Call to Dayak parties to band together for political power

Two political observers say the Dayaks have been used by others and it is time for them to come together as one to chart their destiny.

Pakatan Harapan’s victory in the 14th general election was an eye opener for the Dayaks. (Bernama pic)

KUCHING: The Dayaks in Sarawak need to review their political position, said two political observers.

Andrew Nyabe, former political secretary to a former Sarawak chief minister said the Dayaks should have the willingness to band themselves in one single political body so as to move as a united group, without which it would be futile to push for issues critical to the Dayak community.

“The inability of the Dayaks to speak as one voice is being taken advantage of by others who fear that Dayak unity will put the Dayaks in a position of power,” Nyabe told Bernama here today.

Nyabe, a Bidayuh, stood as a DAP candidate in Kedup constituency in the last state general election but lost to the Barisan Nasional (BN) candidate from Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB), Martin Ben.

Currently, the Dayak seats in the 82-member Sarawak state legislative assembly and at the federal level are fragmented in PBB, Sarawak United People’s Party (SUPP), Parti Rakyat Sarawak (PRS), Progressive Democratic Party (PDP), United People’s Party (UPP), DAP and PKR.

Another Dayak political observer, Gines Ruwia said the Dayaks were lagging very far behind despite being under more than 50 years of BN rule and now Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) which many believed, he said, to be BN wearing a new shirt.

The system that the Dayaks had advocated so much did not work to their advantage, said Gines, who is Parti Teras central executive committee (CEC) member and former CEC member of the Sarawak Progressive Democratic Party (SPDP), now known as PDP.

“The reason is glaring enough . Not only do they lack the leadership to champion their cause but they lack cohesiveness.

“The fragmentation of the Dayaks was deliberate. It was an attempt to weaken them so that without power in their hands, the Dayaks will rely on others for their voice.

“With politics of dominance being practised, their fragmentation would never give them the chance to be dominant. Instead they were used as objects to strengthen others while the Dayaks were praised for exercising tolerance,” he said.

He said Pakatan Harapan’s victory in the 14th general election was an eye opener for the Dayaks because if they closed ranks as a cohesive unit they would have the strength to weather the odds.

Gines said BN was not a reliable platform for the Dayaks to seek refuge or chart their destiny.

“I strongly advocate the formation of a purely Dayak-based platform in which we will grow and eventually pass on to our future generations to continue with our struggle,” he said.

He was hopeful the Dayaks would work together with other races in bringing Malaysia to great heights in a clean environment free of abuses and corruption.

Collectively the Dayak community in Sarawak accounts for over 40% of the state’s population of 2.5 million, according to the 2010 census. - FMT