By Simon Peter
KUCHING, June 6, 2015 - "The Broken Shield: The Dayak
Dilemma" is a must read for the present and aspiring Dayak leaders, Sarawak
Dayak Graduates Association (SDGA) president Dr Dusit Jaul informs them today.
"After going through the book, it becomes apparent
to me that it is a portray or a vivid description of the Dayak political drama
at its best," he said when launching the book written by veteran reporter
Joseph Tawie.
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| The author presenting a copy of the book to Dr Dusit (right) while journalist Jimmy Adit looks on. |
He said cases of betrayal, political backstabbing, empty
promises, dirty money, manipulation of the less informed, jostling for power
and positions are vividly described in the book.
He said most of the Dayak actors in the political drama
are still alive today.
"I thus leave it to your good sense and judgment -
in this political drama - who is the good guys and the bad guys," he
added.
Dusit, a senior lecturer with the Tun Abdul Razak
Institute of Public Administration, said what is clear is that the process of jostling
for power and position, the losers are always the Dayaks.
In this context, he said, it is not surprising to read
and understand the author's point of view when he said "our enemies
include some Dayak leaders who not only ignore the Dayak plight but also help
to perpetuate and enhance Dayak sufferings."
Dusit said he is used to hearing and reading about Dayak miseries- poverty, mistreatment,
inequality, inequality and oppression.
"What else, what other problems and hardship we
face?
"Infighting, and unabated bickering among the
Dayaks...the list is endless, leading the author to opine that "current
Dayak leaders and politicians seem to be happy to see that their fellow Dayaks
suffer as they chase material and monetary gains by supporting a cruel
regime."
On the role of leadership, Dusit said it is obvious that
the political leadership overrides other forms of leadership.
"But in our Dayak context, when political leadership
does not perform to our expectations, what do we expect?" he asked.
He said this is the Dayak dilemma that the community have
grappled with for years.
He said the book dwells into the intricacies of Dayak
politics.
"For aspiring Dayak leaders, this is a must read book
for there are so many lessons to be learnt from reading this book.
"Leaders need no reminder the fact that history is
written by the young. Leadership always leave with it a lasting legacy. When
are no more in leadership position, we are no more in this world, what would be
our legacy, and legacy can be positive or negative.
"Taking a cue from this book, my message to our
current leaders is this - it is not too late to make amends and be authentic
leaders of the community," he said.
He said that political fragmentation of the Dayaks is their
weakest point because they are unable to unite under a single political party.
"That is why you see them in almost all the parties
including Pas and DAP," he said.
He believed that it is not totally impossible to project
Dayak political might, if in our midst, we have Dayak leaders who put the
interest of followers above selves.
He said this can be achieved if the Dayak community does
not quarrel over trivial matters or engaged in divisive politics which have
been the mainstay of Dayak politics for the past 50 years.
He said the community should adopt SDGA's central theme
of "One voice, common destiny, Dayak unity" as their unity theme.
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| Some of the invited guests with the author (5th left) and Dr Dusit Jaul (5th right) posing for cameramen |
"To me, why not if we care, if we love our
community. Otherwise, in five years time from now, when we reach 2020, the
author of this book, or someone else might write a book about Dayak being
desperados in their own homeland," he said.
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