Second Division, and its formation was greatly welcomed by the vast majority of the Ibans, who formed one-third of Sarawak’s population then. Among the founders were Stephen Kalong Ningkan, who became its secretary-general, T.S. Tinker (chairman), Edward Howell, Edwin Howell, Ivory Kedit, Mathew Dana Ujai, David Lawrence Usit, Nyipa Julin and Lionel Bediman anak Ketit.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Ningkan was sacked as Chief Minister on 17 June 1966. Penghulu Tawi Sli was appointed as Chief Minister. Ningkan brought the Governor to court and subsequently won the case. He was reinstated by the court as Chief Minister.

Unhappy with the court decision, PESAKA, BARJASA and PANAS leaders went to Kuala Lumpur and urged Federal leaders to call for an emergency meeting of Parliament to amend the State Constitution to allow the Governor to call for a Council Negeri meeting. A state of emergency in Sarawak was proclaimed.

Thus Ningkan's government was dismissed when Council Negeri met on 23 September 1966 when 25 voted for the motion of no confidence on Ningkan as Chief Minister, while six from SNAP and 10 from opposition SUPP refused to attend the meeting. One independent member walked out during the meeting.

The Governor delivered a letter to Ningkan the same evening, calling on him to resign and if he did not resign, the Governor would sack him.

Four persons from PESAKA who were the brains in Ningkan’s dismissal were Thomas Kana (secretary-general), Temenggong Jugah (president), Sidi Munan (secretary of Jugah and secretary of Sarawak Alliance) and Alfred Mason, political secretary to Jugah. SNAP accused them of being used by Rahman and Taib Mahmud to get rid of Ningkan.

To the writer, this was the first public plot to undermine Iban unity, and consequently, the Ibans were there and then split in two main regions – the Batang Rajang represented by PESAKA and the Saribas by SNAP.