Bangsa IBAN Paling Bodoh dan Miskin di Malaysia!!!!!

Dayak Iban need to know “who” they are during election
Written by: Dr. John Brian Anthony
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Why do Dayak Iban need to accord traditional welcome to campaigners??
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When I sit down and watch the TV news this evening I cringed in dismay at the sight of Dayak Iban ladies dressed in traditional costumes, just to welcome campaigners to their long house.

These visitors may be MINISTERS but there are not on official visits to the long house. These Ministers have no other functions but to try and get the Dayak votes. Do you think that the Ministers appreciate our culture and traditions? I think not.

These Malaya Ministers have no perception on how long it takes to dress into the costumes and the discomfort of using one. The Ministers look at the ladies as “tourist products”. Do you think that the Ministers are thinking – ok! these are smart thinking ladies? No!

All these welcoming are not necessary. Let us learn from the Chinese and Malays – did the Chinese and Malays or Melanau Muslim come up with their traditional welcoming ritual and costumes? We all know – they don’t. Then why did the Dayak Iban do it?

The Dayak leaders (YB IBAN) arrange the welcoming ceremony to impress their guests

The Dayak leaders are dying to be recognized by the campaigning Ministers. They feel great to be shaking hands and seated beside the Ministers. To the Dayak community leaders this is the evidence of their importance in the political society.

What is the implication of such practices used during events – like a buy-election? It makes our Dayak culture looks cheap and not as serious as it should be.

Why did our leaders (YB IBAN) do all these things – more often then not, the Dayak leaders do not seem to understand the interplay of culture, tradition and rituals. The Dayak Iban could only see this welcoming event using their tradition from their point of view. The visitors will look at this welcoming ceremony from a different perspective. To us, we are not conscious and sensitive to the importance of our culture that we are ready to bring it down to the lowest level of events in the long houses.

What is so great about election campaign after all?
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The Miring Ceremony
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This is a topic that we Dayak Iban must make a review of it. A miring is part of a ceremony – it falls under the category of “ritual”. How many Iban has been invited to conduct or participate in a Chinese religious ritual like Tua Pek Kong rituals or a Malay Muslim ritual in the mosques?. In the first place are you allowed to participate in such rituals.

I may be wrong, but today I see any TOM, DICK and HARRY are invited to conduct the ritual. little wonder, our IBAN Ancestors may have cursed our present day Dayak Iban misfortune because we have succeeded to make our most important ritual into something that is almost totally worthless. You may not agree with me but I call it “prostitution of miring ritual”.

Can we be more circumspect ( more selective) with what we should do with our tradition, culture and ritual. The unfortunate thing is, the Dayak Iban political leaders are leading this “prostitution of the miring ritual”.

Those who are not Dayak participated in miring out of respect for our ritual. Beside that, they have no ideas of the significant and importance of miring. Dayakbaru – think of what I have just said. Maybe we can improve our image by being more aware of what we can do and cannot do with our cultural rituals etc.

Conclusion
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Dayak Iban vote will remain cheap for BN to buy. Taib bought one “bilik” for RM$600 in Penassu Batu Burak long houses. They are many of us in Dayakbaru who seems to be happy of being given a bribe to vote BN.

We all know that such bribe have caused us to loss our NCR lands, our opportunity to work in the civil service, our place in Local University, our forest and in place we get polluted river, poor roads, dirty drinking water,etc.

Change WE Must: If take the “TAJU REMAONG” make sure you kill the remaong before it kills you. Do you know “how” to kill the remaong. Easy: do not put your pencil mark next to BN “dacing” symbol. Place your pencil mark next to the “rocket”.

Surce:http://dayakbaru.com/web log08/

The mood of the Dayak voters
Written by: Dr. John Brian anthony
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I have lost my voice from too much “shouting!!!!!” and now i would let my fingers do the talking. A day of rest would sooth the throat and voice box.

What is going on in Dayak areas?

BN is really determined to win this SIBU BUY-election so as not to give Pakatan Rakyat the chance to earn a moral boasting victory after its defeat in Batang Ai. BN wanted to ensure that PR must not be given a chance to increase its influence in Sarawak.

On a daily basis, Federal Ministers and BN Malaya State Ex-Co are coming in to Sibu,UMNO MEN are coming to SIBU too. This is in addition to the Sarawak Ministers efforts . The long houses resemble a fish market where the Ministers are haggling over many issues. At the end of the day, the visit by the Minister always end up with a “price”. Example: A Rm$25,000 to upgrade the long house, Rm$50,000 for upgrading road to the long house. Of course this is familiar happening as this is the modus operandi of the BN Government.

The Dayak voters are fully occupied by the visits of the campaigners that some are beginning to resent the visit by the campaigners. It starts to become clearer now that many Federal Ministers are not comfortable in handling Dayak issues and are making a fool of the Iban in Long Houses by giving an ANGPAU of HAMPERS not more than RM30.00 to each family (sepintu)WHEREAS in the Town areas they give donations and grants RM365Million whereas each receiver would get at leat RM500,000.00 What a big fuss they treat Dayak like that.

What are the effects of this campaign on voters?

The Dayak voters are usually pro-BN. The Pakatan Rakyat/DAP however are attracting a lot of interest from the Dayak because the Dayak are still curious to know their political stance. The issues among the Dayak are local: land issues, culture, education development, economic marginalization,discrimination s in employment, etc.

Among the Dayak youth and educated Dayak working in town, their orientation is towards PR politics. The biggest hurdle is to get the Dayak women votes.

The Government is using Senator Empiang, the PBB Wanita Chief and Chairman of Serakup Indu Dayak Sarawak (SIDS), the women wing of the Sarawak Dayak National Union (SDNU) to fight for the women vote. Senator Empiang is well known quantity and is supported by her Deputy Chief Minister husband. SIDS has many active branches and mostly loyal supporter of Senator Empiang. However, the parent body SDNU is label as “unfriendly” to the Government. This is the work of specific politicians to ensure that the Dayak unity do not deprive them of their political power base.

Among Pakatan Rakyat, there is only one women campaigner – the head of PKR Women’s Wing, Ibi Uding. Pakatan Rakyat is still weak in its Women Wing organizationally. PR/DAP need to find ways to get the Dayak NGO to help them if they want Dayak women vote. As it stands today, BN is ahead in the Dayak women votes. Maybe, Idi Uding need to change her routines of following the men campaigning to switch to forming an all Dayak women campaign team. In that manner, Senator Empiang gain among Dayak women would be checked.

The cynical Dayak voters

This is a common phenomena. These group of people actually do not really care for BN / Opposition. Who ever win the election it seems has no bearing in their life. These are the hard working men who struggle on a daily basis to get food to be served on their table. Their life has not improved in the last 47 years and they do not believe that this SIBU buy-election will be any different.

We cannot even get this voters to reason out that their plights can be improved by changing the political environment by replacing BN with PR. To them the struggle is to survive on a daily basis. To us, it means that BN has not done a good job in uplifting the incomes of the Dayak through poor economic planning and much focus on elitist, connected, cronyism business.

Generally Dayak voters is changing

About 40% of the Dayak voters are not in Sibu. There are working outside Sibu as Sibu do not offer enough jobs. But polling on the 16th is a difficult date for them to decide to come back to cast their vote as Gawai Dayak is on the 31st May -1st June. Coming back would cost them money that is sorely needed for Gawai Dayak celebration.

DAP / SUPP have to find ways to bring them back to vote and subsidize their lost of incomes and cost of transportations. This would be a costly affair and would involve a lot of money for VOTE BUYING.

The Dayak voters in the long houses are changing.Many understood the results of the March 2008 election and it is willing to try out Pakatan Rakyat. BN is a known quantity but the promised that a Dayak will eventually become the next Chief Minister of Sarawak should PR win is a prospect that BN would not even dare to mention to the Dayak. Dayak young voters are really committed to this vision of a Dayak Chief Minister.

Conclusion

BN still has many positive factors to maintain a lead over DAP/PR.It is not going to be an easy election to win though. Dayak will be the key voters segment to deliver victory to BN. Today, the Dayak voters are changing towards PR/DAP as BN / SUPP has not done a good job in improving the quality of life of the semi-urban Dayak dwellers.

Dayak can improve the money value of their votes
Written by: Dr. John Brian Anthony
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BN is abusing their power to use our tax money
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I was talking to some friends in Sibu, as is the usual, in Sarawak we spent a lot of times with friends who are Chinese, Malay – unfortunately very little Indian. In Malaya, it is not unusual to see all Malays banded together etc. It is painful to talk about 1 Malaysia in Malaya at the lowest level and definitely impossible at the highest level – where UMNO politics hold supreme. Najib is just wasting good money to promote an idea that UMNO do not practice at all.

A Chinese friend said that BN is easy with MONEY, like they just say what they like to give (cash). Indeed it is the tax payers' money. We have just finished e-filing our income tax returns and the PM gleefully use it like it is his own money. How irresponsible for the Prime Minister to behave in such manner with the tax payers' money entrusted upon him to manage in the best possible way to bring the country forward in development.

My Malay friends say that it is most unfortunate that so much money is poured into Sibu when places like Song, Bintangor, Lubok Antu, Marudi, Balingian etc. could see very little development since the formation of Malaysia. The bumiputera of Sarawak are struggling because they cannot make ends meet. They cannot send their children to school because they have no money.many bumiputera cannot live in a house without leaking roofs and holes in the wall of the house. The house is made of zinc sheets,etc. and yet Najib and Taib are throwing money to buy votes in this SIBU by- election.

Yes, it is true.
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I cannot agree more with what both of my friends said. The government really looks careless and without conscience when they simply throw our money to fish for votes in sibu by-election.

The saddest part about this vote buying is, the Government tries to say that “we have plan for this project and it is just coincidence” that is it is announced during this SIBU by election, etc. The Government DOES so many foolish things and the Government actually believes that they are doing the correct things and that the voters can be fooled by BN government all the times.

The Government forgot the old saying, you can fool people some time but you cannot fool people all the time.

Dayak votes
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As Dayakbaru I am very curious about the Dayak votes. Do the Dayak still vote for the Government that continue to hang cash carrots over their heads and all the other development promises or can the Dayak determine what they want their future to be and fight their political struggle based on their vision of themselves.

The Dayak ladies votes in the long houses are crucial. Can the Opposition get their votes? I am not too sure unless the Opposition approaches these voters differently – by engaging rather then “talking” to them.

There seemed to be some “scheme” being cooked up in this SIBU by-election to allow Opposition to get the Dayak votes in order to increase the value of Dayaks' votes in the coming State election. I could not agree to any forms of schemes in order to get more money for a dayaks' votes. I am for a vote that is casting based on the ‘principle” of the voter. In that manner, we will choose a Government that will serve us well.

Behavior of some Dayak Ministers( YB IBAN )
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They wanted to be treated like demi-god. As elected representatives, they should serve the rakyat. This is not so in many cases. The YB IBAN cannot tolerate feedbacks. They cannot be patient with those Dayak with simple problems. They even scolded them and told the Dayak people off.

I just got back from a rural areas near sibu. the YB IBAN told the long house folks ” you are always asking for building material – does it means that you will not have a long house if I do not approve your request for material to build a long house?”.

As you can see, the Government can spend millions of ringgit to buy votes. In many instances the YB IBAN do not know how to help the people and scolded them for their request for help INSTEAD.

Conclusion
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Many Sibu Dayak voters resided outside of the P212. It takes only 3% vote swing in Sibu for Opposition to win. When Opposition wins, then the coming State election would be seen that the Opposition would have a fighting chance. For the Dayak, it is a chance to improve the policies of the Government:

The Dayak want to own land title

The Dayak wanted their “adat” to be used for their conflicts
The Dayak wanted better educational opportunity through better facilities
The Dayak wanted to treated fair in Government jobs
The dayak want to have a share of business “quota” by Government etc.

The Dayak should not vote because of $600 per family given or $20.00 per vote given by SUPP to vote for BN. The Dayak must vote for progress using dignity and adherence to democratic principles. They must know their priorities and must vote based on the true choice. The tuai Rumah / Penghulu etc must not threaten the voters. The Dayak Ministers must also not mislead the Dayak voters with lies and blackmail with no Government project.

If we continue to vote for the money given to us, or out of fear that the Government will do bad thing to you – we will end up living in a country with “rule of law” because our political leaders have acted like dictators.

Change WE Must : Vote for your future and your children’s future

The key Dayak issues in Sibu
Written by: Dr. John Brian Anthony
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Bread and Butter Issue
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There are several Dayak issues in Sarawak. The main issue mentions now is “NCR land grab by the Government”. In Sibu, another very pressing issues is “bread and butter” issues.

The Government has not delivered on the special rights of bumiputera under the Dayak's segment. The Dayak's involvement in small business / NEP is negligible due to Government oversight of developing and grooming them. The BN/SUPP in Sibu is highly “racialist” to Dayak without them realizing it. The SUPP Chinese who are rich and owning big business “never” extended a helping hand to Dayak despite receiving massive Dayak support in every election either MP or DUN.

If you are a Dayak voter, would you not want to know what are SUPP plans to collaborate with dayak to improve their living standards and incomes. Meaning, if SUPP really needs Dayak supports politically then SUPP has not delivered on the reciprocal benefits to Dayak. Is that fair?

SUPP attitude towards Dayak
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SUPP attitude towards Dayak is that of “Dayak are people who do not deserve to be developed”. What are the evidence? SUPP felt that they have met their part of the political bargain by giving “coffin subsidy” to Dayak. Everything that SUPP offers to the Dayak community in SIBU are “rotten fruits”– the SIBU Vision 2020 do not have any plans and prgrams to improve the economic well being of the Sibu people. It focuses on making Sibu into a modern town based on a model that benefit only Sibu Chinese town population.

If there is such a plan for Dayak development under the Sibu Vision 2020 team, let the team comprising of YB Wong Soon Koh, YB Tiong Thai King,YB Vencent Goh, Daniel Ngieng,JKR Head Vecent Tang,YB Awang Bemee,etc. to explain to the Dayak voters in Sibu in this BUY-Election.Until now we hardly could hear their clear explainations on this issue.

SUPP centric Sibu is ignored the well being of Dayak – you can see the big difference in development allocation, the non existence of an economic development collaboration between the Sibu urban population with the Dayak semi-urban population.

I am wondering for what reasons do the Dayak voters have to vote for SUPP / BN candidate.It's because of vote-buying of RM20-RM50 per voter given by SUPP??? Sibu is SUPP centric and has no place for assisting the Dayak to progress economically.

In Summary SUPP do not have a healthy relationship with Dayak. SUPP buys Dayak support in elections and has fail to deliver an economically win-win solution. The Dayak are confined to be sawmill workers, coffee shop assistant,construction workers in all Chinese Housing Estates in Sibu for the rich SUPP elite.

The biggest issue that must be debated in this election
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The Sarawak Government has banned the used of the word DAYAK in any forms used for official purposed within the Government organization.

Why did the Government banned the work Dayak and encourage the used of ethnics group: Iban, Kayan, Melanau, Bidayuh, Kelabit, etc? What is the “spirit of this law, to erase the word Dayak from the State Constitution?

Imagine if the Government banned the used of the word “Chinese”: instead they are known as Foo Chow, Hainanese,Heng Hua, Teochew, Hakka, etc. Is that acceptable by the Chinese?

Conclusion:

As a Dayak I am looking forward to explanation from BN especially SUPP on this piece of legislation to ban the use of Dayak in official government document.

Change WE Must: Dayak must not allow the Government to walk all over us – it is a Dayak genocide by the Government

Rm$18 Million to swing Sibu Chinese votes
Written by: Dr. John Brian Anthony
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Thank you but no thanks
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I can understand the gratitude of the Chinese educators in Sibu over the Rm$18 million allocation given by Najib during the BY-ELECTION in P212 Sibu.

Rm$10 million to go to 60 Chinese Medium Primary Schools
Rm$5 million to go to Chinese Medium Secondary Schools
Rm$2 million to SMK Sacred Heart
Rm$1 million to St Mary
The allocation is timely, as it is given during the SIBU by-election to buy the Chinese votes in Sibu plus those from the mission schools. The crux of the story is: is this going to be a one-off affair or will the Government come up with a consistent policy to help Chinese Medium and Mission schools on an annual basis???

Extreme Politicking
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I can also understand the BN supporters jumping up and down with joy for this allocation. But then, don’t you wonder what happen to the Chinese Medium Schools and Mission Schools in other parts of Sarawak???

The Government needs to be consistent and transparent with their policies towards giving aids to such schools. As it is today, 47 years since independent, this “kindness” appears at a time when the people are trying to make a decision to support the Government or to support the Opposition.

It seems, the Government is trying to bribe the people of Sibu with public money. This money is from our tax, nothing much to shout about like :“only BN can bring development to the people”. Actually BN is a coalition of political party that formed the Government and headed by UMNO. Why did BN, as a political entity starts to use public money to gain vote????

The Chinese Voting trend
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In many BY-elections, BN has tried to buy the Chinese votes. The Kuala Trengganu etc and the latest in Hulu Selangor proved that the Chinese are politically objectives in their approaches. Such “mee segera” do not swing their votes. Does the “mee segera of Rm$18 million” help to ease the financial burden of Chinese medium schools in Sibu areas???– yes it does. Will it swing the vote back to BN???– that is the RM18 million question. I think not.

The Chinese are NOT voting Opposition politics. The Chinese votes for justice, equality, fairness, level playing field, good business environment etc. There are many examples of good things that the Government did but mostly the Government is seen to practice double standards among races and double standard within SUPP. The elite SUPP families become very rich while ordinary Chinese families have to struggle the normal hard way to make ends meet.

BN candidate Robert Lau Jr. come from one such elite family. The KTS group of companies that control timber business, plantation, reforestation, retailing and even the print media. The question is – do we want to perpetuate a KTS Dynasty in Sarawak?

Education – rural schools
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The Deputy Prime Minister acknowledged that some rural schools are worst than the Felda schools in Malaya/Semenanjung Malaysia. Do you understand what that mean? It means the worst schools in Malaya/Semenanjung Malaysia are in Felda scheme areas – yet when compared to Sarawak Government school, the worst schools in Malaya is much better then the normal rural school in Sarawak.

Why does it takes the Government 47 years to notice this situation. The next question is what will the Government do about it?.

In Malaya/Semenanjung Malaysia the school facilities are first class in every aspects and the Government continues to drive selected “racial based” schools to have state of the art educational equipment and facilities.

As a Sarawakian, my question is what is the Government doing to improve the schools in Sarawak, especially rural school??? We are not talking about computers, LCD projectors, electronic white board etc. We are asking for schools without leaking roofs, schools with adequate tables and chairs, schools with proper living quarters for teachers, schools with electricity, with clean water supply, schools with open field where children can play soccer on, school with proper river crossing, with good walking pathway etc.

Hell NO! after 47 years of independence through the formation of Malaysia we are still at below the basic level in our rural schools facilities. For us Sarawakian, that is what we are voting for. We know BN has the all promises and personal richest for the BN politicians, yet the rural people are poor and with very little opportunity to change their life.

Conclusion
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It is better for the Government to have a comprehensive policies to help Chinese medium, Indian Medium, and for Dayak Iban language to be taught up to tertiary level.

It is NOT good to see BN praising themselves for their misdeed in using public money to buy votes. If BN wants to win through bribery, we must not vote for such people. Why? By voting such BN people, we are voting “corruption”. In an election they must be fair play and we all can see that this is no fairness at all. It is deceit at the highest level by the highest echelon of leadership.

Change WE Must: I do not think Chinese are gullible enough to vote BN on the basis of their vote being bought by the Government. The Chinese are made up of better thinking / reasoning material and holding great wisdom as a guide to their life.

Sarawak deserve a better government
Written by: Dr. John Brian Anthony
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We live in fear in Sarawak – because of land development
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Talking to rural Dayak people, they indicated uncertainty for their future. The land issue is the main culprit as the Government continues not wanting to survey their land and issue the land titles over their NCR LAND.

When land are opened up and it encroaches into NCR land, any forms of resistant by the rural people is always met with police field force brutality and land and survey enforcement teams who do not give the people any choices at all to solve the problems. The people are branded as squatters of state land and thereby ejected. Foreign workers are given Mykad and land titles while the local are made to suffer in their own country.

The demolition of Rh Nor long house is a point of reference where no Dayak dwelling would be safe. from Government enforcement agencies. It seems the Government is always on the side of big plantation investors. The same is happening in Ulu Niah and many areas in the 1st and 2nd Division of Sarawak. There is strictly no assurance of rural people ownership over their ancestral land. That makes them very nervous because land is their life,soul and culture.

Rural Dayak live in fear of no opportunities to improve their standard of living

The Government is very slow in bringing basic facilities: clean water supply, electricity, roads and schools to the rural areas. Most schools' facilities are in poor conditions and if there is any road linked, the road condition is so bad that even bicycle cannot be used on such road. The teachers' problems have not even be solved despite so many graduates from Sarawak are still without any job.They are jobless and unemployed for many years. It seems the Government prefers to import and recruit teachers from Malaya/Semenanjung Malaysia with bigger expenses through rural allowance of RM600-800 each besides they are given an hardship allowances of RM1,000 to RM1,500 each.All and all their monthly salaries are in the range of RM3,000 to RM6,000 depending on their salary scales. For newly graduated teachers with DG41,they would receive a montly salary of between RM3,000 to RM4,000.That mean equivalent to some Branch Managers or Assistant Branch Managers in the Banks.

The sweet talks and promises of the Government during election are many but the delivery is negligible. The elected representatives are more interested in their “positions” in Government and the politics of their own political organizations. The rural people are left to their own device. Just look at Batang Ai, what has the Government done to deliver their promised???

Many rural Dayak community has not been able to produce graduate among them as the school facilities and management is too poor to be effective to support basic education. The new pre-school project is interesting but the Government policies of employing only Malays into the Civil Service is rearing its ugly head.

In my long house, the pre-school teacher is a Malay girl from an urban areas while we have graduates in the long house that is without a job. The rural Dayak fear that their graduate children will be kept to low paying job and with little prospect to be promoted to manage important positions.They are SIDELINES ALWAYS.....

The Lost of forest and food
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What the businessmen see as wealth and money in the forest the rural Dayak see the forest as provider of building material, food and even incomeS. With logging from the forest, the rural people have very limited or little supply of timber to build their houses. Worst still there is not even timber to make boats and coffins.

The lost of timber also kill and drive away wild animals which are sources of Dayak food supply. The rivers are muddy and fishes are disappearing. There is little money for use to buy food. Rice cultivation is limited to areas that is fast losing soil fertility and government fertilizer subsidy is negligible. Those civil servant who are recruited from the town are not used to travel to rural areas. The condition of traveling are harsh and therefor the rural people are not visited resulting in neglect.

Hunger is already happening to Penan who has NEVER had such experience when the forest was never logged.The logging companies are mostly irresponsible people and without any social responsibility programs or the soul for fellow human being who made forest their home.

The fear of little or diminishing food supply is not only real but is happening throughout the state.

The people are getting more sick

Sickness are plenty now as rivers are polluted, food nutrients are diminishing which are vital to maintain healthy bodies. The health and medical facilities in the rural areas has been stagnated since 30 years ago. With increase population and the manifestation of a varied category of diseases the snail pace change in health and medical care is depriving the rural population of an increase in life span. People are dying young.

The mortality rate in the rural areas has not been reduced at all.

The people has no new source of incomes

The Government are not able to provide a better source of incomes for rural population. The poverty rate remains almost unchanged and the disposable incomes are still dependent on old rubber gardens, forest fruit harvest, jungle produce. The palm oil plantation are contaminated with foreign workers earning very small incomes which is well below the basic needs of a rural family.

BN Government has not arrange for rubber replanting, pepper subsidy, creation of cottage industry. In fact the BN Government focusses on activities that will make the rural people poorer. the dams, the mining, the reforestation: the BN Government fails to create a self sustaining society despite having rule the State for 47 years since the formation of malaysia.

Mega – useless project

The BN Government builds egoistic expansive building, invests in project that only help the very few elite groups, distribute state development funds to cronies, treat the state coffer as personal accounts. The distribution of wealth is not inclusive but exclusive to politicians to buy their support, loyalty and a supreme race agenda.

Projects are never created to increase family incomes, increase the standard of living but the cost of living continues to spiral up without abatement. Staple food price like rice, sugar, floor continue to rise radically. Basic fuel such as in petrol, diesel, kerosene , cement, timber products continue to raise causing more hardship to the rural people in meeting basic needs to survive.

The BN Governmnet has not been able to find solutions into this problem. Indeed the rural population were suppressed through propaganda, threats, blackmailing, lies and deceit by elected representatives.

The rural people do not trust this government and as the government has kept them into a circle of poverty the rural population lost reasoning in their efforts to stay alive. this, the Government translated as loyal supporters for the government.

Conclusion
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There are more to be said. Dayakbaru feel this hopelessness and helplessness in the rural community and this is the product of a BN Government that is well below our expectation. This is a tyranny government that keeps the people poor while the top political leadership make themselves immensely rich by robbing the natural resources of the country.

If we are to survive without having to feed on roots of trees and mud of the river we must be able to make that change.

Change WE Must: to vote in a more selfless government with the people welfare, more competent to provide the solution to todays’ problems and a government that we all can rely to and trust.

Do not cry for the leaders but we must try and build this country back to ensure a better world for our next generation to live in.

Sibu Election is important to both BN / Pakatan Rakyat
Written by: Dr. John Brian Anthony
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Background:
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In 2008 election, the late Datuk Robert Lau Hoi Chew won the Sibu parliamentary seat by a 3,549-vote majority, beating Wong and Lim Chin Chuang of PKR in a three-cornered fight.

Sibu has 54,695 voters, comprising 52,158 ordinary voters and 2,537 postal voters made up of 1,910 military and 627 police personnel.

According to the electoral roll, updated as of April 9, Chinese voters make up almost 67 per cent of the total number of voters, followed by Malay/Melanau (10.5 per cent) and Sarawak Bumiputeras (22 per cent).

The question now is can BN / SUPP retain this seat against the spirited Pakatan Rakyat and win the seat with increase majority Or if PR / DAP win Sibu seat which section of the voters segments have made the most “change”? Today the assumption is DAP will get majority of the Chinese votes and that the Dayak / Malay votes will decide the outcome of the election.

Nomination Day 8th May
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The crowd of supporters turnout during nomination day is not a good indicator of who will eventually win the election. In Sibu, the DAP crowd is much bigger then BN as there are many PR supporters from outstations. But the large interested PR crowds from outstations are an indication of an increase support for Pakatan Rakyat throughout Sarawak. Usually we see most of DAP supporters are made of the Chinese crowds. In Sibu, we can see many Dayaks and Malay standing behind the DAP candidate. This may indicate that a substantial shift of perception of opposition unity is in the making.

Campaigning in Dayak areas
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The BN campaign seemed to be more on the defensive as DAP/PR started to introduce national issues in their campaigns. These national issues are important in this election – simply because this is a parliamentary election and that national issues are most relevant. The Pakatan Rakyat campaigners from Malaya pave Sibu voters specific examples of their programs’ successes in eradicating poverty and the new approach towards bringing better quality of life for their people:

$2,500 given to Selangor family for funeral expenses
$1000 to every Selangor student who secure a seat at tertiary education institution
$400 annual grant given to every senior citizen in Penang (etc)

These are news to Sarawak voters, despite producing oil and gas, timbers, land for plantation etc the populace do not seemed to given proper incentive by the government.

BN campaign by the way did not have answers to counter such new bench mark for “rakyat first” by Pakatan Rakyat. BN is back padelling and stepping up on their threats and blackmailing of community leaders.

BN Government is forcing the Dayak to abandon their cultural practices

One of the strongest cultural practices of the Dayak is to welcome all visitors / strangers to their houses and share their food with them. The Iban has a saying ” anang ga mensia, ukoi tesat di beri makai”– translated to visitors are welcome and accorded the kindest hospitality, even lost dogs would be fed up with food if there come to a Dayak long houses.

At Bawang Assan and other long houses (Aup / Penasu / Rasau / Pasai etc) the Tuai Rumah were hostile to the Pakatan Rakyat / DAP campaigners / visitors and refused to extend their traditional warm welcomes. A former Dayak community leader “Pemanca Jengging” has no choice in Bawang Assan at BN Johnny Engkamat’s long house but to remind Johnny not to forgo Dayak culture for political excuses.

It is amazing that the BN programs to extend a monthly allowances of Rm$450 to Tuai Rumah to subsidize their personal expenses in assisting their “anembiak” or long house folk to register their child birth, reporting death etc has been politicize by the Government and even used as an instrument to blackmail the Tuai Rumah into supporting BN blindly.

This by-election is important to determine the next State election

The talk around town is if BN win this ( SIBU by-election), the State election will be held by September this year but if Pakatan Rakyat / DAP win this election, the state election might be pushed till March next year.

My personal PREDICTION is;- the coming State election will be held in March next year at the earliest, even though the current Government term end in July next year. Sarawak BN is actually facing many internal issues:

the 5 musketeers of SPDP
the factionalism in SUPP
the next top state leadership uncertainty in PBB
the gathering of momentum of land development issues in Sarawak
Election promises

BN as expected is promising millions of ringgit of projects to Sibu. In Batang Ai, BN is still not able to keep up their promised to the voters. Sibu voters would not be as naive as voters in Batang Ai.

Big guns from both side are coming to Sibu. The long houses folks are complaining that they are tired of receiving visitors at the expense of losing their productivity.

Many voters are working outside the constituency (P212-Bandar Sibu Parliament)

Many voters registered in the long houses are also not around as they are working outside the Sibu constituency. It seems the political parties have a heavy tasks of asking them to come back and vote during polling day on May 16 this Sunday. That would mean making complex arrangement and “deals” to have this voters to vote for their respective candidate.

Conclusion
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This high absentism of voters in the long houses is a proof that the BN Government is not able to provide enough works in Sibu for the local population.That itself is an indicator of the ineffectiveness of the BN Government in developing the economy of Sibu. By the way, Sibu is controlled by small group of elite businessmen that has strong political connection. This in itself may be an issue by itself as the young voters are deeply set against business through political patronage which is a form of corruption and also the unfairness in the economic cake distribution among the races in SIBU.

Change WE Must: let us vote out the Government that dirty our rivers and drinking water.

No more “allah” please – Police.
Taken from: The Malaysian Insider
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By Adib Zalkapli
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SIBU, May 11 — Sarawak police today banned political parties from using the ‘Allah’ row in the Sibu by-election, hours after DAP told a well-attended gathering for local Christians to vote for the party on May 16 as a sign of protest over the issue.

The ban was announced by Sarawak OCCI SAC II Huzir Mohamed who also threatened to take action under the Sedition Act or the Internal Security Act (ISA) against those who defied the order.

“We have been monitoring the ceramah and found that some parties have been using the khalimah Allah issue,” said Huzir.

“This is a sensitive issue. We advise all parties to stop using it once and for all,” he added.

“If any party persists in using it, we can take action under sedition or the ISA. To all parties, please don’t bring unnecessary problems,” he told a media briefing today.

DAP seek more clarification on the ban

However, the DAP asked the police if the force would also arrest those who were responsible for allegedly igniting the issue in the first place, naming Home Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein as one of the progenitors.

“Let the PM explain whether this was his directive,” DAP’s Lim Kit Siang said hinting that the party would not adhere to the directive.

DAP publicity chief Tony Pua said Barisan Nasional (BN) through SUPP was also responsible for bringing sensitive issues into the campaign.

“If ‘Allah’ issue cannot be raised then why are they using the Islamic state issue,” said Pua.

Can the issue of Islamic State be used?

SUPP leaders have accused DAP of supporting the formation of Islamic state by cooperating with PAS in the Pakatan Rakyat (PR).

DAP has made the ‘Allah’ row its major campaign issue with the party’s candidate Wong Ho Leng vowing to solve the issue if elected.

SUPP candidate Robert Lau Hui Yew however downplayed the issue saying that national issues such as the ‘Allah’ ban does not resonate in Sibu.

The Chinese dominated BN component member has also pointed out that the ban for Christians to use ‘Allah’ when referring to God in the national language is not enforced in the Malaysia’s largest state.

Voters segment

More than 50 per cent of the 54,695 Sibu voters are Christians.

The Chinese form about 67 percent of the 54,695 voters while the Malay/Melanau about, 10.5 per cent.

The primarily Christian Sarawak Bumiputeras form about 22 per cent of the voters. This group continues to use the word ‘Allah’ in their worship.

Dayakbaru:

The Federal Government cannot continue to make policies without considering the position and rights of the people of Sarawak. In we Sarawak,we feel like being a colony of Malaya. It has come to be that bad. No wonder 1 Malaysia is perceived to be an EMPTY slogan.

Dayak to hold on to political principles
Written by: Dr. John Brian Anthony
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Without political principles – Vote Buying
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Taib is giving away Rm$600 to each family of the 246 Dayak long houses doors in Tanjung Penasu, Btu Burak etc. This is on top of the MRP grant announced to 12 long houses in the same area worth Rm$147,600. If this is not vote buying I will have to unlearn my understanding for vote buying.What do you call this act by Taib? Vote buying or simply put, the discretion of the Chief Minister during a by- election.

Who is responsible for bring “vote buyer” to book? In this case, the SPR is empowered to bring the culprit to court. Do you think that SPR will bring Taib to court? I do not think so. Then do you think that MACC will investigate this action if it is reported to them? I don’t think so. Why???

Malaysia is famous for enforcing double standard on almost anything. To the Malaysian authority, the law could be divided to the “politician with power” and the ” people without power”. Is this not selective prosecution and is this not corruption?

Does Sarawakian deserved a corrupt Government?

I think Dayak many Sarawakian cannot differentiate between what is right and what is wrong. Many it seems accepted corrupted practices as “high class act”. We see our top leaders doing it, our community leader doing it – but did we put those act as “wrong”. I believed not. Many Sarawakian and in this case the Sibu voters could only look inward to what they can get from anybody, money included as their luck in life. It has nothing to do with right and wrong.

For that fact, Sarawak deserved to be ruled by a corrupted Government. Sarawakian voted to have a corrupt Government. I hope Sibu voters will start the crusade to stop voting for a Government that employ corrupted tactic to win power. In this case, Change WE Must.

Do we deserved to have MACC and even spent money to pay them?

But then, now MACC said we are looking for the “giver” of money corruption. MACC is talk only – it has no gut for entangling with Sarawak Chief Minister.

MACC has been a tool for the Government to suppress political opponent. Is that MACC was created for? What happened to PKFZ – Dato Seri Tiong? What happen to the Political Secretary to the Finance Minister with millions of cash in the house. If this is the case, how do the Government expect Malaysian to trust them.

Do we deserve this type of Election Commission?

There are many things that they do right. But when it comes to the crux of things that can affect the integrity of election – like giving out money to voters, SPR is doing nothing. What evidence do they need when the “news” is splashed across the local newspaper. As Malaysian,we are very disappointed with the non-enforcement of vote buying. Surely the poor people will accept BN money and also those naive voters will vote BN because they have been given money.

Nothing is perfect
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Yes, it is true. In order to improve we must be able to differentiate what is wrong and what is right. If the people do not know that it is wrong, then the Chief Minister should know what is wrong. If the Chief Minister does not know that what he has done is wrong then SPR and MACC must exercise their duties to correct the wrong doings.

It is very disturbing to see that each family is given Rm$600 during election by the Chief Minister to vote for BN. This is wrong . This is not about Opposition politics. This is about the integrity of the system to deliver a clean Government.

Conclusion
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Voters must not vote political parties using corrupted means to gain power. It is such an act by the BN Government that has contributed to the breakdown of the moral sense of what is right or wrong. The society exercise their behaviors in accordance to current leadership practices. What type of leadership do we expect in future if we accept such wrong practices as right?

Change WE Must: We must stand up against what is wrong.

The “Dayak” genocide by the Government
Written by: Dr. John Brian Anthony
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The word “Dayak” is banned in Sarawak.
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YB Joseph Entulu has the gut to propose to the Dayak public that the “term” Dayak is associated with backwardness etc. YB Entulu was a DUN member of Sarawak in 2000 when the word Dayak was banned by the Government of Sarawak. What YB Entulu did not anticipate was the Dayak quick negative reactions toward his proposal. It really means that Dayak do not agree to the word Dayak being banned for use despites their elected representatives voting favoring the ban.

Who speaks the truth now?
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Did the YB who voted to ban the use of the word Dayak really believed that they represent the sentiment and feeling of the Dayak people or did the Dayak YBs that voted for the ban acted on their own personal agenda?

In order to settle this issue once and for all we should carry out a referendum among the Dayak to vote for the ban or against the ban. We must take this course as the our DUN representatives has not consulted the Dayak before voting in favor of the ban.

What are the effects of the ban on the word Dayak?

We now have a State Constitutions that have not recognized the word Dayak and then we have a Federal Constitutions that the use of the word Sea Dayak, Land Dayak still enforced. If there is a conflict on the amendment of the State constitutions with the Federal Constitutions which document would rule supreme?

Parti Bansa Dayak Sarawak (PBDS)
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This party was directed to be dissolved by the court. Malaysia Government is a tyrant in this respect by using the Registrar of Society to dis-register PBDS. Could this be one aspect of “Dayak genocide” by the Government??. Such a conclusion may sound far fetch but if you put in the disapproval of the formation of MALAYSIAN DAYAK CONGRESS (MDC) you can see the consistency of the Government efforts to wipe out the Dayaks from Malaysia.

Is this acceptable to the Dayak now? I believe not.