Jabu slams organisors of Iban language forum

Deputy Chief Minister Alfred Jabu Numpang's harsh criticism of yet another Dayak initiative has further alienated him from the 'thinking progressive' communities.

KUCHING: When Deputy Chief Minsiter Alfred Jabu Numpang’s openly censored organisors of the Iban Language Forum, he took them by surprise.

Not one of the 500 participants of the ‘Forum Jaku Iban’ (Iban Language Forum) – comprising language experts, professors, tertiary and secondary school students – had seen it coming.

In his tirade he slammed the ‘ad-hoc’ organisation of the forum and demanded that they lay out their aims and objectives as well as be transparent with the donations solicited from the people.

“Who are you to organise this forum? Are you men of your word?” asked Jabu, when he closed the one-day forum at a leading hotel here.

“My advice to you is establish your committee properly and not on an ad hoc basis. Spell out your aims and objectives, and be accountable to the donations given by the people.

“And don’t overdo with publicity, and don’t talk big. Let others make assessments of your work,” Jabu said.

According to the organisors of the Iban Language Forum, Jabu’s public criticism and questioning of the organisors’ integrity however seems to have some basis.

Jabu – the ‘Paramount Chief’

Secretary of the forum Churchill Edwards admitted that the committee was running at an ad hoc basis and took Jabu’s criticism positively and seriously.

“We understand that as the ‘paramount chief’ of the Iban he has the right to challenge the committee because he knew there were two or three committees which came and went.

“To him the previous committees were not so serious. Therefore he has the right to challenge us to register the committee, and to get experts, to get sponsorship and be accountable for the money collected,” Edwards said.

Edwards however pointed out that the government should not object to the committee becoming a registered body.

His comment was in response to Jabu’s warning to the organisors not to mix with organisations and people who have negative agendas against the government.

“You have to ally yourself with the government, and don’t attempt to be an outsider working against the noble objective of ‘begulai-sejalai’ (working together in unity),” said Jabu, who is also the deputy president of Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB).

Apparently Jabu was unhappy with the organisors for not consulting him on the forum. He was also upset that he was not invited to officiate the forum and instead asked to close the event.

The president of another Barisan Nasional ally Sarawak Progressive Democratice Party (SPDP) William Mawan had officiated the forum.

Empowering Iban language

But by criticising the forum organiser, the Utusan Borneo, Jabu indirectly hit at the state ministry of social development and urbanisation, professors and Iban language experts from University Pendidikan Sultan Idris in Tanjung Malim, UiTM, Unimas and the state education department for supporting and recognising the efforts to organise the forum.

Utusan Borneo, a daily, publishes one-page update of news in the Iban language. At the forum over the weekend, four papers were presented.

These included the Tun Jugah Foundation’s ways of empowering Iban Literature by Janang Ensiring and Jantan Umbat of the Foundation and the Iban Literature by Dr Chemaline Osup, of Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris (UPSI).

The other two papers were Iban Language Development by Padang Luna, Ministry of Education and Iban Linguistic Identity and Dunging’s Alphabet and the setting up of a Borneo Research Institute of Native Studies (BRAINS) by Assoc. Prof Dr. Bromeley Philip of UiTM

Meanwhile continuing his tirade Jabu also took the organisors to task over their ignorance of the Dunging Alphabet system. (Dunging Anak Gunggu was the creator of Iban Alphabet).

“Are you prepared to learn the system before you recommend the participants and others to learn?

“I challenge the organisers of this forum to learn the system, and I don’t want any single organiser to fail otherwise don’t think of others to learn it.

“I give the organisers, if you are men and women of your word, two years to study the system.

“I suggest that you put into the Utusan Borneo the spelling system. Only then the people will believe you. Otherwise nobody will believe you,” Jabu said.

Taking up the challenge, Edwards said the organising committee will aim to master the Dunging Alphabet system.

“We will master the system. Our committee has even decided to organise a tuition centre to teach ourselves first and then we can teach our children, and others,” he said thanking Jabu for donating RM10,000 for them to learn the system.

Jabu’s self-glorifing speech

As is typical of Jabu, half of his speech contained criticisms of other Dayaks, and the other half was self-glorifying.

Jabu spoke about his 30-year success and effort in promoting the study of Iban language in schools.

“Now we have 60,535 students learning Iban in the country, out which 43,963 are in primary schools the state.

“The number is increasing. I support the idea to expand the usage of Jaku Iban in universities such as UPSI and other institutions.

“For as long as I live I will continue in my capacity, in my wife’s capacity and in that of my family’s to help synergise the usage of Jaku Iban,” he said.

Jabu’s tirade against the Dayak organisors is not new. It is common knowledge here that Jabu and the Dayak professional community are at odds.

This is primarily because Jabu considers himself not only an authority on Iban Adat and language, but as the ‘paramount chief’ of the Iban community.

Several organisations including distinguished ones such as the Tun Jugah foundation, Dayak Chamber of Commerce and Industry (DCCI), Sarawak Dayak National Union (SDNU) and Sarawak Dayak Iban Association have clashed with him in the past.

Even Sarawak Dayak Graduates Association (SDGA) does not see eye to eye with Jabu.