Change We Must

Written by: By TUNKU ABDUL AZIZ

Although I have in my travels seen abject poverty in such diverse places as Addis Ababa, Dhaka, Dar es Salaam, Kolkata, Mumbai and Manila, I must confess to a feeling of utter revulsion and anger when confronted by stark deprivation in our supposedly well-governed and prosperous Malaysia.

Comparison of poverty between Sarawak and Malaya
The pockets of rural poverty in the Malay heartlands of Kedah, Perlis, Kelantan and Terengganu are islands of prosperity compared to the scene that churned my stomach and assailed my sense of guilt and outrage when I first ventured into the Iban long houses on the majestic Rejang.

Little personal dignity left
It is not enough that we have robbed them of their ancestral lands and impoverished them in the process, but we also felt constrained to strip them naked of any residual personal dignity that they might still have by introducing policies that have succeeded in reducing them to the fringes of mainstream economic life.

The Dayak are the forgotten people?
The Orang Asli tribes and the Orang Hulu, the Malays from the interior, have a great deal in common with their Dayak friends. For all we care, they are Malaysia’s forgotten people, but not quite. Whenever an election is underway, be it a by-election or a general election, they find themselves the centre of attention, in great demand by the rich and powerful, all claiming to love and care for them.

The Dayak votes were bought by BN
Before the day is out, they are the proud possessors of a handful of crisp 50 ringgit notes. Four or five hundred ringgit is a princely sum to them, a king’s ransom, no less, in exchange for their votes. If some of them have become cunning, manipulative supplicants and sacrificed their values for a fistful of ringgit, remember it is we who have corrupted them.

They almost lost their value system
Years of exposure to extreme poverty and unbridled exploitation have rendered many of these once proud and noble people, nature’s gentlemen, inured and insensitive to their own traditional values and value systems. They are reduced to living from hand to mouth, on handouts, from day to day.

The Dayak trusted their Government too much
What a tragedy to befall a people whose only sin is to trust those sworn to protect their native rights. They are bewildered to find themselves dispossessed, as their land is taken away without as much as “by your leave” for commercial exploitation by the towkay friends of the powerful.

We who are strong need to help the Dayak
Talking to many of them, the Ibans, I mean, I believe the only way we can restore their pride and dignity is by providing opportunities for regular employment. We are dealing with an ancient people with a distinctive culture. Even those among them whose lives have taken on an urban aspect continue to cling strenuously to their traditional practices. We who are strong have a duty to help the weak by not foisting on the Ibans and others our culture of corruption and other despicable practices.

Corruption in Sarawak is higher then that of Indonesia during election
Some years ago, an Indonesian anti-corruption activist friend of mine visited our country during the 11th general elections, as part of a privately funded election observer mission. His group spent a great deal of time in Sarawak and Sabah and told me that he was shocked by the scale of vote buying.

Election corruption is beyond expectation
I was greatly embarrassed by his revelation because at an anti-corruption conference in The Hague at which I was invited to speak and he was a participant some two months earlier, I had said that while vote buying was rampant in party elections, the practice was unknown in general and state elections.

I was unbelievably naïve to believe the Barisan Nasional government propaganda. The scale of vote-buying must have been so massive as to shock my Indonesian anti-corruption fighter, used as he was to living and working in a corruption-infested nation. It is not that easy to shock an Indonesian over a corruption issue. But unlike Malaysia, Indonesia is on the mend as far as fighting corruption is concerned. In Malaysia, on the contrary, it is in indecently robust health.

Poverty is caused by Government corruption
Malaysia is blessed with rich natural resources and poverty as we have seen in Sabah, Sarawak, Kedah, Perlis, Kelantan and Terengganu can only be explained in terms of governance grounded on corruption and political excesses. When we look at the personal wealth accumulated by Chief Minister Taib of Sarawak at one extremity and the Ibans at the other, one begins to wonder what the future holds for Malaysia. I am not at all sanguine.

The thieving and plundering by the Government must stop
The thieving and plundering by those in power must stop because, as history tells us, it is only a matter of time before the forbearance of the long suffering poor takes on an ugly aspect, with consequences too dreadful to contemplate. The Government of Malaysia and the state governments of Sabah and Sarawak in particular can alleviate poverty by governing in the sole interest of the people. Najib’s people first is under close public scrutiny.

Ultimately, Samling should be severely reprimanded and all their logging concessions rescinded and returned to the people.

Headman Jawa Nyipa (left), Long Ajeng villagers

Malaysian logging giant Samling has threatened the indigenous Penan communities of Sarawak’s Upper Baram region with the suspension of all transport services provided for locals unless they retract sexual abuse and rape allegations against the timber companies active in the region.

The new dispute between Samling and the Penan arose after the release of a report by an international fact-finding mission in July 2010. The report had uncovered seven new cases of sexual exploitation of Penan girls and women in the Upper Baram region by timber workers and had asked the Malaysian government to address the grievances of the Penan communities.

According to Penan sources, Jawa Nyipa, headman of Long Ajeng, was asked by Samling officials to sign a statement that the women in the region had retracted their allegations of sexual abuse by timber company staff.

An Independent Fact-Finding Mission Report by the Penan Support Group, FORUM-ASIA and Asian Indigenous Women's Network (AIWN) . To read report, click imagine to download.

Jawa Nyipa was told that, unless he signed the document, all transport services for the locals would be suspended. The headman refused to sign the statement but the Penan are concerned about the implications of Samling’s threat to suspend transport for the impoverished villagers in the Upper Baram region.

The Penan, who live in remote jungle villages in Borneo, rely on logging companies for transport to rural centres in order to reach the local markets, obtain medical treatment and send their children to secondary school.

Samling’s refusal to provide transport is likely to put them in a very difficult situation as they are unable to afford other means of transport. Last year, logging companies operating in the Middle Baram region ceased to provide transport for a number of communities who had voiced concerns over sexual abuse and rape by timber workers.

Samling (HKEX 3938) is a globally operating Malaysian timber conglomerate with an annual turnover of US$ 480 million.

Last week, the Norwegian Government Pension fund excluded Samling from its portfolio because of the company’s involvement in illegal logging and the fact that it had caused and is still causing severe environmental damage. — BMF

He should be voted out as soon as possible. We have not seen how much he has done for the good of his own community especially in recent times. But in the past three months, we have read in the main stream media, how he intimidate and blackmail the Dayak Community to continue supporting his UMNO-Barisan Nasional who have done little, except to enrich those who walk in the corridors of power.

Bidayuhs are no loss to Barisan Nasional if they decide to go for the opposition. This was the warning issued by a Sarawak Cabinet minister to the state’s second largest indigenous population.

Than what are Bidayuh’s waiting for? Just walk out. Resign from PBB, SUPP and SPDP and join the Pakatan fold. To the voters, get ready to show Manyin the broom if he ever step foot to campaign.

According to Infrastructure Development and Communications Minister Micheal Manyin, the loss of the six state and three parliamentary seats held by Bidayuhs would not affect BN in any way.

“Even if the BN loses all the six (Bidayuh) seats in the coming state elections, it will not affect the party because there are 71 state constituencies. These seats are not vital for BN to retain its power,” he said.

There are some 160,000 Sarawakian Bidayuhs living predominantly in the Lundu, Bau, Penrissenin Padawan, Siburan and Serian.

Manying’s stinging warning to the community was capped with the threat of ‘no development’ in these constituencies if BN loses.

“If Bidayuhs don’t support BN and the coalition loses the seats, then the whole community will lose out on the development. BN will not continue its work here,” he told villagers at Kampung Taee near here over the weekend.

The money do not belong to UMNO-PBB-Barisan Nasional or Michael Manyin. If that is the case, than all Bidayuh’s should stop paying taxes to the government or even bother to contribute to KWSP. Join my “Non Tax Paying Citizens Club”. Why should you pay taxes that support leaders and ministers like Michael Manyin?

He also urged the villagers not to be conned into believing tales spun by the opposition, especially the PKR.

He said PKR had been against the government’s move to carry out perimeter survey on Native Customary Rights (NCR) lands.

It is PBB-PRS-Sarawak Barisan Nasional who are against. For umpteen years, SNAP and Dayak NGOs have made calls to the authorities to have all NCR Land Surveyed. It is only after the recent visit to Long Lama by PM Najib that RM20 million was allocated to PBB-PRS-Sarawak Barisan Nasional to survey the NCR Land. With that, every-one starts talking and Alfred Jabu quickly added that only “Matured NCR Land” will be surveyed!

All voters from the Dayak Community should be aware that, it is because of the imminent threat of losing power, that PM Najib and UMNO-PBB-Barisan Nasional extended the grant of RM20 million to acede to the request of leaders in SNAP, PBDS (among them Datuk Daniel Tajem, Lawyer Anthony Sujang) to survey NCR Land boundaries. It was never done on the initiative of our Ministers in PBB or Michael Manyin and his gang!

Manyin, who is also Tebedu assemblyman, alleged that PKR had insinuated that the perimeter survey on NCR land was being carried out for his personal benefit.

“We are carrying out perimeter survey on NCR land for the benefit of the people. How do I benefit from this exercise?

“If the people have land titles, they can then mortgage it and venture into businesses,” he said adding that he was aware that PKR was actively instigating the local Bidayuh communities into believing that BN was not serving them.

Free Malaysia Today

Dayak Community in Sarawak, Malaysia

The American Indians are considered a nation within a nation. Ask and they will refer to themselves as being part of the American Indian Nation. They have customary rights over tracts of land and can govern and set up businesses to finance their own reservations. Interestingly, the American Indian Nation is composed of a collection of distinct tribes, states and ethnic groups, many of whom are intact political communities. Various bills and laws are in effect to protect the indigenous peoples of North America living within the confines of the 50 states that make up the United States of America. Though they are proud of their ethnic heritage, collectively they are known as American Indians.

This is America.

Often times demonised by Malaysia, yet it is still civilised enough to safeguard the rights of the people living within its boundaries.

This is Sarawak, where Ibans and Bidayuhs are not recognised as citizens, let alone as natives of Sarawak.

Don’t believe me? The following is taken from the Federal Constitution:

Article 161a of the Federal Constitution

There is no mention of Ibans or Bidayuh(s). In fact, Iban(s) are classified as Sea Dayaks and the Bidayuh(s) are classified as Land Dayaks. Keep this distinction in mind.

The Ibans have all along been referred to as “Sea Dayaks” and Bidayuhs, “Land Dayaks”, In fact, not too long ago, one of the Ministers wanted to even delete the term “Dayak”. Ironically, this particular Minister is aldo a Dayak himself! Hence whether we are Bumiputras if we were to call ourselves Ibans and Bidayuhs is unclear as far as the Federal Constitution is concerned.

Fast forward to the present day.
An amendment was made to the Sarawak Interpretation Ordinance 2004, which in effect declassified the word “Dayak”. Thus, the terms Sea Dayaks and Land Dayaks do not have nor hold any meaning whatsoever. And in a stroke of pure idiocy by the august house (the State Legislative Assembly) of Sarawak, two native groups were wiped off the face of the earth — at least in the reading of the Federal Constitution. Two ethnic groups are now rendered non-existent.

With that, the Sea Dayaks and Land Dayaks lose all rights within Sarawak. In one stroke, the Sea Dayaks and Land Dayaks are a nameless entity; we are worse off than the American Indians. It would have been better for the Sea Dayaks and the Land Dayaks to go the way of the Dodo — extinction merits a mention in the history books. But the Sea Dayaks and Land Dayaks are very much alive and form the majority ethnic groups in Sarawak.

How then can a majority group like the Ibans and Bidayuhs be rendered helplessly non-existent in their native land?

Entity without a nation
I am an Iban, my parents are both Ibans and I can trace my ancestry to the early Iban migration up the Kepuas river into Sarawak; and this reading of the rules of the land of Malaysia has rendered me an entity without a nation. And this disaster does not just befell me but the generations after me.

Where then do I stand as a legal citizen of Malaysia? What claims to citizenship can I make since I am effectively unknown in the eyes of the Federal Consitution? It is impossible to imagine a citizen who is not recognised as a citizen of the land upon which he/she was born. So what am I? What manner of logic did the Dayak leaders, voted into office by the Dayak people, use to rationalise and support the declassification of the term Dayak?

If we were to go along with the logic of allowing the right for one to claim his own ethnic identity, thus in declassifying the Dayak term, the Federal Constitution should have also been amended in order to reflect the use of the more specific Iban and Bidayuh term. But no amendment was made to the Federal Constitution to insert the specific term Iban and Bidayuh to replace the now defunct Sea Dayak and Land Dayak terms.

The implications of the amendment to the Sarawak Interpretation Ordinance 2004 are clearly visible and telling if it is read along with the interpretation used by the Student Intake Management Division, Higher Learning Department and Higher Education Ministry to classify what constitute a Bumiputera. This definition is used to vet the suitability of Sarawakian students for entry into institutions of higher learning. It was promptly used in the incident where 17-year-old Marina Undau was deemed not eligible for entry into a matriculation programme because she was not a Bumiputera.

Their definition is as follows:

Take this definition and read it against the Federal Constitution and the amended Sarawak Interpretation Ordinance 2004 and Ibans and Bidayuhs are classified non-Bumiputera.

Why?

In order to be a Bumiputera, you must first be a native of Sarawak. But according to the amended Sarawak Interpretation Ordinance 2004, Ibans and Bidayuhs are not natives of Sarawak.

This is a clear case of a government that has failed to look into the welfare of the people living within its borders. Instead, it is a government that has robbed a living group of peoples their identity, their rights, and ultimately their dignity. I hope the elected leaders of Sarawak are proud of what they have done; because I am sure not.

Maclean Patrick, a webmaster in Kuching, is a contributor to FreeMalaysiaToday.

Datuk Zaid Ibrahim

Is it not time now that the citizens of Sabah and Sarawak change the subservient politics which has characterised the way these two states have conducted themselves? To do that, we need active, strong and well coordinated and united Opposition political parties in Sabah and Sarawak to complement the strength of the Opposition parties in Peninsular. Until we have such a strong and united Opposition in Sabah and Sarawak, Federal power will continue to elude us.

How do you make yourself a cohesive political force that can alter the course of our nation’s history? How can you bring about the changes in local politics and assume power after many years of BN abuse? These are the challenges you are faced with but which I believe you can overcome. I am not an expert in local politics but will venture a few suggestions.

For umpteen years (well at least for the past 30 years, when i first voted at about the time when DAP set foot on Sarawak), Sarawakians especially in the Urban areas (most notably in Padungan) have been voting against Tun Abdul Rhman Yaakub and subsequently Pehin Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud in State Elections. Meaning they are voicing their disatisfaction with the Nepotism, Collusion, Cronyism, Corruption and abuses by the Chief Executive via the ballot boxes. However, to ensure continuity in development funds and hoping to get some assistance as far as chinese education is concerned, Urban Sarawak Voters prefer to give their votes to Barisan Nasional. This is however not a fixed trend and Sarawakians tend to alternate between voting for the Opposition for State Seats and Barisan Nasional for Parliamentary Seats and vice versa. From this we can say “It is not only Melayu Muda Lupa, Sarawakians, especially the Urban Voters also Muda Lupa”. Like a “Yoyo” or “Roller Coaster”, they change their voting style when they discover the person they voted did not deliver and the experiment goes on till 2006.

In 2006 and in a rare show of gross disatisfaction, both seats (that is State and Parliament for the constituency of Padungan) went to the opposition. In that year, Sarawak also wrote the script for Tsunami 0308 when SUPP lost almost all Urban Seats they contested.

In short, Sarawakians are disgusted with how they are treated and the feeling is there is collusion between the Federal and State Government to marginalise Sarawakians and their inability to stop the plundering of the states wealth and vast natural resources. In fact it got much worst in the past 20 years and started with Tun Dr Mahathir’s reign. Well at least Padungan Voters decided in 2006, enough is enough.

The same can not be said of the rural voters. To them there is only know one government and that is the “Dacing”. However with regular activities by Pakatan Rakyat Sarawak, they are now more aware. Will this translate into votes? This is hard to tell. One thing is sure, they have endured much hardship since the formation of Malaysia and are beginning to know they have been short changed and resent Barisan Nasional. However after close to half a century of hardship, we have to understand their fear. To many any government, whether it is Pakatan Rakyat or “Dacing” is the same.

Deep down, we have a feeling, for them to feel and see the difference between a Pakatan Rakyat government and Barisan Nasional, they want to see something tangible. Mere talking through Ceramahs will not do. The scenario is not the same as West Malaysia. In West Malaysia, Urban migration have ensured the rural voters are updated regularly via phone conversations and the regular “Balik Kampungs”.

Firstly, the Dayaks who form the majority in Sarawak must really want change. They must feel in their veins that they no longer wish to endure the indignity and the economic hardship they continue to suffer under the rule of BN. They must recognise that they can play a bigger role, in fact a leadership role in the future of Sarawak. They can if they have the will to uplift the sordid conditions in which their people live. They must reject the politics of money where handouts are given each time the BN wants their vote. Take their money and reject them, like the people of Sibu did. They must want to rule and determine their own future and not leave their destiny in the hands of political warlords who are also proxies of Federal leaders. How can the Dayaks, the Chinese, the Melanaus and the Malays not see the need to work together for their common good; to stop the plunder of Native Customary Rights lands, the wastage and corruption as exemplified by the Bakun Dam project? There are educated and politically committed Dayaks and other bumiputras who should be able to galvanise a united force against BN, but they must do that now. We used to have Temenggong Jugah, Stephen Kalong Ningkan, and Tawi Sli and others as leaders but where are the Dayaks now?

Secondly, the Opposition groups in Sabah and Sarawak must learn to trust one another and to have a new political culture of consensus building. They must value on unity and accept ethnic diversity and have genuine interest to help the people. This means the politics of dominance by one group over another must be rejected. This means rich towkays must not be allowed to control the course of politics. If you have suffered by the dominance and abuse of Federal power and if you have suffered in the hands of authoritarian leaders, then you must not make the same mistake by selecting leaders who will do the same under a different name. You must learn to trust one another rather than resorting to the easy way out of cavorting with Federal leaders, or getting blessings of leaders in Kuala Lumpur. You cannot raise and speak for your people if you are afraid to speak and stand up for yourself.

Change is not about changing leaders. What matters is about changing to the right kind of leadership. We live in a complex multi ethnic and multi religious country. We live in a Malaysia today that has shown visible signs of being schizophrenic; racist, prejudiced and fascistic in its behaviour. We have to show a leadership that is different from BN, a leadership that will put a stop to this madness. a leadership that wants to change the course of the nation where we can and should treat all Malaysians as equals, where we practice real democracy, and where the rule of just laws are available to all citizens. We want a government that respect the rights and the dignity of its people.

Sabah and Sarawak now have the golden opportunity to restore political power in their own hands for the first time since 1963. It is meaningless to talk of the Malaysia Agreement 1963 and to lament how unfairly you have been treated in the last 47 years unless you exercise political leverage at the federal level. The next election is one golden opportunity to work together in securing such leverage.

The question is how much does the Sabah and Sarawak leaders value this leverage? I am a Malaysian – not an East Malaysian or West Malaysian. To me, a backward Kelantan is as painful a sight as a Sabah and Sarawak left behind by other states. I want to see Sabah and Sarawak develop and grow into mature democracies and become economically developed states. I also believe only Sarawakians know what’s best for Sarawak, and only Sabahans know what’s good for Sabah. I do not subscribe to the view that Sabah and Sarawak should be subservient to Federal control other than in areas clearly stipulated in the Constitution. The spirit of the Malaysia Agreement 1963 must be honoured and respected.

The State election is around the corner. You will have the golden opportunity to declare the message – WE HAVE HAD ENOUGH. Make this your rallying cry: Datuk Patinggi Taib and Datuk Panglima Musa Aman – WE HAVE HAD ENOUGH. Send them packing and usher in the new dawn. The choice is yours – whether you want to be making history by propagating change or whether you will be judged by history as those who were afraid to change.

Read full article @ Zaid Untuk Rakyat

Again we make the call to the Federal Government under PM Najib to intervene and ensure that pending completion Survey of NCR Land boundaries, all development projects and logging activities affecting NCR Land be suspended!

A court case was postponed yesterday pending an Attorney-General’s chambers decision on whether or not to prosecute two men already facing extortion charges when attempting to defend their NCR land.

According to lawyer Abun Sui Anyit, the reason is the disputed area has yet to be surveyed following instruction by the Sibu High Court in January.

The order was made in the ongoing seven-year court battle between residents of 13 longhouses in the Mukah district and Sin Yang Forestry Sdn Bhd over the land.

“The survey has not been done so the land is still under dispute. As such, the community has the right to not allow anyone to take anything away from the land,” Abun Sui told Malaysiakini.

Instead, two community members, Guai Panggai and Dio Mawan were charged in May with extortion under Section 384 of the Penal Code.

According to Guai, who is also a tuai rumah, (headman) the Iban community had in March put up a blockade to stop another company, logging contractor Bintani Maju Sdn Bhd from extracting timber from the land.

“We had lodged police reports three months prior to that but there was no action so we chose to erect the blockade,” he said when contacted.

However, the company claimed that they possess a state-issued licence to undertake the work.

In their police report, Bintani Maju alleged that Guai and Dio had told their employees that they could only pass if they pay RM500.

“This is untrue. I did no such thing. In fact, now they tell us that they want to pay us RM6 per tonne of timber extracted but I have rejected their offer and will continue to reject any offer because the area is still disputed in court,” he said.

He added that despite police reports lodged, it was the police who dismantled their blockade in March and have continued to ignore their complaints.

Assaulted and charged for making threats
“We fear for our safety. The company has hired people armed with long machetes, and have told us that we will get hurt if we disrupt their work,” he said.

A community member, Orin Lingong, was beaten unconsciousness by four men believed to be connected to the company, when it became public that he took part in the blockade, said Giau.

The tuai rumah said that eye-witnesses saw Orin being roughed up, bound and brought to the police station where the he was accused of threatening the four men’s safety.

He was subsequently charged under Section 506 of the Penal Code, for allegedly threatening to kill the men.

Malaysiakini

Chinese, Indian Felt They Are Marginalised, Malay Threatened, Who Cares About Dayaks?

Discussion on Malaysian politics has always been centered along racial line – ie how to protect the interests of Malays, Chinese and to lesser extend the Indian – but not the Dayaks or the natives of Sarawak?

Yeah, let’s grab their lands, while we still can shall we!

It is to everyone amusement, really, why the so call Dayak leaders (Jabu, Masing, Mawan) keeping an ‘elegant silence’ on this matter – although it could mean death or alive to their communities – literally. Did they not feel the Dayaks also been marginalized, threatened all along?

Whose faults were that? NEP, NDP or Razak, Mahathir?
In a close examination of Malaysia’s development policies, particularly the NEP and NDP, Associate Prof Dr Madeline Berma found that these policies had in fact benefited the Chinese more than the Dayak and the natives of Sabah (recently termed as bumiputera minority) although they are the target group under the two policies.

In an article ‘Towards The National Vision Policy: Reveiw of the New Economic Policy and New Development Policy Among the Bumiputera Communities In Sarawak‘ she said sufficient evidence showed that the government had succeeded in reducing poverty by increasing Malay and bumiputera minority income level.

“However the government has achieved little success in redistributing wealth to the bumiputera minority (Dayaks) as reflected in their limited control and ownership of physical capital (machinery, real estate), corporate equity and human capital (education and skills).

According to her, the pro-bumiputera (Malay) economic policy of distributing income appeared to be coherent and succeeded in the initial years, because the majority of poor are bumiputeras.

But, moving forward, the real challenges for Malaysia government is no longer about forming an economic policy that centered around political rhetoric of improving inequality – ie., between bumiputera (Malay) and non-bumiputera, but more on addressing the widening gap between bumiputera (Malay) and the non-Malay bumiputera.

The natives - including the Penan have not only excluded from the benefits of NEP, NDP but also denied their rights particularly over their own ancestral lands by the government.

As Dr Madeline argued in her article by focusing on inter-ethnic inequality, current policies will lead to widening inequality within the bumiputera; the very community that these policies aim to support and protect, and give ‘preferential treatment’.

The continued used of ethnicity as the foundation of economic policy is no longer coherent. Continuing the pro-Malay oriented economic policy would apparently lead to internal contradictions and tension within the bumiputera community.

Chinese and Malays the biggest beneficiaries of NEP, NDP
In Sarawak, it was the Malays, Chinese and the Melanaus closely linked to Taib who benefited the most from economic growth during the NEP and NDP period of Razak and Mahathir premiership.

In fact, government policies appear to be bias against bumiputera minority in public sector, employment and business support according to Dr Madeline, who is a professor of economic at UKM.

“While an increasing number of bumiputera majority (Malay) have entered the modern and lucrative sectors in Malaysia, the fact remains that economic growth during NEP and NDP period did not equally benefit the majority of natives in Sabah and Sarawak.

“They continue to predominate the less lucrative sector of agriculture in the rural areas. More glaringly is the failure of government assisting bumiputera minority to own corporate equity as allocated to the Malays.

One can say that the sectoral restructuring of the NEP and NDP only flowed one way. These two policies succeeded in moving the Malays into urban commercial sectors where they were once under-represented but hardly succeeded in moving non-Malay bumiputera out of sectors where they are over-represented (agricultural).

The gradualist approach of the goverment toward non-Malay bumiputera economic development, if not properly adressed can and will frustrate the nascent of bumiputera minority who felt they have not benefited from the policies that were designed to uplift them.

Many non-Malay bumiputera in fact resentful that they receive much less than what they desire and believe they deserve.

Get rid of the term Bumiputera
Perhaps as an attempted to conceal this widening disparity government classify the various ethnic group in this country officially into bumiputera and non-bumiputera. The Malays and the indigenous communities of Sabah and Sarawak are classified as bumiputera.

Such classification gave the impression that government policies are neutral – it has similar effect on all bumiputera groups irrespective of their ethnic background.

This effect is most evident in official statistics where the less economically advantaged non-Malay bumiputera are classified as bumiputera together with the Malays – who are economically advanced.

Methoporically, one can say that the non-Malay bumiputera is statistically invicible!

Owing to this classification and definitional ‘errors’ or ‘problems’ non-Malay bumiputera achievement is either over or understated, thus giving incorrect signals to policy-makers.

Bintulu.org

Chief Minister Taib Mahmud runs a ‘repressive’ government, one that is ‘worse than the communist’, says a local activist. Yet the rural people of Sarawak continue to vote him in. Why is that?

“It’s because the government has perfected the method of making the people feel helpless. The government has created a situation where they (natives) are dependent. In everything they (natives) need, they can always depend on the government to provide,” said John Brian.

To further weaken the native network and strengthen his political hold over them, Taib has deviously pursued a divide and rule policy.

His latest is a new policy which splits the Dayak natives into ethnic groups – Iban, Bidayuh, Kayan, Kenyah, Penan, Kelabit and Lun Bawang.

An amendment to the Sarawak Interpretation Ordinance 2004, tabled and passed by the state assembly, has declassified the word ‘Dayak’.

The term ‘Dayak’ is now banned in all official government communication.

The move, said Brian, paves the way for Taib to pit one community against the other, keep them repressed and ensure his continued rule.

Sense of helplessness
According to him, years of false indoctrination and purposeful exploitation of the native ignorance had contributed to a prevailing ‘sense of helplessness’ in the rural areas.

He said not many in the rural and interior areas are educated and this works well for the government .

“The government has been lying and cheating the people by telling them how great their achievements are and how the country has progressed. When you are not educated, its easy to believe them.

“But if you go to the rural areas, nothing has changed: there are no roads, no clean water; and electricity. Healthcare is very poor and the mortality rate remains the highest in the country,” he said.

There are some economic activities provided for by the government via its Minor Rural Projects (MRP), but Brian notes in his blog DayakBaru that the MRP is a ‘miserable’ handout that will not contribute to the economic progress of the rural people.

“I’m still mulling on what type of government is this when it is prepared to see its people getting poorer and poorer by the day.

“To me this is a repressive government which is worse than the communist government,” he added.

Free Malaysia Today