Taib and Dayak Progress

Posted by: Charles Gau

Taib Mahmud has been Sarawak’s CM and Minister of Planning and Resource
Management (in charge of land and forestry, now also finance) since 1981.

Taib and Timber licences

During his rule for 28 years, timber licences were issued by him over our native customary land. The towkays made billions of ringgit from timbers extracted from our customary land.

When our people protested, Taib told us logging is good because it brings revenue for development for Sarawak, it also creates employment opportunities for our people especially the rural people.

Are We Dayak Ready to take leadership Roles
Now, some of us went to universities to acquire knowledge and skills which opportunity our forefathers did not have. With our good education, logically, we should be able to think, understand, analyse life, politics, economic, laws, etc better than our forefathers.

If given the opportunity, we should be prepared and confident to take up leadership responsibilities and challenges at all levels such as at the longhouse, the State, national and even international level. State, National or
World leaders are after all like us, doctors, lawyers, accountants, economists, engineers, etc. No leaders are more qualified than us.

The only question is, do we want to take the opportunity to be a leader. And
unless we become one, we will not be able to implement our ideas, visions, principles, etc. and we will just have to follow and accept ideas, visions, principles etc of other people who want and who became a (our) leader.

For the last 28 years Taib Mahmud and his party men (PBB-BN) were and still are our political leaders in Sarawak.

From our university education, knowledge and skill, is it just and fair that other people made billions of ringgit from our timbers under Taib’s 28 years watch or rule?. Is that a good policy, principle, vision, politic of a leader to do or allow that to happen to his people that he led?

First Taib and Cronies take our timber – now is our NCR land
Timbers are now depleted all over Sarawak including on our customary
land. And therefore, the same people who made billions of ringgit from
our timbers within our customary land are now competing to get our
customary land for their land bank to turn into oil palm plantations and
tree plantations where they will make more billions from our customary land.

Of course, as when they took all our timbers from our customary land,
this is done all in the name of development!

Development for personal political greed are bad for Dayak
But this round of “development” will be more fatal to us and our future.
We will be dispossessed of or will be made squatters on our own customary land! The new owners of our customary land will be the billionaires who took our timbers.

The proposed 12 Dams
The proposed 12 new dams in Sarawak are all located in the rural areas.
Whose land will be affected again? Its our customary land.

Some among us who have good education, good job, position, good business will survive comfortably in life in future. But what about our other
family members, other members of our longhouse and community? Should we just ignore them and just save or promote ourselves, our own interest?

Practice our religion
Walk into a church during sunday church morning service in any towns in
Sarawak. You will see that the vast majority of the people who attended
the church service are our people. Well fine and good. But I am just
wondering whether we as christians ever read, understand, agree with and practise this particular verse in the Bible:

Philippians 2 verse 4 which says “EACH OF YOU SHOULD LOOK NOT ONLY TO YOUR OWN INTERESTS, BUT ALSO TO THE INTERESTS OF OTHERS”

So is it right for the tycoons to take our timbers and our customary
land without any regard to our rights, interests? Is it right for Taib
Mahmud as our leader, CM, Mimister, to issue and keeps issuing timber
licences, leases for oil palm plantations and licences to plant acacia
trees to the big towkays on our customary land and dispossess us or
made us squatters on our own customary land?

And is it right for those among us who were sent to universities to study, acquire knowledge, skills to now just promote, look after their own interests and future and just ignore the interests and future of their other family members, fellow longhouse or community members. Just shut their eyes to what Taib and the big towkays did or do to our people???

If that is the case, then we all should not bother to apply for birth certificate, I/C, register as voters or vote during the election. We should just disband FORUM, OUNA, Persatuan Kenyah and Persatuan Kayan, RuRum Kelabit, Persatuan Lun Bawang, etc. etc. Just go on and just promote our own self interest!!!!

But them we would be going against what GOD wants us to do (ie if we are
really christians) as what is said in Philippians 2 verse 4 above.

We Dayak must stop supporting Taib’s regime
Most importantly, having witnessed what Taib and the big towkays did and
are still doing to us and our people, should we keep supporting them and
their candidates, meaning supporting the robbery of our land and its
resources!! and bullying us by dispossessing us of our customary land
and making us squatters on it!!

If we do not change them, they will just continue.

Will those who changed Taib or who will take over from him be better or even worst than Taib?

Well, to continue to support Taib and his gang or doing nothing to change or remove him will only allow him and his gang to go on and on with what they have been and are still doing to us for the last 28 years.

Singapore, Japan, India and Thailand have changed their prime minister.
Philippines, China, South Korea, Pakistan and Indonesia have changed their presidents.

Prime Minister of Malaysia have changed, Mahathir, Pak Lah now Najib.
Sabah and other States in Malaysia have changed their Chief Ministers
and Menteri Besar.

So why can’t we in Sarawak. Taib is not a Sultan! and Sarawak is not his personal property!

We have not tried any new CM, political party to lead Sarawak for the last 28 years. What is therefore our basis to assume that if so and so takes over as CM of Sarawak, Sarawak or we will be worst off than now? We are not GOD able to pass or make judgment or to know how that person or leader will rule or lead. Of course Anwar Ibrahim will not be Sarawak CM even if PKR and DAP form the govt in Sarawak because he is not a Sarawakian (by virtue of Article 6 (4) of the State Constitution of Sarawak only a Sarawakian can be appointed as our CM).

Change We Must
And if we want a good leader, good govt, when there is a change of leader, CM or govt in Sarawak, then why don’t we take up the challenge and offer ourselves as that leader (as YB, Minister or CM) of that new govt in Sarawak (don’t just say or assume or condemn that if so and so change Taib as new CM cannot or will be bad, etc. In any case, nobody is perfect, we are all sinners! but don’t rob or bully people of their rights)

Then you become the new CM, leader or new govt, then, we can make or
help (if possible all) of our people at least, millionaires, if not billionaires in a way that is fair, just and respect peoples rights and interests.

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June 29, 2009 · Filed Under General

Comments

5 Responses to “Taib and Dayak Progress”

abun sui on June 29th, 2009 11:28 pm

Practice our religion
Walk into a church during Sunday church morning service in any towns in Sarawak. You will see that the vast majority of the people who attended the church service are our people. Well fine and good. But I am just wondering whether we as Christians ever read, understand, agree with and practise this particular verse in the Bible:

Philippians 2 verse 4 which says “EACH OF YOU SHOULD LOOK NOT ONLY TO YOUR OWN INTERESTS, BUT ALSO TO THE INTERESTS OF OTHERS”

All Christians shall know IMMANUEL and shall realise that GOD who is with them is an almighty God. With God nothing is impossible. CHANGE We Can!

Christians should NOT have INFERIARITY COMPLEX. They should PRACTISE what they learned in Church or through their personal Bible reading or meditation i.e. love your neighbours and those unfortunates. Herein our discussion are the people being SUPPRESSED by certain parties.

Holy spirit that is within you SHALL give you wisdom and SENSE to DETECT the UNFAIRNESS and INJUSTICE soround you.

Practise what your inner wisdom (Holy Spirit) that GOD gives you to Protect and Help those (even you and your family) from evil deeds or greedy deeds by certain quarters USED by the DEVIL to rule over humans or world around us. Please read 1 John 3:11 – 24. Amen. God Bless.
Keruak Tau Tepang on June 30th, 2009 9:40 am

Sad to say, Dayak are not ready to take the leadership role with the present political landscape.Dayak politicians are self-server with no clear line of political struggle.
changop4540 on June 30th, 2009 9:41 am

Quote “Then you become the new CM, leader or new govt, then, we can make or
help (if possible all) of our people at least, millionaires, if not
billionaires in a way that is fair, just and respect peoples rights and
interests.” Unquote.

Another words there are still rich and poor.
What is the different from the present BN gomen now? This time is to create more Dayak millionaire and thus the others are given less chances. Do you think this less fortunate people will keep quiet? We haven’t come to formula of ” Charity gomen ” to satisfy everyone.

How about get the communist ideology where everyone will have a fair share of the country wealth?
J.S. Abang on June 30th, 2009 1:00 pm

As a grand old man we do respect CM.One thing is clear he failed to deliver the needs of the dayaks.Timber concessions, Native customary right lands,dayak participation in civil services,government contracts,above all, rural development-all these need the attention of our CM.We do not intentionally blame our CM for the sake of blaming, but if you are looking at what being mentioned above, there are certain areas that need urgent attention by CM

IF our CM failed to address the most urgent issue, NCR-the core problems affecting the dayaks then we will remember our beloved CM as the man responsible for marginalising the interests of the dayaks. WE call upon our beloved CM to hear our plea and don’t be so engrossed and oblivious to our problems that you don’t have time to attend to these core issues-especially NCR or elese it will be written in History that the dayaks are landless because of the “flawed policy & bad poilitcs” of the past Barisan Nasional state government under the stewardship of Pehin Sri Dr.Abdul Taip Mahmud in History books.
DAYAK THINKER on February 17th, 2010 10:12 pm

change begins within not through blog because i consider it as tooooooooooo lateeeeeeeeeee.