Archive for category Sarawak
DAP Dayak Consultative Council (DCC) formed
by Dr. John Brian Anthony
Chairman
DAP DCC
On his visit on 11th of June to Sarawak, DAP Adviser Saudara Lim Kit Siang proposed the formation of a Dayak Brain Trust (DBT) which was discussed in this blog earlier.
LKS vision for DBT is for it “to advise DAP Sarawak and DAP Malaysia on a strategy to end Dayak marginalization and spur a Dayak awakening as a integral part of a Malaysian renaissance”.
DAP has also stated that it is interested to go into some Dayak areas in Sarawak and are looking for Dayak who has interest in joining DAP. In this respect, DAP is interested to get the support from Dayak and also their services.
Formation of Dayak Consultative Council
After some serious work and preparation the name “Dayak Brain Trust” has now being changed to “Dayak Consultative Council” (DCC) to capture the essence of the role and spirit of the new organization. Read the rest of this entry »
DAYAK AWAKENING: Accomplishing Big Dreams Together.
by Duwen Babat
(Preparerd for “Is it time for a Dayak Reawakening” forum in KL on 18.7.11)
1. Introduction.
1.1 This opinion of mine is to briefly address specific subjects that could give significant impact to the rural population especially the Dayak community in Sarawak. Thus, issues pertaining to urban areas and matters of national implication are not discussed in this paper.
1.2 I must acknowledge that there are many good developments that have been and being carried out and suggested by various parties such as financial support to the elderly and single mothers, treated water, electricity, tarred roads and bridges. As such, I would not dwell on this topic as I support it completely, and of the opinion that such programs are basic necessities that the government is obligated to provide to its citizens.
1.3 The rural electorates continue to play a very vital role in deciding the outcome of the parliamentary and state election in Malaysia. However, despite their importance the Dayak rural populations continue to be marginalized and remained among the poorest since the formation of Malaysia on 16 September 1963. Read the rest of this entry »
Sarawak to hold reform rally in August
Joseph Tawie | July 13, 2011
Free Malaysia Today
While patriotism to country and loyalty to government is important, the same reasoning should be used to oust bad leaders and governments, says Movement of Change Sarawak.
KUCHING: Inspired by the success of Bersih 2.0′s ‘Walk For Democracy’ march last Saturday and the fact that some 100 Sarawakians had taken part, the Movement for Change Sarawak (MoCS) is planning to hold its own ‘rally for democracy and reforms’ here on Aug 13.
MoCS chief Francis Siah said the movement’s leaders had decided on Sunday to organise “A Walk for democracy and reforms” instead of organising a anti-Taib Mahmud rally originally planned for Aug 13.
He said MoCS will apply for a police permit for the event. Read the rest of this entry »
Opposition leader: Land for Taib’s brother? Why?
Posted by Kit in Corruption, Sarawak, State Assembly on Sunday, 26 June 2011
By Ang Ngan Toh
Jun 25, 11 | MalaysiaKini
Bukit Assek state assemblyperson Wong Ho Leng has demanded to know why a huge parcel of land was alienated to a company owned by Chief Minister Abdul Taib Mahmud’s brother, Ibrahim, and Sibu Municipal Council (SMC) chairman Tiong Thai King.
Wong, also Sarawak state legislative assembly opposition leader, said Ibrahim and Tiong, who is also Lanang member of parliament, are already “multi billionaires”.
The 3,000-acre land should have been alienated to PJ Green Field Sdn Bhd, a reputable agriculture company, and not to Victoria Square Development Sdn Bhd, he said. Read the rest of this entry »
Watch your words! Wong warns S’wak opposition
Posted by Kit in Sarawak, State Assembly on Saturday, 25 June 2011
By Joseph Tawie
June 25, 2011 | Free Malaysia Today
KUCHING: Second Minister of Finance Wong Soon Koh issued a stern warning to the opposition to behave themselves in the state assembly or they will be referred to the Committee of Privileges of the Dewan Undangan Negeri.
“I don’t mind being be called a ‘motion king’ if I must refer them to the committee of privileges,” he said to reporters. Read the rest of this entry »
Motions on money politics and ‘corrupt’ CM rejected
Posted by Kit in Corruption, Sarawak, State Assembly on Thursday, 23 June 2011
By Joseph Tawie
June 23, 2011 | Free Malaysia Today
KUCHING: The Sarawak Legislative Assembly Speaker Asfia Awang Nasar yesterday rejected bids by opposition DAP to debate money politics in the recent state elections and allegations of corruption against Chief Minister Taib Mahmud.
Citing various ground to support his decision, Asfia rejected Opposition Leader Wong Ho Leng’s move to table the two motions.
In tabling his first motion, Wong who is Bukit Assek assemblyman said that vote buying had been rampant in Tamin constituency in the April 16 election as alleged by Malaysian election observers. Read the rest of this entry »
Land Bill aimed at ‘punishing natives’
Posted by Kit in nation building, Sarawak, State Assembly on Thursday, 23 June 2011
By Joseph Tawie
June 23, 2011 | Free Malaysia Today
KUCHING: The bill to bar Sarawak natives from seeking legal redress for grievances involving their native customary rights (NCR) to land is draconian, says Sarawak DAP.
State chairman Wong Ho Leng said the move clearly showed that the government of Chief Minister Abdul Taib Mahmud was bent on depriving the natives of their legal rights to their land.
“This bill is draconian in the topmost degree. It is unfair to stop the natives from going to court, even when they receive no dividends or benefits from joint ventures (to develop the land).
“It is a draconian law which only the Barisan Nasional (BN) has the audacity to introduce,” he said when debating the Land Custody and Development Authority (Amendment) Bill 2011 at the 10th State Legislative Assembly sitting. Read the rest of this entry »
Kit Siang: RM1.7b Sarawak pork barrel justifies Bersih march
Posted by Kit in Corruption, Elections, Sarawak, UMNO on Wednesday, 22 June 2011
By Shannon Teoh
June 22, 2011 | The Malaysian Insider
KUALA LUMPUR, June 22 — Lim Kit Siang has accused Barisan Nasional (BN) of vote buying during the April 16 Sarawak election, stating that the RM1.7 billion spent on its campaign was reason enough for the July 9 Bersih rally calling for free and fair elections.
The DAP parliamentary leader added that the entire federal Cabinet had campaigned in Sarawak, leaving no one to govern the country during the election period.
“It was not just Sarawak BN but the entire federal government campaigning in the Sarawak elections — making a complete mockery of the principle of free and fair elections,” said the Ipoh Timur MP of the RM1.18 billion spent by the Najib administration up to April 30 this year in Sarawak. Read the rest of this entry »
Federal Govt spending RM1.18 billion, Cabinet campaing in Sarawak and RM500 mil BN election outlay reasons for Bersih 2.0 rally
Posted by Kit in Corruption, Elections, Sarawak on Wednesday, 22 June 2011
FACT 1: In Parliament yesterday, in written answer to the DAP MP for Seputeh Teresa Kok, the Prime Minister’s Department revealed that the Federal Government had announced a total of 62 programmes and projects worth a total of RM1.18 billion in Sarawak during the just-concluded Sarawak state polls.
The RM1.18 billion was divided between 10 ministries, namely the Prime Minister’s Department; Rural and Regional Development Ministry; Natural Resources and Environment Ministry; Defence Ministry; Health Ministry; Agriculture and Agro-Based Industry Ministry; Education Ministry; Energy, Green Technology and Water Ministry; Works Ministry; and Science, Technology and Innovation Ministry.
The projects include upgrading work for suraus, mosques and other places of worship; community halls, schools and roads; longhouse repairs; electricity supply; the construction of jetties and bridges; the renovation of hospitals and clinics; flood mitigation work; and contributions and welfare aid, among others.
Read the rest of this entry »
Putrajaya says RM1.18b worth of projects announced for Sarawak polls
By Clara Chooi
The Malaysian Insider
Jun 21, 2011
KUALA LUMPUR, June 21 — Putrajaya revealed today that it had announced projects worth a total of RM1.18 billion in Sarawak during the just-concluded state polls.
In a written response to Teresa Kok (DAP-Seputeh) yesterday, the Prime Minister’s Department explained that until April 30 this year, a total of 62 programmes and projects were announced for the hornbill state.
Of the total, it added, 52 projects were kicked off this year with the remainder to be carried out in the years to come.
“The programme/projects announced were planned earlier,” it said. Read the rest of this entry »
European NGOs want Taib’s assets in Germany frozen
Posted by Kit in Corruption, Sarawak on Tuesday, 21 June 2011
Malaysiakini | Jun 21, 11
More Europe-based NGOs are plying pressure on the authorities there to freeze the assets of Sarawak Chief Minister Abdul Taib Mahmud.
In a press statement today, Swiss NGO Bruno Manser Fund said that it had written to German chancellor Angela Merkel on the matter, together with two German NGOs – the Society for Threatened Peoples and Rettet den Regenwald.
They asked “the German government to clarify Deutsche Bank’s business ties with Taib and to freeze all Taib (right) assets in Germany.
“We are seriously concerned that, as a leading German financial institute, Deutsche Bank is closely cooperating with the highly corrupt and internationally discredited Taib regime.
Read the rest of this entry »
Why reject my questions, Chong asks S’wak speaker
Posted by Kit in Sarawak, State Assembly on Sunday, 19 June 2011
BY Ang Ngan Toh
Jun 19, 11 | MalaysiaKini
Kota Sentosa state assemblyperson Chong Chieng Jen has criticized state legislative speaker Awang Asfia Awang Nasar for rejecting two of his questions for the question and answer session of next week’s assembly meeting.
Chong, who is also the Bandar Kuching member of parliament, said the speaker rejected the two questions because they breached the august house’s Standing Order 20(1) (a), (c) and (l).
The first question was to the chief minister to state: Read the rest of this entry »
BN strategy to muzzle PR reps and to punish Dayaks for NCR struggle in new Sarawak State Assembly?
Posted by Kit in Dayak, Sarawak, State Assembly on Saturday, 18 June 2011
The Barisan Nasional will be making a fatal political mistake if the new Sarawak State Assembly starts off next week on a wrong footing with a high-handed Barisan Nasional strategy to muzzle Pakatan Rakat representatives and to punish Dayaks for their Native Customary Rights (NCR) struggle.
Reports yesterday about the opening session of the 10th Sarawak State Assembly beginning on Monday are disturbing for if true, they point to an intransigent Sarawak state government which refuses to acknowledge the wind of change blowing hard and strong in the state and the aspirations of Sarawakians for accountability, transparency, integrity and good governance.
There is yesterday’s report in Free Malaysia Today entitled “Behave or face consequence, opposition reps warned”, where strong language was used, for instance, quoting second Finance Minister Datuk Wong Soon Koh as warning that the BN has 55 while the Opposition only 16 State Assembly members when uttering the threat: “We know how to deal with them”. Read the rest of this entry »
Iban language: Pick the right candidates
FMT Staff
June 18, 2011 | Free Malaysia Today
KUCHING: The Sarawak Dayak Iban Association (SADIA) has chastised the authorities for its nonchalant approach to the Iban language.
SADIA chairman Edward Manggah said the Iban language was not like any other subject.
“The teachers must have the basics. You cannot just pick people randomly and make them teach,” he said in response to the latest controversy involving the selection of candidates for Bahasa Iban courses. Read the rest of this entry »
Mengangkat martabat Dayak
Komentar Roketkini
17 June 2011 | Roketkini
17 JUN – Hampir 100,000 warga Malaysia keturunan Dayak dari Sarawak terpaksa meninggalkan negeri untuk mencari kerja di Semenanjung. Keadaan menyedihkan itu berlaku kerana kerajaan negeri Barisan Nasional Sarawak gagal menyediakan peluang pekerjaan yang secukupnya.
Daripada jumlah 2.4 juta penduduk Sarawak, separuh daripadanya adalah dari kalangan masyarakat Dayak yang merangkumi Iban, Bidayuh, Kelabit, Kenyah, Penan, Kayan, Punan, Ngaju, Lun Bawang, Sihan dan suku-suku kaum lain.
Malah, kerajaan negeri pimpinan Tan Sri Adul Taib Mahmud mahu anak-anak negeri yang masih berada di kampung supaya bersaing dengan buruh asing di lading-ladang kelapa sawit yang hanya menawarkan gaji RM12 sehari. Read the rest of this entry »
Behave or face consequence, opposition reps warned
Posted by Kit in Sarawak, State Assembly on Friday, 17 June 2011
By Joseph Tawie
June 17, 2011 | Free Malaysia Today
KUCHING: The 16 elected representives forming Sarawak’s opposition front will not have much room to manoeuvre themselves in the inaugural 10th State Legislative Assembly sitting begining Monday given the warnings issued by Barian Nasional leaders in recent days.
One can only assume that despite public declarations of ‘confidence’, the ruling coalition is somewhat rattled by the heavy presence of the artilery-filled opposition in the August house. Read the rest of this entry »
Speaker bars ‘question’ on Taib-linked property
Posted by Kit in Corruption, Sarawak, State Assembly on Friday, 17 June 2011
By Joseph Tawie
June 17, 2011 | Free Malaysia Today
KUCHING: The Sarawak legislative assembly Speaker has rejected a request by a newly elected representative for details of a proposed development by Monarda Sdn Bhd, in the BDC Kuching district area.
Monarda is owned by Chief Minister Taib Mahmud’s son and daughters.
Padungan assemblyman Wong King Wei said he received a letter from the Speaker’s office informing him that his written question on the matter, which was submitted for the next week assembly’s sitting, has been rejected. The assembly sits from June 20-23. Read the rest of this entry »
DAP and Dayak Think Tank
By: Dr. John Brian Anthony
16 June 2011 | Dayakbaru.com
The idea of Dayak Think Tank is not new but the “will and positive” action by DAP to want to make it happen is new. No Dayak Based party in BN would want to form a Dayak Think Tank for fear of because accused of a narrow agenda for Dayak, basically they do not want be branded as Dayak Racialist party. Other then that, the BN component Dayak based parties shouted on top of their voice that they are championing Dayak interest. But the evidence of their effort to cahmpion Dayak interest is not there.
A Dayak Think Tank is therefor very important. Tan Sri William Mawan talked about such initiative in private. But without the proper ground work and finance and leadership effort how will that happen. it is left at empty talk and nothing more. Educated and society active Dayak took their journey to promote change. without proper platform they adopted PKR and hopefully they choose DAP too in time to come. Read the rest of this entry »
‘Selfish’ Dayak politicians stifling community’s growth
Joseph Tawie | June 15, 2011
Free Malaysia Today
A blogger has warned Dayaks that BN’s money politics will “devour the community” and eventually make them non-existent.
KUCHING: A well known native activist has slammed Dayak politicians in Sarawak, describing them as ‘shallow and selfish’ leaders who were willing to compromise the community’s culture and intergrity.
Blogger John Brian, who is also an academician, alleged that Dayak politicians were more interested in enriching themselves than looking out for the brethrens.
“Many Dayaks prefer to be BN candidates so that they not only can win easily, but can also enrich themselves faster.
“Helping the people who have elected them is not their agenda, as they are more concerned of enriching themselves. Read the rest of this entry »
Christian leader wants Putrajaya tested over Alkitab vows
Posted by Kit in nation building, Religion, Sarawak on Wednesday, 15 June 2011
The Malaysian Insider
Jun 15, 2011
KUALA LUMPUR, June 15 — The leader of the country’s evangelical churches has asked Christians to hold the government accountable to its promises during the recent Sarawak elections by importing more Malay bibles.
“Go and import more Bibles and see if the [Home Ministry] stops us. Print the Bibles and see if the [Home Ministry] harasses us again. Being polite and positive does not mean we are naive,” National Evangelical Christian Fellowship chairman Rev Dr Eu Hong Seng wrote in the umbrella body’s quarterly newsletter published this week.
The import of the Alkitab — as the Malay-language bible is called — is among a laundry list of Christian woes that have piled up over the years
“The government has said they want to work towards the religious aspirations of all. Find out what that means. Can our Bibles be declassified as they are now considered ‘prejudicial to the security of the country’? Be proactive. Saying ‘thank you’ does not mean we have accepted the 10-point resolution in totality,” wrote Rev Eu. Read the rest of this entry »
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