Andrew Ong | Mar 7, 09 11:23am
When Nicholas Bawin, a Sarawak PKR Dayak leader was asked whether he could name any Dayak leader whom he thinks is sincerely looking after the interests of the community in the state, he paused for a moment and declared “None”.“None I can think of who can be considered exemplary in steering the Dayaks towards further progress and development,” he said during an appearance on Mkini.tv ‘Uncensored’ talkshow last week.
Asked whether he has any confidence in the current crop of Dayak leaders in power today to help the community, Bawin said “some may have tried to help but I don’t see them achieving much success”.
“Compared to the other races, the Dayaks are lagging far behind economically. And in education too. I feel sorry for our community,” Bawin said.
Bawin, the Sarawak PKR deputy liaison committee chairperson, explained that it was for this reason that many far-sighted Dayak leaders and professionals are now in PKR hoping to bring about changes for the betterment of the community.
“We have told our leader Anwar Ibrahim that we are really serious about working towards getting the people to believe and trust in PKR so that the party can be a force to be reckoned with,” he declared to talkshow host Francis Paul Siah.
Taib Mahmud a disappointment
On his views of Chief Minister Abdul Taib Mahmud, Bawin said it was unfortunate that his group has no chance to meet Taib yet to discuss Dayak issues.
He then related the oft-repeated disappointment with the chief minister, saying that Taib has only enriched his family and cronies while the majority of Sarawakians, especially the Dayaks, get no help from him.
“It is well known that many of his family members, proxies and cronies are all multi-millionaires. Their companies are making millions, some for not doing anything at all. I don’t think this is right,” Bawin lamented.
The Iban from Batang Ai is the front-runner to be the PKR candidate for the April 7 by-election in the constituency. And Bawin is as local as anyone can get in the area - his longhouse is situated just above the Batang Ai dam, so he says.
He revealed that he was in the State PKR candidate selection committee for the Batang Ai by-election and that the party has several credible candidates ready to represent the party in the electoral contest.
Asked whether he should recuse himself from the selection committee since he was also an interested party, Bawin explained that “the final decision will be made by the national PKR leadership.”
He fancies the party's changes in the by-election as he and his party members have been very active in the area for several years. Bawin himself first contested in Batang Ai as far back as 1987. It was on a Sarawak National Party (Snap) ticket then. He did the same in 2006.
"I'm confident that people understand our pursuits and struggles. They can see that we are people who are serious in bringing change," Bawin said.
The urgent reform that Batang Ai folks would be hoping for is changes to how the state government deals with native customary rights (NCR) land issues, he said.
Bawin, a seasoned campaigner for Dayak rights, said many rural folks want to see an end to private companies taking over NCR land while being abetted by the state government
"Even within state land, there are lands that are subject to NCR," he said.
Bawin stressed that land was such an important asset to the Dayaks because without land, the community is nothing. “The fight for NCR land will never end because our customs and traditions must be protected for our future generations", he declared.
In his days with Snap, a BN coalition partner, Bawin had his share of power too. He sat on the board of the Sarawak Electricity Supply Corporation for 11 years and served as deputy president of the state-run Majlis Adat Istiadat which looks into indigenous affairs from 1992 to 2005.
Dayakism still alive
On PKR, Bawin expressed confidence that the party has the support from young Dayaks and professionals. Many followed him in signing up with the party late last year.
"What makes PKR attractive is that the party has good, credible leaders. Anwar Ibrahim is well known at home and abroad and we have very high hopes in him to lead the country one day," he said.
On his stint with the yet-to-be registered Malaysian Dayak Congress (MDC), Bawin said that he had left the party to be part of PKR due to its multi-racial makeup
"You look at the scenario in Malaysia. It is important to have a multi-racial party. We must think big. No matter how strong the Dayaks are, we are still the minority in the country.
"That is why we must join forces with bigger groups which are stronger," said Bawin.
However, he disagreed when the host suggested that the old concept of 'Dayakism' was now dead among the Dayaks in PKR.
"The feeling (of Dayakism) is still the same, but we have to consider that Sarawak is a multi-racial society. We cannot pursue one-race interests. We must change," he added.
