Written by Calvin Woo
Sarawak is a colourful land that stands out for its cultural diversity. Its richness in resources and peaceful atmosphere fits in with the saying, “the land of milk and honey”. Little did we know about this beautiful state until we touched down in its capital, Kuching, for our “turun padang” session.
If we look through the “unity lens”, Sarawak has always been assumed by many to be the “real” Malaysia, where people of different ethnicities coexist in one place peacefully without much conflict. Everything seems peaceful, and the place is viewed as a “utopia” for many of us West Malaysians. We were about to find out if our assumptions were right.
The Fellows were divided into two groups to meet with local organisations. One group had the opportunity to meet with the Sarawak Dayak Iban Association (SADIA), and the other met the Sarawak AIDS Concern Society (SACS).
Sarawak is a colourful land that stands out for its cultural diversity. Its richness in resources and peaceful atmosphere fits in with the saying, “the land of milk and honey”. Little did we know about this beautiful state until we touched down in its capital, Kuching, for our “turun padang” session.
If we look through the “unity lens”, Sarawak has always been assumed by many to be the “real” Malaysia, where people of different ethnicities coexist in one place peacefully without much conflict. Everything seems peaceful, and the place is viewed as a “utopia” for many of us West Malaysians. We were about to find out if our assumptions were right.
The Fellows were divided into two groups to meet with local organisations. One group had the opportunity to meet with the Sarawak Dayak Iban Association (SADIA), and the other met the Sarawak AIDS Concern Society (SACS).
SADIA is an association of the Iban community which not only champions the rights of the Ibans, but also the rights of the indigenous groups in Sarawak. SADIA’s initial establishment was to promote the publication of literature in the Iban language. However, it switched its attention after the rights of other indigenous groups in Sarawak were infringed upon by various parties.
Native Customary Right (NCR) Land is one of the major issues in Sarawak which also causes intra-ethnic divisions. According to “adat” or native customs, whoever “fails” [explored land] the jungle, that person is entitled to that piece of land, which can be passed down to further descendants. The tradition remains, and many are still living on land passed down from their ancestors. However, many such land inheritances are now required to conform to the Sarawak Land Code. The provision states that land owners need to get their land surveyed before earning their ownership.
Consequently, many illiterate natives, especially those in rural areas, were taken advantage of by various parties and lost their land. Those parties claimed rightful ownership over the land even though some natives possessed legitimate documents proving otherwise. Many natives were forced to relocate and to seek livelihoods in places which they are not as rich as the land they had settled in for generations.
To protect the land rights of the Sarawak indigenes, SADIA takes in relevant complaints and provide a team of pro-bono lawyers and land surveyors to help fight for native rights. SADIA has worked on 250-270 cases related to NCR land. They help the natives to survey the land and bring the case to the native courts in Sarawak.
The second group of Fellows visited SACS, a non-profit organisation that aims to address AIDS issues in Sarawak by disseminating information on AIDS and supporting AIDS patients and their immediate families.
. According to SACS, Sarawak has the second highest number of AIDS cases in Malaysia after Kelantan. The AIDS victims that SACS helps are typically prostitutes and young girls who contract AIDS from unprotected sex. This community is stigmatised in society, and SACS aims to help remove this stigma in order for AIDS sufferers to be part of society and also to rescue these girls from the drag net of prostitution in Sarawak. Apparently, girls as young as 10 years old to women as old as 50 years old resort to prostitution in Sarawak because of the lack of access to education, and the lack of livelihood opportunities. SACS also explained to us the social impact of contracting AIDS. Those who contract AIDS from unprotected sex (and who may have unwanted pregnancies as well) are forced to drop out of school and stay at home with their families to avoid societal pressure and stigma. The long-term effects are severe – these women lack skills to make them employable, and are forced either to stay with their family for their whole lives, or to potentially live with men that discriminate against them or oppress them, which can ultimately lead to domestic violence. Indeed, the disempowerment of women is prevalent among the lower stratas of the society, but many of us are oblivious about it as it is not reported.
Sarawakians have one principle that keeps them cohesive and to help them weather the storms together- they call themselves “Anak Sarawak” regardless of their ethnicity or religion. They share the common narrative that they are part of Sarawak. That explains the minimal inter-ethnic and inter-religion friction in Sarawak. They exemplify the true unity that we have been trying to pursue for almost six decades.
We gathered that what Sarawakians really desire, deep down in their hearts, is to be included in the country’s development. They wish to be equally as developed as Peninsular Malaysia. Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) in Sarawak hope that the government will work with them to channel the voices of Sarawakians to West Malaysia.
They wish that those who are stigmatised will be given a helping hand to help integrate them into society and to contribute to the economic growth of the country.
Socio-economic disparity and inequity have frustrated many Sarawakians. The unity that Sarawakians long for is the unity of all the states in the Federation to grow equally as a nation.
After the trip, our perception towards Sarawak has totally flipped. Our brothers and sisters in Sarawak are suffering but they are able to stay together as one to brave through all these predicaments. Their hospitality, their smile and their love certainly add colour to our lives. It was a humbling experience for all of us.
What can we Malaysians learn from Sarawakians? Always remember that we are “Anak Malaysia” regardless of our skin colour and beliefs, and that we should brave through the ups and downs together as a family.
Native Customary Right (NCR) Land is one of the major issues in Sarawak which also causes intra-ethnic divisions. According to “adat” or native customs, whoever “fails” [explored land] the jungle, that person is entitled to that piece of land, which can be passed down to further descendants. The tradition remains, and many are still living on land passed down from their ancestors. However, many such land inheritances are now required to conform to the Sarawak Land Code. The provision states that land owners need to get their land surveyed before earning their ownership.
Consequently, many illiterate natives, especially those in rural areas, were taken advantage of by various parties and lost their land. Those parties claimed rightful ownership over the land even though some natives possessed legitimate documents proving otherwise. Many natives were forced to relocate and to seek livelihoods in places which they are not as rich as the land they had settled in for generations.
To protect the land rights of the Sarawak indigenes, SADIA takes in relevant complaints and provide a team of pro-bono lawyers and land surveyors to help fight for native rights. SADIA has worked on 250-270 cases related to NCR land. They help the natives to survey the land and bring the case to the native courts in Sarawak.
The second group of Fellows visited SACS, a non-profit organisation that aims to address AIDS issues in Sarawak by disseminating information on AIDS and supporting AIDS patients and their immediate families.
. According to SACS, Sarawak has the second highest number of AIDS cases in Malaysia after Kelantan. The AIDS victims that SACS helps are typically prostitutes and young girls who contract AIDS from unprotected sex. This community is stigmatised in society, and SACS aims to help remove this stigma in order for AIDS sufferers to be part of society and also to rescue these girls from the drag net of prostitution in Sarawak. Apparently, girls as young as 10 years old to women as old as 50 years old resort to prostitution in Sarawak because of the lack of access to education, and the lack of livelihood opportunities. SACS also explained to us the social impact of contracting AIDS. Those who contract AIDS from unprotected sex (and who may have unwanted pregnancies as well) are forced to drop out of school and stay at home with their families to avoid societal pressure and stigma. The long-term effects are severe – these women lack skills to make them employable, and are forced either to stay with their family for their whole lives, or to potentially live with men that discriminate against them or oppress them, which can ultimately lead to domestic violence. Indeed, the disempowerment of women is prevalent among the lower stratas of the society, but many of us are oblivious about it as it is not reported.
Sarawakians have one principle that keeps them cohesive and to help them weather the storms together- they call themselves “Anak Sarawak” regardless of their ethnicity or religion. They share the common narrative that they are part of Sarawak. That explains the minimal inter-ethnic and inter-religion friction in Sarawak. They exemplify the true unity that we have been trying to pursue for almost six decades.
We gathered that what Sarawakians really desire, deep down in their hearts, is to be included in the country’s development. They wish to be equally as developed as Peninsular Malaysia. Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) in Sarawak hope that the government will work with them to channel the voices of Sarawakians to West Malaysia.
They wish that those who are stigmatised will be given a helping hand to help integrate them into society and to contribute to the economic growth of the country.
Socio-economic disparity and inequity have frustrated many Sarawakians. The unity that Sarawakians long for is the unity of all the states in the Federation to grow equally as a nation.
After the trip, our perception towards Sarawak has totally flipped. Our brothers and sisters in Sarawak are suffering but they are able to stay together as one to brave through all these predicaments. Their hospitality, their smile and their love certainly add colour to our lives. It was a humbling experience for all of us.
What can we Malaysians learn from Sarawakians? Always remember that we are “Anak Malaysia” regardless of our skin colour and beliefs, and that we should brave through the ups and downs together as a family.