"Taib Mahmud Sir! This is the first time that I am in the Agreement With You....
Majority Should Rules and Minority Must Learn to Give Way Principle"
After more than 25 years holding the post of the Chief Minister of Sarawak, today is the first time that I ever read or heard that Jabu beloved Chief Minister Pehin Seri Taib Al-Mahmud saying these two noble principles for democracy; Majority should rules and minority must learn to give way. Taib Mahmud has been quoted by Borneo Post for saying those two principles when he gave advise to the parties that squabble in the formation of Dudong SUPP Branch.
Even though the advise was directed at SUPP members that involved in their party internal crisis but it is not wrong for me to say that the same principles should also applicable for Taib Mahmud political status and his position as the Chief Minister of Sarawak.
Taib Mahmud is of the ethnic Melanau descent. The Melanaus can be divided into six different groups which are: Melanau Mukah, Melanau Dalat, Melanau Oya, Melanau Matu-Daro-Rejang, Melanau Ba'ie (Bintulu) Melanau Balingian and Melanau Miri.
The latest consensus of Sarawak population showed that the population of Melanaus was about 96,000 or about 4% of the Sarawak total population of 2.5 millions people. Even though they are not majority in term of population, but they are politically strong. Democracy promotes the principle of majority should rules. But in Sarawak such priciple is not applicable. This has been proven by Melanau, despite being the minority group , they are in full control of the politic, economy, government administration and many more matters in Sarawak.
Melanau grip on power started in 1970 when Tun Rahman Yaakub took over the Chief Ministership from the late Datuk Tawi Sli, and continued when Taib mahmud took over from Rahman Yaakub in 1982. Since then all the three top posts, the Governor and the Chief Minister and the State Secretary posts have been monopolised by the Melanau. Surprisingly both Iban and Malay did not do anything about it.
By mutual agreement (eventhought the two top posts were supposed to be belong to the Iban), the Chief Minister and the Governor should be held by the Iban and the Malay respectively but as I said ealier when Taib took over as Chief Minister and followed by the infamous Ming Court incident, the mutual agreemen between Iban and Malay was not been followed anymore. The Malay and Iban were just kept quite. But why were they keeping quite?What could be the caused?
For most of the Sarawak populations, the Ming Court incident can be considered as the starting point for the Melanau control and the end of the Iban and Malay political dominance in Sarawak. Since this point and until to this date (Pehin Seri) Taib Mahmud the most powerful Chief Minister in the history of modern sarawak, started to put his own cronies to head all important government departments and business entities in Sarawak.
And to "cripple" the Iban, Taib Mahmud and his Melanau cronies implemented what they termed as a "Politic Of Development". Iban were diprieved from the mainstream development. And to weaken the dayak solidiratory, he tried to do away with the term dayak, instilled the spirit of hatred amongst them by given more development in Bidayuh majority areas compared to the areas inhibited by the Iban .
Another reason why Melanau managed to control Sarawak is through religion. Majority of Melanau are muslim. This has been manipulated by Taib Mahmud to secure the support of the Malay . So far this has been very successful...the Malay still throw their supports to Taib Mahmud and his Melanau cronies despite the fact that they are less developed compared to their Melanau counterparts.
"The robber of Iban Rights....Iban Must Get Back What is Ours From this Robber"
If we strictly follow to what Taib said in Borneo Post about the basic principle of democracy : the majority should rules and the minority must learn to give way, with its total population of about 750,000 or 30% of Sarawak total population, no doubt Iban is the majority group in Sarawak. Due to the dumbness of the Iban past and present leaders, both of the posts had been robbed from us by Melanau, Taib Mahmud and Abang Muhammad Salahuddin Abang Barieng (aka Tun Sallahuddin) as the Chief Minister and Governor of Sarawak respectively. Taib Mahmud has been diagnosed with Colon cancer since January 2006 and since then he has been recieving regular treatments in Australia . His last trip to Australia was during the recent Hari Raya public holidays and just came back early of this week.
"Because of the Dumbness of our past and present leader(s) We had Lost What Were Supposed to Be Ours , To Taib Mahmud and his gang of Robbers"
Of no matter whether he made such comment while he was still under the side-effect of kimoteraphy treatment, but I am in the agreement with Pehin Sri (Dr) Haji Abdul Taib Mahmud that Majority should rules and minority must learn to give way. If he fail to practice what he had said, by all means, the Iban must take back what is ours. When I said by all means, it could be through politic or we should follow what had been done by HINDRAF…WE WILL GO TO THE STREET AND REJUVENATE OUR "AGI IDUP AGI NGELABAN" spirit!
Mupok Aku
"Agi Idup Agi Ngelaban"
