Federal deputy minister Joseph Entulu has provoked angry reactions with his suggestion to drop the word ‘Dayak’ in describing the 26 non-Muslim native communities in Sarawak.
Entulu, who is rural and regional development deputy minister, had said last Saturday that the word ‘Dayaks’ conveys negative connotations like being uncivilised, uncouth and low class.
“Some leaders of Sarawak non-Muslim communities had some years ago suggested to government to stop using the term. I believe the term has the tacit support of the leaders and people concerned,” he had said.
“I believe it will be more tactful and exact if specific terminology like Iban, Bidayuh, Kayan, Kenyah, Kelabit and so forth, be used. I have heard of bitter experiences where Dayaks working in peninsula were turned away when they wanted to invest in Amanh Saham Nasional or when they applied for low-cost housing because some people there thought they were not bumiputeras.”
Temenggong James Jimbun said Entulu should have consulted the Sarawak Dayak National Union (SDNU), Sarawak Dayak Iban Association (SADIA) and other Dayak associations before making such an important statement.
“Do some research and find out the sentiments of other people and you cannot take it upon yourself to speak on their behalf,” he said in remarks directed at Entulu.
A Dayak leader of PKR, who refused to be identified, said: “The government has taken our resources and now it is going to take away our identity.”He said that Entulu should know that, of the 26 tribes, the Iban, Bidayuh and Lun Bawang communities would lose their rights as natives, as these names are not stated in Article 161A (5), (6) and (7) of the federal constitution.
Describing Entulu’s remarks as seditious, he claimed that these were intended to shut down the basis for the existence of SDNU. And if so, Parti Rakyat Sarawak (PRS) should no longer claim to represent the Dayaks.
‘Unwarranted remarks’
SDNU publicity officer John Anthony Brain urged the government to call for public dialogue before ending the reference to ‘Dayak
’.“Are the Chinese, also going to go by groupings such as Teochew, Hakka, Foochow, Kek and Hokkien? Or the Malays into Bugis, Javanese, Batak, Padang, Pakistan and Iran? Or the Indians into Malayalees, Tamils, Gujaratis, Bagalis and Punjabis?” he asked.
Describing Entulu’s remarks as unwarranted, Brian said: “Dayak is the keyword that gives meaning to (SDNU) which has about 36,000 members, and to its women’s wing, Serakup Indu Dayak Sarawak, as well as its Sarawak Dayak Youth Association.“Today the government is suggesting that the term ‘Dayak’ should not be used any more to describe indigenous people of Sarawak. Why?”
Entulu’s supporters, meanwhile, said it was useless to pretend to be united under the term ‘Dayak’ when every single community wants its own association.
For example, the Bidayuh, Kayan, Kenyah, Kelabit, Berawan, Bisayah, Lun Bawang and Iban communities go their separate ways and insist on having their own associations.
“We tried before to unite all the ethnic groups under one political umbrella ore even under SDNU, but they have gone their on way,” said Joseph Allen, a PRS supreme council member.
Taken from http://www.malaysiakini.com/news/104047
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