It’s time for a United Dayak Front

As Sabah's Jeffrey Kitingan seals his cross-border Borneo Agenda with the launch of the Sabah Chapter of Star, Senior Minister James Masing issues his own call in Kuching.

KUCHING: With the 13th general election looming somewhere in the near horizon, Sabah and Sarawak are turning into a cauldron of political activity.

Whichever direction the political wind blows in the peninsular, the kingmakers will be Sabah and Sarawak, although prevaling speculations are that Umno is banking more on Chief Minister Taib Mahmud’s delivery of the clinching numbers that would seal its continued hold on Putrajaya.

Whilst today sees the launch of the Sabah chapter of the once dormant Sarawak Reform Party and Jeffrey Kitingan taking his Borneo Agenda literally to the battle front, here in Sarawak Senior Minister James Masing is testing the waters with his own call for a United Dayak Front (UDF).

A United Dayak Front would be a merger of Masing’s Parti Rakyat Sarawak (PRS) with Dayak-based Sarawak Progressive Democratic Party (SPDP) and Sarawak National Party (Snap). Ironically both PRS and SPDP are off-shoots of Snap.

SPDP was formed in 2002 and PRS in 2004.

Snap in 1970s was one of the strongest parties in Malaysia with 18 state and nine parliamentary seats. The late James Wong who was Snap deputy president was one time made the parliamentary leader of the opposition.

Snap however went through a period of upheaval and has only just returned to the political scene with nothing but a pedigree to tout.

Risky call

But a United Dayak Front is a somewhat risky call for Masing, who is PRS president.

Because a united Dayak community will undermine Taib’s power in the state and his clout in Kuala Lumpur. There also exists a fear that an angry Taib can allegedly be ‘very vengeful’.

And there is also now new possibilities with the revelation that the Sarawak BN actually has a fifth ally – Barisan Nasional Party (BNP, registered in 1974 ).

But Masing, knowing the risks and odds, is undaunted and wants to move but ‘with care’ .

Speaking to FMT recently he said: “I am very serious about forming a united Dayak front, but we have people who may feel uneasy of such a Dayak front. Why? I can’t understand it.

“So we must move with clear objectives and with care.”

Masing, who is also State Minister of Land Development, believes a united Dayak community will greatly benefit Barisan Nasional in the next parliamentary election; and of course his own political credentials vis-a-vis ties with Kuala Lumpur.

Of particular concern to him is the rural constituencies. In the April 16 state polls, there was a marked swing in voter support for the opposition in the urban fringes and in rural areas.

Masing believes that only united Dayak groups can deliver for BN in these areas.

Development in stages
Currently, two of Sarawak BN allies – Sarawak United Peoples Party (SUPP) and SPDP – are in dire straits.

SUPP is under investigations by the Registrar of Societies for alleged breaching of its rules and regulations during the party’s branch elections last month.

It is very likely the party will be deregistered.

The party has four Dayak assemblymen. They are Ranum Mina (Opar), Jerip Susil (Bengoh), Francis Harden (Simanggang), and Johnichal Rayong (Engkilili) and one MP in Richard Riot. Riot who is deputy foreign minister, is also MP for Serian.

Masing suggested that the merger could be done in stages.

“For a start, maybe the sacked SPDP vice-president Sylvester Entri, who state assemblyman for Marudi and the other four SPDP ‘outcasts’ could be part of the merger.

“Then later on we can include others, and the whole idea is to consolidate the Barisan Nasional especially in the rural areas in the coming election,” he said.

The four ‘outcasts’ are Peter Nansian, Tasik Biru Assemblyman, Tiki Lafe, MP for Mas Gading, Rosey Yunus, Bekenu assemblywoman and Paulus Gumbang, Batu Danau Assemblyman.

(It is understood they have been given show-cause letters and their fate with the party will be decided later this month.)

Dayaks currently deprived

The idea of merger between PRS and SPDP was mooted in 2005 and had at that time the strong support of Taib but for some reason was opposed by certain non-Dayak members in the two parties. So the idea of a merger was put on hold.

But post 2008 general election and more so after the recent state polls, real or perceived threats from the peninsular have seen shifts in the local political front.

Taib, in his latest state Cabinet reshuffle, sidelined the Dayaks from outside his Pesaka Bumipiutera Bersatu party. Although he ‘promoted’ Masing and SPDP president William Mawan to Senior Ministers, he left them with little or no clout.

Meanwhile, a number of Dayak politicians and businessmen have expressed support for Masing’s proposed merger of Dayak political parties as this will further strengthen the voice of the Dayak community.

One ardent supporter of such a move is Joseph Allen, a former PRS supreme council member and a businessman in Sarikei.

“Look at PBB, it is a strong and united party. All the big projects and contracts go to them. That is the benefits they have for being united.

“And look at the Dayak community. We have been looked down. Our officers in the civil service are not given promotions; our businessmen are not given big contracts and government projects; our children are not given places in universities and given scholarships.

“Our native customary rights lands are taken away from us, and yet we cannot do anything. This is the price we pay for being disunited.

“Dayaks must support Masing in his efforts to unite us so that we cannot be bullied anymore, because when we are united, we will be strong and be respected by others,” Allen said.

United Dayak Front
According to him Dayaks were greatly respected during the time of Stephen Kalong Ningkan (Sarawak’s first Chief Minister from September 1963 to September 1966).

“Our soldiers shone during the confrontation and communist insurgency. Many received gallantry awards and medals. Today nobody recognises what you are doing,” he said.

Former Deputy Chief Minister and president of the defunct Parti Bansa Dayak Sarawak Daniel Tajem said that it is a good idea to unite all the Dayaks, but those who join it should not have any personal agenda.

“Personal agenda will destroy the whole thing as it happened to the deregistered PBDS and to Sarawak National Party,” he said.

Masing, he said, should initiate a meeting to discuss the United Dayak Front (UDF) and invite all Dayaks irrespective of their political leaning and affiliation including those from PBB to attend the meeting.

“After all he has the resources and government facilities. And let us see how many are going to attend the meeting,” Tajem said, pointing out that a special committee should be set up to study further the proposal.