The Dayak’s urgent needs.

Posted by Kunchit Munchit

Issues affecting Dayaks are many and varied and with varying degrees of urgency and importance with issues on NCRLand almost always getting the most attention to the point of ‘overlooking’ others. Here are some that deserve DB’s(and the government’s)attention and action:

(1)Registration/application for birth certificate and Identity/Mykad:

without birth certs. chidren may be refused enrolment into schools. And without it one cannot apply for Identity/Mykad. Without these documents a person cannot be counted and regarded as a citizen of this country,nor is he entitled to all the rights accorded to one,including to vote. But WHY the Registration Dept.is dragging its feet in dispatching its staff to the ulu for registration exercises is not only anybody’s guess… but common knowledge.

(2)Education and the conditions of ulu schools:

Schools in the interior are in deplorable conditions,with classrooms and boarding houses in utter disrepair and basic necessities e.g. water supply/storage facilities and electricity(generators)are absent.Most dont have libraries and learning-sources. Little wonder why not only the students but even the teaching staff appeared disheartened and lack motivation and commitment in their work,….lackadaisical with the ‘cari makan saja’ attitude.

Yet these rural students would be sitting for the same exam papers as those well-equipped students in KL,Kuching and KK. Is it any wonder why rural Dayak students didnt do well or failed in their exams!? Now what can we expect of these students? Nowadays,failure in education usually leads to failure in life. QUESTION: What kind of future do such Dayaks have? ANS: condemned to life of hardship,poverty and backwardness.

(3)Health-care and rural clinics: Flying-doctor service aside,the government and medical/health dept. should set-up clinics as’forward bases’to serve those in the remote interior. Travel(mainly by boats)to the nearest town sometimes take days,dependent on the condition of the river, and not to mention the cost of gasoline for the outboard engines. These clinics are crucial in cases of emergencies. They should incorporate wards,lodging and communication facilities. The staff(male and female) may man the clinic on rotation basis say 2-4 weeks each stint and preferably speak the local language.Mobile medical staff should travel frequently to the interior settlements to teach basic health-care e.g.to pregnant women,children and old folks, and may use these clinics as their ‘forward bases’.

(4)Proper subsidiary farming/rearing:

The agriculture dept.should dispatch its field crew to interior settlements and longhouses to coach proper subsidiary farming especially to those who are still stuck to the ‘hunting and gathering’ mentality. Advice them where to obtain fruit saplings, chicks,fish-fries,…where to get and what type of fertilizers to use,….or even introduce ready buyers for their harvest of fruits and veges,eggs,meat,fish etc.besides for their own consumption.

(5)Welfare and assistance:

The welfare dept.should conduct a ‘census’ project to assess the number of ulu folks who are eligible for aids,assistance and care,e.g the very old immobile folks, disabled and retarded persons,and those who have no one to care for them. The census must be followed with appropriate actions.

(6)Water and electricity:

It is imperative that the government provide,at least,power generators and piped gravity-feed water supply and water-storage facilities to ulu settlements and longhouses. With electricity available these rural folks will have access to the outside world via tv and radio,and more things can be done at night if there is sufficient lighting. Clean and efficient water supply and storage system are crucial for those whose water source is the river,….which is now muddied and polluted by discriminate logging upriver.

(7)Fire and the longhouse:

In light of frequent burnt-down of longhouses,it is very important that Bomba,with the support of the Tuai Rumah and the JKKK form and train a fire-fighting squad from among the occupants. Bomba should equip the longhouse with fire extinguishers. Better still, the government should provide water pumps where relevant. Future rebuilding should not be a LONG house,but rather DETACHED units with at least the kitchens built with concrete for safety against recurrence.

(8)Dayaks in Business:

Lack of big capital leaves Dayak with only small businesses e.g gerai minum,gerai makan. The local council of an area where Dayak form the majority race should set aside licenses for such small businesses for them. And if any Dayak chooses to ‘rent’,sell or allow a non-Dayak to trade using his licence,his licence should then be revoked and passed on to another Dayak,on condition that he too doesn’t repeat the practice.

(9)The government,through telecommunication companies,should install solar-powered,satellite communication system for those in the remote interior. This is crucial in emergency cases,e.g. gravely ill,accident, snake-bites etc.

Conclusion

There are as many issues as there are more ways and things the government can do to serve and help the rural people and Dayaks in the interior if it sincerely wants to see them progress and share the “fruits” of Kemerdekaan that others have enjoyed for the last 46 years.

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September 7, 2009 · Filed Under General

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