51st Anniversary of Malaysia: Reflection by
Dayak National Congress (DNC)
As we celebrate the 51st anniversary of the formation
Malaysia, Dayak National Congress (DNC) would like to make a short reflection
on the current status of the Dayaks in Malaysia.
When the Malaysia proposal was first introduced to the
Dayaks in 1962, they opposed it.
First, the proposal brought to them memories of their
bitter experiences under the dominion of the Brunei Sultanate and they feared
that Malaysia would usher them into a similar situation that is Malay
domination.
Second, they feared that Malaysia would bring about the
Islamization of Sarawak.
Third, they feared that under Malaysia they would be
economically exploited by their more advanced counterparts, especially from
Malaya and Singapore, and be rendered even more economically disadvantaged.
In the end, however, they decided to join in in the
formation of Malaysia after they were assured by the British and the Malayan
Governments that the new arrangement would bring them many new things, viz:
- Independence
and freedom,
- Peace
and stability,
- Religious
freedom (secular state), and
- Economic
prosperity.
Now, after fifty one years within Malaysia what is the
status of the Dayaks? Let us examine it from the above four points.
Yes, the formation of Malaysia has brought about the end
of the colonial rule (British) and ushered us into an independent and free
nation. But with the overwhelming political dominance by United Malay National
Organisation (UMNO) and its intolerance of Dayak dissent, even within Barisan
Nasional, the Dayak voice more often
than not is ignored.
So, the question often asked by the Dayaks is whether
they have been transferred from one colonial master to another. This is natural
given the predicament they are in but it is not a call for secession. Rather, it is a call for all of us, Dayaks and
non-Dayaks, and in particular the Government to take the Dayaks seriously as
equal partners.
Malaysia after all would not have come into being had the
Dayaks said no to the proposal. It is also important to remember and appreciate
the fact that one of the main reasons why Dayaks were asked to join in in the
formation of Malaysia was to help balance the racial equation between the
Malays in Malaya and Singapore and the Chinese and Indians combined.
In the early 1960s the Chinese and Indians were not only
numerically more than the Malays but they were also relatively stronger
economically.
Now let us look at the question of peace and security.
This is perhaps the area in which the Dayaks have benefited in equal measure
with the other races. In terms of sacrifice (human casualties) in the military
forces and the police in the fight against Malaysia’s enemies, however, they
have made a disproportionately high contribution.
The question of religious freedom (or rather lack of it)
is becoming an increasing concern to the Dayaks. Religious extremism (Islamic)
has gone from bad to worse. After throwing insults at Christians, destroying
their churches and confiscating their Bibles there are now even some people
calling for the murder of the Dayaks simply because they consider them as
infidels.
Yet the Government (Federal) has not taken any action
against these extremist groups, as if condoning their acts of intimidation and
violence.
We call upon the Government to take the necessary action
before it (extremism) reaches the point where it would be difficult to
extricate ourselves from it. We would also like to put a reminder that the
Dayaks agreed to join in in the formation of Malaysia on the understanding that
the Federation would be a secular state and they would not have agreed to the
proposal had it been otherwise.
On the question of economic prosperity (or lack of it),
the Dayaks, like other fellow Malaysians have benefited from Malaysia’s
economic development. But relative to the other races, they remain at the
bottom of the economic scale, they are the poorest. Their areas remained the
least developed, many still lacking in basic infrastructure.
Yet, in spite of this they are being discriminated
against in virtually every field: economic opportunities, access to the public
universities, access to scholarships and access to the civil service, the
police and the military.
They are Bumiputera and are entitled to the privileges
that go with it but in practice they get only the crumbs left by the others.
With the encroachments into their land (Native Customary Rights, NCR) by public
and private agencies and companies the spectre of them becoming landless in
their own native country is becoming more apparent.
All these factors are making them left behind the other
races even more. The Government’s pronouncement that there is opportunity for
everyone under the Malaysian sun appears to be just rhetoric.
Conclusion – what to do?
From the above it is clear that the assurances and
promises made at the formation of Malaysia have been kept more in the breach
than in its fulfilment. In many cases they have been blatantly broken and
changed.
We call upon the Federal Government as well as the State Government
to respect and fulfil these assurances and promises by treating the Dayaks
seriously as equal partners and give them their due share in all fields:
politics, administration, economy, education and others. There is enough room
for every ethnic group in this beautiful country of ours to have their due
share without any other group feeling
deprived or threatened.
Indeed, giving the Dayaks their due share would make them
more loyal citizens and in the process help strengthen our national peace and stability
as well as our economic development.
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