Ari Gawai Dayak Wishes From Bukit Tunggal

I would like to wish all of my dayak readers a Selamat Ari Gawai Gayu Guru Gerai Nyamai and as for my non-dayak readers this is the time where you can get to know your dayak friends better. Mupok aku

"Agi Idup Agi Ngelaban"

Joseph Entulu Under Attack For His Stupid Proposal To Abolish the term Dayak

Introduction

Gawai Dayak is just around the corner. In conjunction with the celebration, I would like to write an article on the Dayak Community... Lately so much has been discussed about the term dayak. It all started when Datuk Joseph Entulu, a Rural and Regional Development Deputy Minister on 10th May 2009, proposed that the term dayak should be dropped and replace with Iban, Bidayuh, Kenyah..etc. He made such a stupid and uncivilized proposal when met by the reporters after witnessing the installation of the Sarawak Dayak National Union (SDNU) Rajang Branch new committee members led by its chairman Maj (Rtd) Mosses Ripai. According to Entulu, the term should be dropped because it conveyed negative connotations like being uncivilized, uncouth and “low class. Other than that according to Entulu, the term dayak had not been acknowledged according to their respective ethnic groups. According to Entulu, the term dayak should be also abolished because it was not nationwide recognized. He quoted an example where Dayaks working in the peninsula were turned away when they wanted to invest in the Amanah Saham Nasional or when they applied for low-cost housing because some people there thought they were not bumiputra. To strengthen his call, Entulu said that some leaders of Sarawak non-Muslim communities had some years ago suggested that the government stop using the term. He strongly believed that the suggestion has the tacit support of the leaders and the people concerned. Response From The Dayak Communities Most of the dayak community leaders and individual that met and asked to comment on Entulu proposal, had in total disagreement with him. Some even suggested that Entulu should be stripped off his deputy minister post. They believed that Entulu is holding the post on dayak ticket. Some of the dayak leaders (political and NGO) that met and opposed to Entulu proposal were :-

Dato Sri Dr James Jemut Masing

• Self-Proclaimed PRS President
• Responsibled for diregistration of Parti Bansa Dayak Sarawak
• Entulu Boss
• Comments - Disagreed with Entulu and added " The colonial powers could not have coined the term Dayak because it was an existence long before they set foot in Sarawak. The term used in this context is a generalised term that covers three main non-muslim bumiputeras - Iban, Bidayuh and Orang Ulu.

  

Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Alfred Jabu ak Numpang

• Deputy Chief Minister of Sarawak
• Responsible for Dayak Marginalisation by Taib Mahmud government
• Comment. Not available for Comment as he was still in National Heart Institute (IJN)

Datuk Peter Minos

• Secretary General of the Dayak Cultural Foundation (DCF) and President of Bung Bratak Heritage
• Comments - Since time immemorial, the Bidayuh have referred to themselves as Dayak that literally means people. The notion that the word was coined by anyone, or for that matter, the colonial power, has little basis.

Dato Celestine Ujang ak Jilan

• Former State Minister
• Comments - The term Dayak has been been widely accepted and establihed in this country. Whoever suggests that it should be dropped must be crazy.
  

Patrick Rigep Nuek

• Author and Expert on Bidayuh Culture
• Comments- As a Bidayuh, If I were to say the term Dayak was uncivilised, uncounth and low class, then I would be suffering from inferiority complex. It shows I am not proud of who I am and What I represent.

My Comments

As far as the history is concerned, the term dayak has been used by the Dutch, Portuguese back in 1600s to describe the natives of Borneo ; in Kalimantan and Sarawak.

The best example for us to look at in the usage of term dayak is our brother in Kalimantan Indonesia. During Suharto rule, just like us, they were also marginalised. Their land were taken away from them for timber, oil-palm plantation and gold mine by Suharto and his cronies.

But after the fall of Suharto , with the new order, they formed-up Dayak Association. One of such association that has been very succesfully in unite the Dayak is Lembaga Musyawarah Masyarakat Dayak dan Daerah Kalimantan Tengah ( LMMDD-KT) in Kalimantan Tengah. Nowadays Dayak in Central Kalimantan (or Kalteng) has better representation in the government, even the governor is a Dayak.

The top Dayak Communities -Iban, Bidayuh, Orang Ulu etc.., should forget about politicking for personal gain but start to work for the communities. At present most of our leaders are willing to sacrificing the survival of our communities in order to gain personal interest. The best example is Jemut Masing himself. He has willing to sacrifice his political ambition (of course to fight for the right of the Iban community) after given the ministrial job by Pehin Seri Taib Mahmud, Malaysian longest serving Chief Minister/Menteri Besar.

As for Joseph Entulu, for his stupid proposal he deserved with the most severe punishment that is on exile to the "no man land" (as he is no longer belong to the dayak).....

Please stay tune with my next posting entitled " Dayak Marginalisation by Taib Mahmud’s Politic of Development Could Trigger Communal Violence in Sarawak – Lesson learn from Madurese and Dayak Conflict in Kalimantan Indonesia 2001"

Mupok Aku

"Agi Idup Agi Ngelaban"

Barisan Nasional Sarawak: Sarawak For Sale to UMNO -History Repeated

Sarawak is BN "Fixed Deposit" Said Abang Jo

About 35 years ago, 1976 (Tun) Abdul Rahman Yaakub signed an agreement with (Petronas) Kuala Lumpur to give it full authority to undertake oil exploration and in return, SARAWAK was given a 5 % oil royalty annually.The question is where most of Sarawak leaders at that time (inclusive of James Wong) requested for 15% but Chief Minister at that time, (Tun) Abdul Rahman agreed with 5% oil royalty.One must remember that Taib Mahmud, who is a niece of Tun Rahman , in 1965 was dismissed from his post as a Minister of Communications and Works by Datuk Stephen Kalong Ningkan , who was then the Chief Minister of Sarawak. Taib was dismissed for his role to initiate the vote of no confidence against Ningkan but with the help of Federal government Ningkan was overthrown from his Chief Ministrial job and Taib once again made a minister but with more important potfolio as a Development and Forestry Minister.

Many people believed that the 5% agreement was part of Tun Rahman payment to UMNO for the roles that the party played in ousting Iban Chief Minister Datuk Stephen Kalong Ningkan 10 years back.

Yesterday once again the history repeated. Dato Abang Johari Tun Openg announced that Sarawak is a "Fixed Deposit" for Barisan Nasional. Many believed such announcement was made as a payback to Federal government for a role it played during a just concluded Batang Ai by-election. During the election, Federal government had promised to allocate more fund to Batang-Ai. The promised helped BN to win Batang Ai with bigger majority. And last week just before DUN sitting, new Deputy Prime Minister (DPM) Mahyuddin came to Sarawak to deliver the promised......We had been sold to Najib.

Mupok Aku

"Agi Idup Agi Ngelaban"

Some Land Devt Info Not Divulged-Tengah (Deception Plan By Awang Tengah and Cronies)

Bintulu, 20th April 2009. Awang Tengah when officiating at a two day State Level Land Seminar in Bintulu said that the goverment cannot simply annaunce every detail pertaining to the development of certain areas was because to stop speculations by certain quarters. Comment By Bukit Tunggal (Actual Reason). So that the land owners caught with their pants down thus easier for Awang Tengah and goverment agents like Land Survey and RELA to evict and demolish their houses easily, just like what they did to Rumah Nyawin,..etc.

He further added that the government could not avoid making changes to the state's land implementation and administration policy as it should be in accordance with the prevailing social and economic situation. Comment By Bukit Tunggal. Justification for government action to rob natives of their NCR lands. After this few more natives will be evicted from their longhouses.See what happen to the landless natives in Niah as reported by Dayaknation. In his speech Awang Tengah also said that the opposition failed to use the land issues during the recent by-lection in batang-Ai when they failed to win batang Ai. Comments By Bukit Tunggal. Even though PKR Lost the election in batang Ai but it did not mean that the natives support government land policies. There were so many factors that influenced the just concluded by-election. Some of the reasons that had been identified were corruption, abused of power, Tampering with14 boxes etc.... Among the dayak representatives that attended the seminars were James Masing, Wilson baya Dandot and Micheal Manyin. Comments By Bukit Tunggal. Those are the faces of the Dayak Traitors.Remember their faces..they are no longer belong to the dayak community... To all the dayak, be prepared for the next Wave of land develiopment by Awang Tengah and his cronies. Be prepared to be evicted from your longhouses and become landless on your MOTHERLAND. Until then..Mupok aku.

"Agi Idup Agi Ngelaban"