Kemarahan Di Sarawak

 Ok I received this via email. I have some comments at the end. 

Someone has started a new party in Sarawak - Pari Bumi Kenyalang. A truly beautiful name. 

Their objective No. 1 seems to be to take Sarawak out of Malaysia. Here is something from them, signed by the party president Voon Lee Shan. It is brief.

My comments :

To Voon Lee Shan congratulations on being president of your Parti Bumi Kenyalang.  

My immediate question is how many native or indigenous or pri-bumi Dayaks do you have with you in your party? The Iban, Bidayuh, Kenyah, Kayan, Kedayan, Murut, Punan, Bisayah, Kelabit, Berawan and Penan?

For surely wherever you want to take Sarawak you will need the agreement and consent of the pri-bumi people as well.  They are the majority people. You will get their support only when your interests converge with their interests.

I have read your list of complaints above. They begin with ownership and control of Sarawak's ports, airports, GLCs, licenses, business opportunities, NCR lands etc.

Money talk. Are you a businessman? 

Unlike Sarawak and Sabah, well Singapore was never really a separate entity. Everyone knows Singapore island was part of Johor. Until today Singapore draws water from Johor.  

Allow me to correct you. Singapore did not leave Malaysia.  Lee Kuan Yew never "negotiated an exit from Malaysia".  

They were "kicked out".  And Lee Kuan Yew cried openly on TV when Singapore was kicked out from Malaysia.  

Sarawak and Sabah joined Malaysia of their own free will. And if it comes to be then Sarawak and Sabah may one day leave Malaysia of their own free will. If that is what the people of Sarawak and Sabah really want then so be it.

But where is the guarantee that if Sarawak becomes Independent then all the people in Sarawak, especially all the indigenous people, will enjoy the type of wealth and happiness  that the 'Independence" promises them?

In Sibu the Dayaks who worked in the timber camps used to be paid less than RM500 a month by the Chinese taukehs - even after Minimum Wages were imposed. I dont know if this situation has changed.  I am just stating the facts. 

Many Dayaks in Sarawak still live in the long houses. Long houses nowadays are often made of brick and concrete but a longhouse is still a long house.  The people who live in a long house do not own the title to a longhouse. There is no individual property ownership over a long house. This is the 21st century. People need to own their own property.

A cement and concrete longhouse maybe more modern and may last longer than a wooden longhouse - but also prolong non ownership of property. So as time passes is longhouse living a boon (benefit) or is it a bane (an affliction) to the Dayak people ? 

Because sometimes the problem is not from outside. It could be from the inside. There are pluses and minuses to everything. Everything can and should be discussed intelligently and frankly.  

On the other hand the Chinese in Sarawak 'dominate' the States' economy. The Chinese in Sibu are among the wealthiest people in Sarawak. Their car of choice in Sibu is the Toyota Land Cruiser. 

Just like on the Semenanjung the private sector economy in Sarawak is controlled by the Chinese people.  

I have nothing against the Chinese people controlling anything. They work hard, they take risks and success in business brings wealth. My wish for the Chinese people in Sarawak and on the Semenanjung is that they work even harder and become even wealthier. 

But what about the Dayaks?  What will be their fate (and their portion) in an independent Sarawak? 

Here let me recall Timor Leste.  Remember they became independent from Indonesia in 2002. Before that they became independent from Portugal in 1975.

How have they done? Well for a fact the Australian oil and gas companies came in and ripped off their oil and gas wealth.

And how have the indigenous people of Timor Leste fared? Well here is the economic growth rate of East Timor since 2000. (Remember their "independence" was in 2002).

Their economic growth has been more like a roller coaster that ran out of batteries. Still the Australians ripped off their oil wealth and the rich people in Timor Leste probably got richer.

On the other hand I think the ordinary people in Timor Leste are still "ordinary".

So be careful what you wish for. Do not leap from the frying pan into the fire.

I have a suggestion for Sarawak.  

DO NOT VOTE FOR ANY COALITION WITH ANY SEMENANJUNG BASED PARTY OR PROXIES OF SEMENANJUNG POLITICAL PARTIES.  

My suggestion is (at this point in Sarawak's history) Sarawak should go one step further and ban any Semenanjung based political party from operating in Sarawak. And only political parties with at least 75% pribumi Sarawakian membership should be allowed to contest in elections in Sarawak (both State and Parliamenary seats). Sarawak politics should remain independent of the Semenanjung. Then you can decide which "Prime Minister" you want to support in Putrajaya.

Here I agree with what Abang Johari has said 'We will work with whoever can safeguard the interests of Sarawak first'.

But from your reading your complaints, maybe Abang Joe is a convincing speaker. 

Why not go the other way? Why not Sarawak think about grooming a candidate who can become the Prime Minister of Malaysia? Sabah already has groomed Shafie Apdal - who may one day become the Prime Minister. What about Sarawak? 

Do not just be swayed by the politics. It can be fixed. 

My last point is this. Do not forget or ignore the sacrifices of hundreds of thousands of the people whom you call 'Malayans' who have worked in Sarawak and Sabah (since 1963) as teachers, doctors, nurses, engineers, soldiers, policemen, navy and airforce personnel and a thousand other professions and helped to develop Sarawak and Sabah.

My son spent two years as a government doctor in Sabah, contributing his share towards caring for his fellow Malaysians. My hope is that we eventually stop calling ourselves Sabahans, Sarawakians, "Malayans" etc. Just Malaysians will do.