Sarawak must clarify 'Melanau' status of Taib’s wife

I realise that I have been bragging about the good things and positive vibes of my homeland, Sarawak, in my articles in Malaysiakini and other publications.

However, when something is not right in Sarawak, it is also my duty to also highlight the negative.

I have actually waited a week or so since this issue first surfaced, hoping for the Sarawak state government to offer an explanation. But none was forthcoming. And like many Sarawakians, I am deeply disappointed.

What is this issue? Sarawak Governor Abdul Taib Mahmud’s Syrian-born wife, Ragad Waleed Alkurdi, along with her two children from a previous relationship, have been accorded native bumiputera status in the state.

Their race is now “Melanau,” as stated in their new Malaysian identity cards, which were issued last November.

Something is not right here.

A post on social media that has gone viral contains an image purportedly of the state government gazette indicating that the applications of Ragad and her two children for identification with the Melanau community – under Section 20 of the Native Courts Ordinance 1992 and Rule 17 of the Native Courts Rules 1993 – have been approved.

The document, dated Nov 9, 2017, appeared to have been signed by State Secretary Mohd Morshidi Abdul Ghani.

I concede I have yet to take a closer look at the constitutional framework of such a registration exercise in Sarawak, so I’m not sure whether such an act is legal or not.

However, laypeople would have questions on the issue and would want answers.

A friend asked on Facebook, “If I am an Iban and I marry a Russian woman, can she become an Iban? You tell me.” Another posted: “I am going to marry a Nigerian woman. I am Chinese and I will apply to the government to turn my wife into a ‘Chinese’. Will the state secretary approve?”

Jokes aside, Sarawak DAP chairperson Chong Chieng Jen had some serious questions on the matter.

Chong said that since Ragad is now a Melanau, “she has more rights than most of us as a native under the law.”

He said he managed to obtain a photocopy of the state government’s gazette from the Kuching High Court library, confirming that Ragad is now a Melanau.

Ragad now a valid voter as well

Chong also claimed that he had done a search through the Election Commission’s website, and confirmed that Ragad is now a valid voter in the Pantai Damai state constituency and Santubong parliamentary constituency.

At a press conference in Kuching on Feb 1, the DAP leader urged the state government to be as efficient in processing the applications of thousands of Sarawakians without identity documents.

“If the state secretary can sign this application for the foreign-born wife of the governor, he should also expedite the processing of thousands of locally-born Sarawakians without identity cards,” the Bandar Kuching MP said.

I concur with Chong on this matter, and I would like to join him in earnestly appealing to the state secretary to look into the plight of many Sarawakians without ICs.

Allow me here to make an impassioned personal plea to Morshidi, a childhood friend and former classmate: Before you retire as the powerful state secretary of Sarawak, leave a legacy as the man who has done the most to give your fellow “faceless” Sarawakians an identity.

This will be the hallmark of your decades of service to Sarawak and its peoples.

As for Ragad’s newfound status as Melanau, I would leave it to others to judge if she was indeed “worthy” to join the community, which is synonymous with Sarawak.

For the record, Rayad was born in Damascus, Syria, but grew up in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

In 2011, she married then 75-year-old widower Taib, who is a Melanau, when she was 29.

Many Sarawakians, of course, have issues with Taib, whose power abuse and excesses are legendary in his 33 years as chief minister of Sarawak.

If indeed it is true, as rumoured, that the governor went out of his way to force others to do his bidding on the registration issue, then I have to say that he has set a very bad precedent.

This is something that Taib should not have done as the head of state. It lowers the dignity and repute of the office of the governor.

I believe the people of Sarawak are still waiting for a response from the state government on the matter.

The sooner the state clears the air over this contentious issue, the better, because such a precedent, if true, is dangerous.

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FRANCIS PAUL SIAH heads the Movement of Change, Sarawak (MoCS) and can be reached at sirsiah@gmail.com.- Mkini