http://www.theborneopost.com/?p=83435
Tourism industry a revenue generator for Bario
by Justin Yap
justinyap@theborneopost.com.
Posted on December 31, 2010, Friday
KUCHING: Tourism in Bario has grown from its accidental beginnings to being a mainstay of the local economy evolving along the way into various niche markets including ecotourism, adventure tourism, cultural tourism, research tourism and the latest manifestation of development conferencing.
Bario is the traditional homeland of the Kelabit people, one of the Borneo’s smaller ethnic minorities numbering around 5,000 people with an estimated 1,000 still living in or around Bario.
“The growth of tourism in Bario is closely interwoven with other aspects of the social and cultural development of the community which it has grown alongside,” said one of the homestay owners in Bario Jaman Riboh Tekapan, who has 22 years of experience in the tourism industry in the community.
“Tourism has been recognised as a small-scale and non-agricultural activity that can constitute an important source of revenue generation and thereby create new venues for economic growth in Bario,” he pointed out to The Borneo Post in a recent interview.
He further noted the recent road linkage as well as the airstrip made it possible for tourist to visit Bario and the closest house was also the home of the headman. However, guests did not feel obliged to pay for their keep until the headman’s son placed a sign on the house proclaiming it as a ‘homestay’.
“That is how the tourism industry started in Bario,” he pointed out.
According to research, the next major stimulus to tourism was the recent infrastructure development, the eBario project which introduced telecommunication services into the community.
“The latest project we have for Bario is the community radio slated to be launched in March next year,” said eBario Sdn Bhd’s (eBario) project director John Tarawe.
“eBario has been recently granted the content applications service provider (CASP) class licence by the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC). With the CASP class licence, we will be the first company to deploy a community radio station in Malaysia,” added Tarawe.
By connecting the community to the outside world, the eBario project has had a profound impact on the community. The project has provided a significant boost to the tourism industry by facilitating the growth of websites for promotion and the exchange of information between potential visitors and the homestay operators in the community.
“From a slow beginning in the late 1990s, when there was only a single guest house, there are now around a dozen. Trekking tours range from a few days hiking with overnights in the scattered longhouses to more arduous expeditions of up to a week or more including jungle survival training,” Tekapan highlighted.
Adventure tourism involved exploration or travel to remote hostile areas, while cultural tourism was a genre of special interest tourism based on the search for and participation in new and deep cultural experiences.
“Cultural tourism in Bario is boosted by the ‘Bario Slow Food Festival’ which was established in 2005 and was held for its fifth year in June 2010,” he pointed out.
Research tourism in Bario, on the other hand, was a recognised concept that valued the contributions that researchers could make to the communities. The community was now adopting a more proactive approach towards any research to which they would consent that was to be conducted on their environment, he highlighted.
Accordingly, the benefits of research in Bario now far exceeded the contributions that researchers made to the local economy through their presence as it contributed knowledge that would underpin their own development objectives.
“In this regard, the eBario telecentre plays a vital role in providing communication and data processing facilities to visiting researchers. Coupled with the ready availability of research assistants who have gained experience in research in the social and natural sciences, researchers from outside could hit the ground running when they come to Bario.
“Research tourism has therefore developed into a critical component of the community’s economic development plans,” Tekapan explained. “Development conferencing is another type of tourism that is being pioneered in Bario.”
In December 2007, eBario organised the ‘eBario Knowledge Fair’, a multidisciplinary conference held in Bario. ‘The Knowledge Fair’ was held to showcase how a remote and isolated indigenous community had appropriated ICTs. It brought together more than a 100 participants from 15 countries.
Tarawe shared his view that travelling to attend a conference was a form of tourism. It was a particular type of tourism in which groups of people were brought together to share knowledge and promote their products.
“The term ‘pro-poor tourism’ has emerged as a mechanism for ensuring a larger proportion of tourism revenue. It is earned by the poor residents of popular tourism locations, something that is not an automatic outcome of the growth of global tourism,” he added.
Tourism in Bario is making contributions to the Bario community that go beyond increase in incomes and the creation of ‘income-earning’ opportunities. The combined effects of improved communications and road linkages has resulted in a further opening up of Bario and the Kelabit culture to the wider world.
In spurring an increase in the number of flights and in feeding off as well as contributing to the growth in use of ICTs, tourism had become intertwined with local development, growing from its accidental beginnings to a mainstay of life in the Highlands.
Bario is globalising on its own terms and tourism is an integral component of the process.
Friday, December 31, 2010
Thursday, December 30, 2010
Bridging the digital divide through eBario concept
http://www.theborneopost.com/?p=83149
Bridging the digital divide through eBario concept
by Justin Yap
justinyap@theborneopost.com.
Posted on December 30, 2010, Thursday
KUCHING: Bario known as the ‘Land of a Thousand Hand-Shakes’ is the homeland to the Kelabit ethnic minority. The indigenous community that emerged from isolation only within the last half century has shown massive positive development from the results of eBario projects.
PHOTO: John Tarawe
eBario began in 1998 as a research project undertaken by the Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (Unimas) with the support of the International Development Research Centre of Canada and the government of Malaysia. The objective was to demonstrate opportunities for sustainable development in a remote and isolated rural community from the use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs).
“The project was undertaken against the background of the government’s aggressive adoption of ICTs for national development and the underdeveloped infrastructure as well as the scattered population of the nation’s largest state,” eBario Sdn Bhd project director John Tarawe told The Borneo Post during an exclusive trip to Bario.
Before the eBario project, communications were limited to rudimentary radio links and electricity was obtainable from household generators or solar panels. “At the heart of the Borneo island, Bario represents an extreme example of the digital divide,” said Tarawe.
According to Tarawe, a baseline study was conducted in order to understand the conditions of life and computers were progressively introduced, beginning with schools. “With the assistance of Telekom Malaysia, a community telecentre was established which consisted of computers with satellite (VSAT) access to the Internet as well as public phones and a reliable generator-driven power supply.”
In July 2002, the project was handed over by the research team to the community, with a local project manager and management committee. The project demonstrated that access to ICTs, specifically the Internet could precipitate significant improvements in the lives of such communities.
E-Bario has won many awards and was featured by the International Telecommunications Union as ‘one of the most notable of Malaysia’s Internet development initiatives.’
Due to the great success of the eBario project, the Unimas team was given the opportunity and honour by the government to replicate the same implementation model to five other nationwide remote sites throughout Malaysia.
Tarawe, who is also the telecentre manager for Centre of Excellence for Rural Informatics (CoERI) said the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation (Mosti) had allocated RM4 million for the project. “Four projects have been implemented at Long Lamai and Ba’Kelalang in Sarawak, Kg Buayan in Sabah and Larapan Island in Semporna. The remaining will be used to upgrade the telecommunication facilities in Bario.”
With the implementation of telecommunication services in community villages, Bario is finally on the global radar. Riding on the new visibility, Bario is currently enjoying a steady trickle of visitors who are attracted by the unique culture and hospitality of the residents as well as the pristine highland rainforest environment.
Tourism is now a significant contributor to the local economy. There has been an increase in the number of lodges and restaurants providing accommodation and meals since eBario began. The increase in tourism has had the effect of doubling the number of flights between Bario and Miri.
“This has had a knock-on effect on the agricultural economy. Bario is famous for its rice, which is grown organically and is highly sought after due to its light taste and delicate fragrance. The increase in the
number of flights has allowed the farmers in Bario to send more rice to the urban markets and this in turn has stimulated rice production during that period,” Tarawe pointed out.
However, he also revealed that Bario’s rice production had drop significantly during the last few years because of the lack of manpower. In order to overcome this issue, CoRIE was currently working with National Padi and Rice Board (LPN) to introduce SMART farming concept for the community.
Another benefit relates to the use of the telecentre by the local clinic which became the first rural clinic in Sarawak with internet access. The medical technician at the clinic has been able to share medical information with doctors in the towns, obtain better information about the drugs at the clinic and about the common ailments among the residents.
The Kelabit community regularly conduct online discussions on topics that affect their future. “The eBario telecentre now allows Kelabits living in the highlands to participate in these discussions on an equal footing with their compatriots in the towns and overseas,” said Tarawe.
“Moreover, the entire Kelabit community is now developing online facilities to preserve their cultural heritage by capturing the recollections of the old folks and by assembling a digital library of Kelabit writings,” he added.
According to a study, the improved communications that Bario now enjoys with the outside world has lead to a number of significant changes. Family interactions have greatly improved and this had
been most keenly felt at the time of family emergencies, such as at times of sickness and bereavement.
Previously, relatives often heard about such emergencies well after the event when it was too late to act.
Additionally, the telecentre played a crucial role in coordinating search and rescue operations after a helicopter crashed in the nearby rugged highlands. Flight operations have also been enhanced by the improved communications that provide pilots with vital weather conditions that could be highly variable over short distances in the highland terrain.
“The eBario experience has been shared nationally and internationally with several agencies, including presentations organised by UMDP, UNESCAP, IDRC and the government of Malaysia,” said Tarawe, who is also the chairman of Kelabit Association of Sarawak and chairman of the Heart of Borneo Forum (Formadat).
The project team adopted Participatory Action Research (PAR) as the research methodology. Adopting PAR led the researchers and the community to jointly agree on a community development agenda that would be based on the use of the telecentre. The agenda consisted of a set of activities in which information systems and ICTs were embedded, but which also included associated human activities as well.
“The agenda serves as a long term vision for community interaction with itself, with the wider Kelabit diaspora, researchers and other external agencies leading to community development that is mediated by ICTs,” Tarawe explained.
Bridging the digital divide through eBario concept
by Justin Yap
justinyap@theborneopost.com.
Posted on December 30, 2010, Thursday
KUCHING: Bario known as the ‘Land of a Thousand Hand-Shakes’ is the homeland to the Kelabit ethnic minority. The indigenous community that emerged from isolation only within the last half century has shown massive positive development from the results of eBario projects.
PHOTO: John Tarawe
eBario began in 1998 as a research project undertaken by the Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (Unimas) with the support of the International Development Research Centre of Canada and the government of Malaysia. The objective was to demonstrate opportunities for sustainable development in a remote and isolated rural community from the use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs).
“The project was undertaken against the background of the government’s aggressive adoption of ICTs for national development and the underdeveloped infrastructure as well as the scattered population of the nation’s largest state,” eBario Sdn Bhd project director John Tarawe told The Borneo Post during an exclusive trip to Bario.
Before the eBario project, communications were limited to rudimentary radio links and electricity was obtainable from household generators or solar panels. “At the heart of the Borneo island, Bario represents an extreme example of the digital divide,” said Tarawe.
According to Tarawe, a baseline study was conducted in order to understand the conditions of life and computers were progressively introduced, beginning with schools. “With the assistance of Telekom Malaysia, a community telecentre was established which consisted of computers with satellite (VSAT) access to the Internet as well as public phones and a reliable generator-driven power supply.”
In July 2002, the project was handed over by the research team to the community, with a local project manager and management committee. The project demonstrated that access to ICTs, specifically the Internet could precipitate significant improvements in the lives of such communities.
E-Bario has won many awards and was featured by the International Telecommunications Union as ‘one of the most notable of Malaysia’s Internet development initiatives.’
Due to the great success of the eBario project, the Unimas team was given the opportunity and honour by the government to replicate the same implementation model to five other nationwide remote sites throughout Malaysia.
Tarawe, who is also the telecentre manager for Centre of Excellence for Rural Informatics (CoERI) said the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation (Mosti) had allocated RM4 million for the project. “Four projects have been implemented at Long Lamai and Ba’Kelalang in Sarawak, Kg Buayan in Sabah and Larapan Island in Semporna. The remaining will be used to upgrade the telecommunication facilities in Bario.”
With the implementation of telecommunication services in community villages, Bario is finally on the global radar. Riding on the new visibility, Bario is currently enjoying a steady trickle of visitors who are attracted by the unique culture and hospitality of the residents as well as the pristine highland rainforest environment.
Tourism is now a significant contributor to the local economy. There has been an increase in the number of lodges and restaurants providing accommodation and meals since eBario began. The increase in tourism has had the effect of doubling the number of flights between Bario and Miri.
“This has had a knock-on effect on the agricultural economy. Bario is famous for its rice, which is grown organically and is highly sought after due to its light taste and delicate fragrance. The increase in the
number of flights has allowed the farmers in Bario to send more rice to the urban markets and this in turn has stimulated rice production during that period,” Tarawe pointed out.
However, he also revealed that Bario’s rice production had drop significantly during the last few years because of the lack of manpower. In order to overcome this issue, CoRIE was currently working with National Padi and Rice Board (LPN) to introduce SMART farming concept for the community.
Another benefit relates to the use of the telecentre by the local clinic which became the first rural clinic in Sarawak with internet access. The medical technician at the clinic has been able to share medical information with doctors in the towns, obtain better information about the drugs at the clinic and about the common ailments among the residents.
The Kelabit community regularly conduct online discussions on topics that affect their future. “The eBario telecentre now allows Kelabits living in the highlands to participate in these discussions on an equal footing with their compatriots in the towns and overseas,” said Tarawe.
“Moreover, the entire Kelabit community is now developing online facilities to preserve their cultural heritage by capturing the recollections of the old folks and by assembling a digital library of Kelabit writings,” he added.
According to a study, the improved communications that Bario now enjoys with the outside world has lead to a number of significant changes. Family interactions have greatly improved and this had
been most keenly felt at the time of family emergencies, such as at times of sickness and bereavement.
Previously, relatives often heard about such emergencies well after the event when it was too late to act.
Additionally, the telecentre played a crucial role in coordinating search and rescue operations after a helicopter crashed in the nearby rugged highlands. Flight operations have also been enhanced by the improved communications that provide pilots with vital weather conditions that could be highly variable over short distances in the highland terrain.
“The eBario experience has been shared nationally and internationally with several agencies, including presentations organised by UMDP, UNESCAP, IDRC and the government of Malaysia,” said Tarawe, who is also the chairman of Kelabit Association of Sarawak and chairman of the Heart of Borneo Forum (Formadat).
The project team adopted Participatory Action Research (PAR) as the research methodology. Adopting PAR led the researchers and the community to jointly agree on a community development agenda that would be based on the use of the telecentre. The agenda consisted of a set of activities in which information systems and ICTs were embedded, but which also included associated human activities as well.
“The agenda serves as a long term vision for community interaction with itself, with the wider Kelabit diaspora, researchers and other external agencies leading to community development that is mediated by ICTs,” Tarawe explained.
Monday, December 20, 2010
RM90m to fight non-communicable diseases
http://www.thesundaily.com/article.cfm?id=55373
RM90m to fight non-communicable diseases
Opalyn Mok
newsdesk@thesundaily.com
GEORGE TOWN (Dec 20, 2010): The federal government has allocated RM90 million under the 10th Malaysian Plan to combat the rise of non-communicable diseases (NCD) such as diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease and high cholesterol.
The first programme under this allocation, which is community empowerment to combat NCD, has already started in several states in the last two months, said Health Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai.
"We are giving more power to the Village Development and Security Committee (JKKK) to implement the health agenda," he said at a press conference after the launch of the Bandar Baru Air Itam Health Clinic here today.
The clinic started operations on June 16 and it is the only government health clinic in the country to have a six-storey structure. It can cater to about 350 outpatients each day.
Liow said the JKKK will be the role model, adviser and leader in the health agenda.
"We are looking at appointing between 20 and 30 volunteers in each village to be part of this programme so that they could reach out to the community and spread awareness while educating and encouraging a healthy lifestyle and to cultivate good eating habits," he said.
He said there are other programmes to combat the rise of NCD in the pipeline which will be rolled out in stages in future.
On top of the allocation, Liow said the cabinet has approved the forming of a cabinet committee to manage the rise of NCD.
"The deputy prime minister will chair this committee and 12 other ministries, such as the local council and housing, youth and sports, education and transport ministries, will be involved in the committee," he said.
"The committee will be discussing the ways to combat the rise of NCD and obesity, which is the main cause for NCD, and come up with national strategic plans and policies to fight it," he said.
On another matter, Liow said young doctors must accept being posted to rural areas, especially Sabah and Sarawak for at least two years.
"I have received a lot of appeals from doctors who want to remain in the cities like Kuala Lumpur, (in) Selangor and do not want to be posted to rural areas," he said, adding that they should accept such postings as they must have the spirit to serve the community.
"Due to this, we have in place an incentive for them. Those who accept postings to the rural areas will only serve there for a maximum of two years and after that they will get a transfer back to the cities," he said.
RM90m to fight non-communicable diseases
Opalyn Mok
newsdesk@thesundaily.com
GEORGE TOWN (Dec 20, 2010): The federal government has allocated RM90 million under the 10th Malaysian Plan to combat the rise of non-communicable diseases (NCD) such as diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease and high cholesterol.
The first programme under this allocation, which is community empowerment to combat NCD, has already started in several states in the last two months, said Health Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai.
"We are giving more power to the Village Development and Security Committee (JKKK) to implement the health agenda," he said at a press conference after the launch of the Bandar Baru Air Itam Health Clinic here today.
The clinic started operations on June 16 and it is the only government health clinic in the country to have a six-storey structure. It can cater to about 350 outpatients each day.
Liow said the JKKK will be the role model, adviser and leader in the health agenda.
"We are looking at appointing between 20 and 30 volunteers in each village to be part of this programme so that they could reach out to the community and spread awareness while educating and encouraging a healthy lifestyle and to cultivate good eating habits," he said.
He said there are other programmes to combat the rise of NCD in the pipeline which will be rolled out in stages in future.
On top of the allocation, Liow said the cabinet has approved the forming of a cabinet committee to manage the rise of NCD.
"The deputy prime minister will chair this committee and 12 other ministries, such as the local council and housing, youth and sports, education and transport ministries, will be involved in the committee," he said.
"The committee will be discussing the ways to combat the rise of NCD and obesity, which is the main cause for NCD, and come up with national strategic plans and policies to fight it," he said.
On another matter, Liow said young doctors must accept being posted to rural areas, especially Sabah and Sarawak for at least two years.
"I have received a lot of appeals from doctors who want to remain in the cities like Kuala Lumpur, (in) Selangor and do not want to be posted to rural areas," he said, adding that they should accept such postings as they must have the spirit to serve the community.
"Due to this, we have in place an incentive for them. Those who accept postings to the rural areas will only serve there for a maximum of two years and after that they will get a transfer back to the cities," he said.
Saturday, December 18, 2010
NCR land perimeter survey in Ulu Tinjar to start this week
http://www.theborneopost.com/?p=80999
NCR land perimeter survey in Ulu Tinjar to start this week
Posted on December 18, 2010, Saturday
MIRI: Land and Survey (L&S) Department will be carrying out a perimeter survey for Long Aton, Ulu Tinjar in Baram starting this week.
FIRST HAND LOOK: Lihan uses a theodolite to make an area survey while others look on.
Land officer Mohamad Asri Haji Jaya said the size of Long Aton which will be surveyed is about 1,207 hectares and belongs to some 3,329 landowners.
“Long Aton, Tinjar is the second in Miri to be surveyed under the Native Customary Right (NCR) new initiative. The area was requested for survey by the Kayan-Kenyah community here and I am happy that the L&S is able to fulfill their request,” he said during a dialogue session with Long Aton community yesterday.
Mohamad Asri said the department would continue to engage and consult the Long Aton community to enable the people to express their opinions and thoughts.
In ensuring the success of the implementation of NCR new initiative, he urged landowners to render their full co-operation to the department when the survey work is carried out this week.
“Our target is to complete perimeter survey of Long Aton within a month and hopefully with assistance from the landowners, the department will be able to achieve its target,” he remarked.
After the completion of survey work, the land will be gazetted as Native Communal Reserve under Section 6 of the Sarawak Land Code.
Mohamad Asri assured the community can immediately detect any intrusion on their land when their land is already gazetted.
Survey of NCR land under the New Initiative is an ongoing process and will continue until the end of 10th Malaysia Plan which or by 2015.
Meanwhile, Telang Usan Assemblyman Lihan Jok has expressed his gratitude to the government in speed up the perimeter survey process at one of his areas.
“Don’t be misled by the opposition party as the perimeter survey has no hidden agenda to seize the people’s NCR land.
“In fact the Land Code has stated clearly that there is alternative way to claim your NCR land,” he remarked.
NCR land perimeter survey in Ulu Tinjar to start this week
Posted on December 18, 2010, Saturday
MIRI: Land and Survey (L&S) Department will be carrying out a perimeter survey for Long Aton, Ulu Tinjar in Baram starting this week.
FIRST HAND LOOK: Lihan uses a theodolite to make an area survey while others look on.
Land officer Mohamad Asri Haji Jaya said the size of Long Aton which will be surveyed is about 1,207 hectares and belongs to some 3,329 landowners.
“Long Aton, Tinjar is the second in Miri to be surveyed under the Native Customary Right (NCR) new initiative. The area was requested for survey by the Kayan-Kenyah community here and I am happy that the L&S is able to fulfill their request,” he said during a dialogue session with Long Aton community yesterday.
Mohamad Asri said the department would continue to engage and consult the Long Aton community to enable the people to express their opinions and thoughts.
In ensuring the success of the implementation of NCR new initiative, he urged landowners to render their full co-operation to the department when the survey work is carried out this week.
“Our target is to complete perimeter survey of Long Aton within a month and hopefully with assistance from the landowners, the department will be able to achieve its target,” he remarked.
After the completion of survey work, the land will be gazetted as Native Communal Reserve under Section 6 of the Sarawak Land Code.
Mohamad Asri assured the community can immediately detect any intrusion on their land when their land is already gazetted.
Survey of NCR land under the New Initiative is an ongoing process and will continue until the end of 10th Malaysia Plan which or by 2015.
Meanwhile, Telang Usan Assemblyman Lihan Jok has expressed his gratitude to the government in speed up the perimeter survey process at one of his areas.
“Don’t be misled by the opposition party as the perimeter survey has no hidden agenda to seize the people’s NCR land.
“In fact the Land Code has stated clearly that there is alternative way to claim your NCR land,” he remarked.
Thursday, December 16, 2010
Mawan rubbished Larry Sng in Meluan rumour
http://sarawakupdate.com/home/10th-state-election/mawan-rubbished-larry-sng-in-meluan-rumour/
Mawan rubbished Larry Sng in Meluan rumour
SIBU, Dec.16 (Bernama) — Talk is rife that the Sarawak Progressive Democratic Party will swap Meluan for Kidurong with the Sarawak United People’s Party for the state election, which must be called before June 2011.
SPDP president Datuk Sri William Mawan Ikom is not amused, not least of all because Meluan is a Barisan Nasional stronghold while Kidurong is the DAP’s.
He dismissed the speculation as “coffee shop talk” and asserted that Meluan will always be SPDP territory.
Mawan questioned the motive of the speculators, with rumours of personality clashes abounding as politicians jockey for position for the coming polls.
“Are they trying to get me to be at loggerheads with (SUPP president) Tan Sri (Dr George) Chan?”
According to one scenario, SPDP’s Wong anak Judat, serving his second term as Meluan assemblyman, will not be re-nominated and his Iban majority seat will be contested by a Chinese candidate from SUPP.
In the exchange, SPDP treasurer-general and Bintulu MP Datuk Seri Tiong King Sing will vie for the mixed Kidurong seat held by DAP deputy state chairman Chew Chiu Sing, now in his fourth electoral term.
SUPP is said to be planning to field Pelagus state assemblyman Larry Sng, an assistant minister in the chief minister’s office, in Meluan.
Sng has been sacked from Parti Rakyat Sarawak after a falling out with PRS president Datuk Sri Dr.James Jemut Masing.
This means that Sng, seen as a upcoming Chinese leader by some, will have to join SUPP first.
But Meluan voters are not likely to lay out the red carpet for Larry Sng although his father Datuk Sng Chee Hua had been a two-term MP for Julau.
The many press statements issued recently advocating that Wong’s replacement should be a local-born and an Iban are indicative of the sentiment on the ground.
At least five locals have lobbied to be candidate in place of Wong, who has been criticised for alleged aggressiveness and lack of tack in handling certain issues.
So does this mean the end for Wong?
Mawan said that SPDP had endorsed Wong as candidate, but the final say would have to come from Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak as Barisan Nasional chairman and Tan Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud as state BN head.
He believes that Wong can defend Meluan.
“If he can retain around 40 per cent of his voters, and leaders and supporters of BN component parties continue to support him in the interest and spirit of Barisan, he can and will deliver,” Mawan said.
Mawan, who is the State the Minister of Social Development and Urbanisation, said SPDP would give special attention to the Ba Kelalan constituency.
Parti Keadilan Rakyat state chief Baru Bian, a leading Lun Bawang lawyer on native customary rights to land, is expected to challenge incumbent Nelson Balang Rining, the SPDP secretary-general, for the seat.
Mawan said: “There may be people out there who think that Balang is not as strong as we think he is. But this is disputable. I have been to the area.”
Mawan believes that Balang can pull through although with a reduced majority.
If Baru is indeed contesting, the Kelabit community will be for Balang. But the Lun Bawang community will be split, he said.
On the party’s overall preparations for the state elections, Mawan said the SPDP was fully ready to defend the eight seats it holds.
“We want to deliver Pakan, Meluan, Krian, Marudi, Tasik Biru, Bekenu, Batu Danau nand Ba Kelalan again to Barisan Nasional,” he said. –BERNAMA
Mawan rubbished Larry Sng in Meluan rumour
SIBU, Dec.16 (Bernama) — Talk is rife that the Sarawak Progressive Democratic Party will swap Meluan for Kidurong with the Sarawak United People’s Party for the state election, which must be called before June 2011.
SPDP president Datuk Sri William Mawan Ikom is not amused, not least of all because Meluan is a Barisan Nasional stronghold while Kidurong is the DAP’s.
He dismissed the speculation as “coffee shop talk” and asserted that Meluan will always be SPDP territory.
Mawan questioned the motive of the speculators, with rumours of personality clashes abounding as politicians jockey for position for the coming polls.
“Are they trying to get me to be at loggerheads with (SUPP president) Tan Sri (Dr George) Chan?”
According to one scenario, SPDP’s Wong anak Judat, serving his second term as Meluan assemblyman, will not be re-nominated and his Iban majority seat will be contested by a Chinese candidate from SUPP.
In the exchange, SPDP treasurer-general and Bintulu MP Datuk Seri Tiong King Sing will vie for the mixed Kidurong seat held by DAP deputy state chairman Chew Chiu Sing, now in his fourth electoral term.
SUPP is said to be planning to field Pelagus state assemblyman Larry Sng, an assistant minister in the chief minister’s office, in Meluan.
Sng has been sacked from Parti Rakyat Sarawak after a falling out with PRS president Datuk Sri Dr.James Jemut Masing.
This means that Sng, seen as a upcoming Chinese leader by some, will have to join SUPP first.
But Meluan voters are not likely to lay out the red carpet for Larry Sng although his father Datuk Sng Chee Hua had been a two-term MP for Julau.
The many press statements issued recently advocating that Wong’s replacement should be a local-born and an Iban are indicative of the sentiment on the ground.
At least five locals have lobbied to be candidate in place of Wong, who has been criticised for alleged aggressiveness and lack of tack in handling certain issues.
So does this mean the end for Wong?
Mawan said that SPDP had endorsed Wong as candidate, but the final say would have to come from Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak as Barisan Nasional chairman and Tan Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud as state BN head.
He believes that Wong can defend Meluan.
“If he can retain around 40 per cent of his voters, and leaders and supporters of BN component parties continue to support him in the interest and spirit of Barisan, he can and will deliver,” Mawan said.
Mawan, who is the State the Minister of Social Development and Urbanisation, said SPDP would give special attention to the Ba Kelalan constituency.
Parti Keadilan Rakyat state chief Baru Bian, a leading Lun Bawang lawyer on native customary rights to land, is expected to challenge incumbent Nelson Balang Rining, the SPDP secretary-general, for the seat.
Mawan said: “There may be people out there who think that Balang is not as strong as we think he is. But this is disputable. I have been to the area.”
Mawan believes that Balang can pull through although with a reduced majority.
If Baru is indeed contesting, the Kelabit community will be for Balang. But the Lun Bawang community will be split, he said.
On the party’s overall preparations for the state elections, Mawan said the SPDP was fully ready to defend the eight seats it holds.
“We want to deliver Pakan, Meluan, Krian, Marudi, Tasik Biru, Bekenu, Batu Danau nand Ba Kelalan again to Barisan Nasional,” he said. –BERNAMA
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
PKR calls for review of flying doctor service
http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/fmt-english/politics/sabah-and-sarawak/14170-pkr-calls-for-review-of-flying-doctor-service
PKR calls for review of flying doctor service
Tue, 14 Dec 2010 15:44
By Joseph Tawie
KUCHING: Sarawak PKR has called for a full review and renaming of the Flying Doctor Service (FDS) in Sarawak.
Its health bureau chief Dr Francis Ngu said the FDS should be renamed as Flying Medical Services (FMS) providing paramedical staff and community nurses instead of doctors.
"We would achieve the same or comparable public health outcomes with paramedical staff as with the current doctors. Currently the FDS is highly expensive for both logistics and personnel," he said.
Ngu said that while the FDS should not be restricted to one or two sorties per day, it must however improve ground personnel through village health promoters, facilities and equipment rather than focus on improving service delivery.
“Should there not be health promotion talks, demonstrations instead of just ‘pills-for all’ services?”
“Should there not be rural health promoters at all locations, to provide continuous synergism to the service of the FDS/FMS staff?” he asked.
Ngu was responding to Chief Minister Taib Mahmud's call on Saturday urging the federal and state governments to map out a more “realistic” plan in view of the scattered population in the state.
He reminded the governments that Sarawakians were spread out in 6,000 settlements, out which 60 percent consisted of fewer than 50 families.
“As long as the population was not concentrated and without easy transport, more efforts must be placed on the flying doctor service,” Taib had said.
Commenting on Taib's statement, Ngu suggested that where small plane landing airstrips are made available, for instance at Bario, Ba’Kelalan and Long Seridan, the FDS should be upgraded by using fixed winged aircrafts.
He also proposed that more landing strips be built for fixed winged aircrafts at remote locations, if population concentration justifies.
“Such a service would allow more staff and equipment to be flown example for dental service and eye screening,” Ngu said.
He added, that FDS/FMS would be better served by a full time Flying Medical Services Corps, thereby developing special expertise in rural medicine and dentistry.
“While consolidating and even vastly improving the FDS, the stronger emphasis must be steadily increasing the rural reach by land and riverine transport infrastructure, and establishing static facilities where population numbers justify cost effectiveness,” he said.
Contract irregularities
The FDS was launched in September 1973 as a pilot project to bring modern medicine to people in very remote areas of Sarawak.
Among its aims were to medically treat people in remote areas and help them improve their health status so that they would be economically productive.
It was also to narrow down the disparity in the provision of Medical and Health Services between urban and rural and remote interiors which are not easily accessible by normal means of communications.
In addition the government also hoped to make its presence felt in these remote locations which otherwise could easily fall prey to the influence of the insurgents.
Following the initial success of the white-coated doctor's visit to the longhouses which had never seen such personnel before, the government decided to have the FDS as a permanent service.
However recently FDS has been seeing a series of setbacks.
“The FDS is an expensive service which was put in place as much for political expediency of government rural reach in the 1970s, as for focused service provision," said Ngu.
"It was meant to be a stop-gap measure till the development of transport infrastructure, whence static service will replace the FDS.
"In recent years, there have been widespread service disruptions, leading to much dissatisfaction from rural communities concerned.
“Much of this failure has been traced by an opposition legislators to contract irregularities, involving political cronies,” he added.
PKR calls for review of flying doctor service
Tue, 14 Dec 2010 15:44
By Joseph Tawie
KUCHING: Sarawak PKR has called for a full review and renaming of the Flying Doctor Service (FDS) in Sarawak.
Its health bureau chief Dr Francis Ngu said the FDS should be renamed as Flying Medical Services (FMS) providing paramedical staff and community nurses instead of doctors.
"We would achieve the same or comparable public health outcomes with paramedical staff as with the current doctors. Currently the FDS is highly expensive for both logistics and personnel," he said.
Ngu said that while the FDS should not be restricted to one or two sorties per day, it must however improve ground personnel through village health promoters, facilities and equipment rather than focus on improving service delivery.
“Should there not be health promotion talks, demonstrations instead of just ‘pills-for all’ services?”
“Should there not be rural health promoters at all locations, to provide continuous synergism to the service of the FDS/FMS staff?” he asked.
Ngu was responding to Chief Minister Taib Mahmud's call on Saturday urging the federal and state governments to map out a more “realistic” plan in view of the scattered population in the state.
He reminded the governments that Sarawakians were spread out in 6,000 settlements, out which 60 percent consisted of fewer than 50 families.
“As long as the population was not concentrated and without easy transport, more efforts must be placed on the flying doctor service,” Taib had said.
Commenting on Taib's statement, Ngu suggested that where small plane landing airstrips are made available, for instance at Bario, Ba’Kelalan and Long Seridan, the FDS should be upgraded by using fixed winged aircrafts.
He also proposed that more landing strips be built for fixed winged aircrafts at remote locations, if population concentration justifies.
“Such a service would allow more staff and equipment to be flown example for dental service and eye screening,” Ngu said.
He added, that FDS/FMS would be better served by a full time Flying Medical Services Corps, thereby developing special expertise in rural medicine and dentistry.
“While consolidating and even vastly improving the FDS, the stronger emphasis must be steadily increasing the rural reach by land and riverine transport infrastructure, and establishing static facilities where population numbers justify cost effectiveness,” he said.
Contract irregularities
The FDS was launched in September 1973 as a pilot project to bring modern medicine to people in very remote areas of Sarawak.
Among its aims were to medically treat people in remote areas and help them improve their health status so that they would be economically productive.
It was also to narrow down the disparity in the provision of Medical and Health Services between urban and rural and remote interiors which are not easily accessible by normal means of communications.
In addition the government also hoped to make its presence felt in these remote locations which otherwise could easily fall prey to the influence of the insurgents.
Following the initial success of the white-coated doctor's visit to the longhouses which had never seen such personnel before, the government decided to have the FDS as a permanent service.
However recently FDS has been seeing a series of setbacks.
“The FDS is an expensive service which was put in place as much for political expediency of government rural reach in the 1970s, as for focused service provision," said Ngu.
"It was meant to be a stop-gap measure till the development of transport infrastructure, whence static service will replace the FDS.
"In recent years, there have been widespread service disruptions, leading to much dissatisfaction from rural communities concerned.
“Much of this failure has been traced by an opposition legislators to contract irregularities, involving political cronies,” he added.
Unique plant with anti-cancer agent garners interest
http://www.theborneopost.com/?p=80253
Unique plant with anti-cancer agent garners interest
by Johnson K Saai.
Posted on December 14, 2010, Tuesday
KUCHING: Several renowned universities and commercial companies were enquiring about the availability of silvestrol which has a remarkable potential to be developed as an anti-cancer agent.
“This plant is found in Ba Kelalan and is known as ‘Segera’ to the Ibans and ‘Kellabuno’ to the Orang Ulu community. It contains a potent compound called silvestrol which has been patented worldwide by the Sarawak government, covering at least 16 countries,” Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Dr George Chan disclosed.
He said the state government was reviewing the agreements to be signed with the interested parties now and when these collaborations take off, Sarawak Biodiversity Centre (SBC) will be the main agency to coordinate the supply of this drug candidate.
Dr Chan was speaking at the official opening of Sarawak Biodiversity Centre administration building and Karnival Biodiversity 2010 by Chief Minister Pehin Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud at Km20, Jalan Puncak Borneo near here.
He said earlier, the ‘special plant’ found in the Laila Taib Ethno-Botanical Garden in SBC, which contains a potent compound called silvestrol and has remarkable potential to be developed as an anti cancer agent, had drawn intense attention from a number of high profile international research groups.
“Furthermore, a related patent is now being filed by SBC that enables the DNA identification of plant species that produces this compound. This is very important in the event that collection and mass propagation of this plant becomes necessary,” he added.
He also pointed out that National Cancer Institute of USA; a leading agency in cancer research and clinical trials has teamed up with the prestigious Ohio State University, known for its clinical development of therapeutic drug for cancer, especially leukaemia, to work with SBC to conduct pre-clinical and clinical trials for silvestrol.
Meanwhile, Dr Chan, who is Tourism and Heritage Minister, said since the state was rich in biodiversity, it was advisable that local communities take the initiative to establish nurseries and gardens of useful plants.
He suggested that the establishment of such nurseries and gardens will not only facilitate conservation effort of the biodiversity but it can also become tourist attractions.
He said one good example was the herbal garden established by the Penan community of Long Iman near Mulu National Park where a minimal fee of RM1 will be charged for a guided garden tour.
“Another potential tourist draw is the establishment of a garden for useful plants and the distillation of aromatic essential oils by the Bidayuh community of Kampung Kiding in Padawan,” he said.
Dr Chan said that the Laila Taib Ethno-Botanical Garden will give a lasting impression to anyone who walked through it.
The plants in this unique garden were contributed by many communities, namely the Bidayuh, Penan, Selako, Iban, Malay, Melalau, Berawan, Lun Bawang, Kayan, Kelabit, Bisaya and Kenyah.
“Communities that participate in SBC’s Traditional Knowledge Documentation programme are also encouraged to set up their own nurseries and gardens of useful plants as part of the conservation efforts,” he disclosed.
He said that many opportunities for research could be done on the biodiversity present there and more importantly was how the research could help mankind in terms of pharmaceuticals, medicines, and health as well as tourism.
Unique plant with anti-cancer agent garners interest
by Johnson K Saai.
Posted on December 14, 2010, Tuesday
KUCHING: Several renowned universities and commercial companies were enquiring about the availability of silvestrol which has a remarkable potential to be developed as an anti-cancer agent.
“This plant is found in Ba Kelalan and is known as ‘Segera’ to the Ibans and ‘Kellabuno’ to the Orang Ulu community. It contains a potent compound called silvestrol which has been patented worldwide by the Sarawak government, covering at least 16 countries,” Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Dr George Chan disclosed.
He said the state government was reviewing the agreements to be signed with the interested parties now and when these collaborations take off, Sarawak Biodiversity Centre (SBC) will be the main agency to coordinate the supply of this drug candidate.
Dr Chan was speaking at the official opening of Sarawak Biodiversity Centre administration building and Karnival Biodiversity 2010 by Chief Minister Pehin Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud at Km20, Jalan Puncak Borneo near here.
He said earlier, the ‘special plant’ found in the Laila Taib Ethno-Botanical Garden in SBC, which contains a potent compound called silvestrol and has remarkable potential to be developed as an anti cancer agent, had drawn intense attention from a number of high profile international research groups.
“Furthermore, a related patent is now being filed by SBC that enables the DNA identification of plant species that produces this compound. This is very important in the event that collection and mass propagation of this plant becomes necessary,” he added.
He also pointed out that National Cancer Institute of USA; a leading agency in cancer research and clinical trials has teamed up with the prestigious Ohio State University, known for its clinical development of therapeutic drug for cancer, especially leukaemia, to work with SBC to conduct pre-clinical and clinical trials for silvestrol.
Meanwhile, Dr Chan, who is Tourism and Heritage Minister, said since the state was rich in biodiversity, it was advisable that local communities take the initiative to establish nurseries and gardens of useful plants.
He suggested that the establishment of such nurseries and gardens will not only facilitate conservation effort of the biodiversity but it can also become tourist attractions.
He said one good example was the herbal garden established by the Penan community of Long Iman near Mulu National Park where a minimal fee of RM1 will be charged for a guided garden tour.
“Another potential tourist draw is the establishment of a garden for useful plants and the distillation of aromatic essential oils by the Bidayuh community of Kampung Kiding in Padawan,” he said.
Dr Chan said that the Laila Taib Ethno-Botanical Garden will give a lasting impression to anyone who walked through it.
The plants in this unique garden were contributed by many communities, namely the Bidayuh, Penan, Selako, Iban, Malay, Melalau, Berawan, Lun Bawang, Kayan, Kelabit, Bisaya and Kenyah.
“Communities that participate in SBC’s Traditional Knowledge Documentation programme are also encouraged to set up their own nurseries and gardens of useful plants as part of the conservation efforts,” he disclosed.
He said that many opportunities for research could be done on the biodiversity present there and more importantly was how the research could help mankind in terms of pharmaceuticals, medicines, and health as well as tourism.
Sunday, December 12, 2010
MASwings rewards UPSR high scorers
http://www.theborneopost.com/?p=80072
MASwings rewards UPSR high scorers
by Anasathia Jenis.
Posted on December 12, 2010, Sunday
TWENTY Ujian Pencapaian Sekolah Rendah (UPSR) high scorers went on a three-day education familiarisation tour of Kuala Lumpur under MASwings ‘Our Children Our Future’ project to foster academic excellence among Malaysia’s future generations.
EDUCATIONAL TRIP: The students and teachers at Subang airport. In the background is MASwings ATR 72-500 aircraft.
The students were from eight rural primary schools in Sarawak and Sabah. They were and accompanied by 10 teachers.
MASwings also invited the media from the two East Malaysian states along to share the experience.
Among the programmes were visits to Malaysia Airlines Complex in Subang and the Planetarium and Petrosains in Kuala Lumpur City Centre (KLCC).
The highlight was a tea reception, hosted by Datin Paduka Seri Rosmah Mansur, wife of the Prime Minister, at Seri Perdana.
For the four-hour flight to Kuala Lumpur, the group gathered at Miri Trails Guesthouse where they were met by MASwings staff. It was an exciting moment — a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity — for the students who got to explore the ATR 72-500 aircraft that flew them to the national capital. Who knows, one day some of them might decide to become a pilot or an air steward.
At Subang airport, the group were warmly greeted by MASwings managing director Dato’ Mohd Salleh Ahmad Tabrani and MASwings staff amidst the beats of kompang.
Souvenirs were presented to the students and teachers. This was followed by a briefing at the Malaysia Airlines Complex from Abdul Rashid Sharif, MAS manager Staff Affairs and Human Resources of Engineering and Maintenance Division.
Later, the group were taken on a tour of the engineering and maintenance building, the hangar and the training centre in the Complex. At the training centre, the group were shown an ATR72-500 aircraft simulator for enhancing crew efficiency.
The following day, the group visited the Planetarium and the tunnel-shaped aquarium before heading to the science gallery. They were treated to a popular cartoon animation ‘Upin Ipin’ at the Planetarium.
The next stop was Petrosains in the same building. Here, the group took about three hours to explore the exhibition gallery, showcasing the ‘wonders’ of science and technology related to the petroleum industry.
At KLCC, the group watched the 3-D animation cartoon of ‘Rapunzel’. It was something new to most of them.
For dinner, the popular Nasi Kandar was served.
Early the next day, before tarvelling to Putrajaya for a date at Seri Perdana, the group toured Kuala Lumpur city in Malaysia’s famous Hop-On Hop-Off bus, soaking in the view in a two-hour drive on the double-decker from Kuala Lumpur to Putrajaya. Along the way, they saw the new Istana Negara and another landmark still under construction.
Finally, on reaching Putrajaya, the group toured the area and lunched at Alamanda Shopping Mall before arriving at Seri Perdana around 2pm. There, the students performed the ngajat, and a traditional Sabah dance to the tune of a Gunung Kinabalu song for their gracious host.
Rosmah is patron of MASwings ‘Our Children Our Future’ project, a top-priority in MASwings community agenda.
At the tea reception, Rosmah handed over school bags and uniforms to the students. Also present was MAS managing director and MASwings chairman Dato’ Seri Azmil Zahruddin Raja Aziz.
The trip was a great opportunity for the students to experience life outside their rural settings.
A student of SK Pekan 2 Pitas Sabah, Cerollyn Carmila said she was happy to have had the opportunity her to visit other parts of the country.
“Thanks to MASwings for the familiarisation trip. It was an eye-opener,” she said.
Cerollyn’s friend, Beatrice Rinai Joannes, said she was grateful her hard work in obtaining As in UPSR had been rewarded by MASwings.
The eight rural schools from Sarawak are Sk Long Banga, SK Long Akah, SK Ba’Kelalan, Sk Bario, SK Mulu, SK Long Lellang, Long Seridan and SK Marudi. The two schools from Sabah are SK Rusop Pitas and SK Pekan 2 Pitas, in Tawau.
MASwings rewards UPSR high scorers
by Anasathia Jenis.
Posted on December 12, 2010, Sunday
TWENTY Ujian Pencapaian Sekolah Rendah (UPSR) high scorers went on a three-day education familiarisation tour of Kuala Lumpur under MASwings ‘Our Children Our Future’ project to foster academic excellence among Malaysia’s future generations.
EDUCATIONAL TRIP: The students and teachers at Subang airport. In the background is MASwings ATR 72-500 aircraft.
The students were from eight rural primary schools in Sarawak and Sabah. They were and accompanied by 10 teachers.
MASwings also invited the media from the two East Malaysian states along to share the experience.
Among the programmes were visits to Malaysia Airlines Complex in Subang and the Planetarium and Petrosains in Kuala Lumpur City Centre (KLCC).
The highlight was a tea reception, hosted by Datin Paduka Seri Rosmah Mansur, wife of the Prime Minister, at Seri Perdana.
For the four-hour flight to Kuala Lumpur, the group gathered at Miri Trails Guesthouse where they were met by MASwings staff. It was an exciting moment — a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity — for the students who got to explore the ATR 72-500 aircraft that flew them to the national capital. Who knows, one day some of them might decide to become a pilot or an air steward.
At Subang airport, the group were warmly greeted by MASwings managing director Dato’ Mohd Salleh Ahmad Tabrani and MASwings staff amidst the beats of kompang.
Souvenirs were presented to the students and teachers. This was followed by a briefing at the Malaysia Airlines Complex from Abdul Rashid Sharif, MAS manager Staff Affairs and Human Resources of Engineering and Maintenance Division.
Later, the group were taken on a tour of the engineering and maintenance building, the hangar and the training centre in the Complex. At the training centre, the group were shown an ATR72-500 aircraft simulator for enhancing crew efficiency.
The following day, the group visited the Planetarium and the tunnel-shaped aquarium before heading to the science gallery. They were treated to a popular cartoon animation ‘Upin Ipin’ at the Planetarium.
The next stop was Petrosains in the same building. Here, the group took about three hours to explore the exhibition gallery, showcasing the ‘wonders’ of science and technology related to the petroleum industry.
At KLCC, the group watched the 3-D animation cartoon of ‘Rapunzel’. It was something new to most of them.
For dinner, the popular Nasi Kandar was served.
Early the next day, before tarvelling to Putrajaya for a date at Seri Perdana, the group toured Kuala Lumpur city in Malaysia’s famous Hop-On Hop-Off bus, soaking in the view in a two-hour drive on the double-decker from Kuala Lumpur to Putrajaya. Along the way, they saw the new Istana Negara and another landmark still under construction.
Finally, on reaching Putrajaya, the group toured the area and lunched at Alamanda Shopping Mall before arriving at Seri Perdana around 2pm. There, the students performed the ngajat, and a traditional Sabah dance to the tune of a Gunung Kinabalu song for their gracious host.
Rosmah is patron of MASwings ‘Our Children Our Future’ project, a top-priority in MASwings community agenda.
At the tea reception, Rosmah handed over school bags and uniforms to the students. Also present was MAS managing director and MASwings chairman Dato’ Seri Azmil Zahruddin Raja Aziz.
The trip was a great opportunity for the students to experience life outside their rural settings.
A student of SK Pekan 2 Pitas Sabah, Cerollyn Carmila said she was happy to have had the opportunity her to visit other parts of the country.
“Thanks to MASwings for the familiarisation trip. It was an eye-opener,” she said.
Cerollyn’s friend, Beatrice Rinai Joannes, said she was grateful her hard work in obtaining As in UPSR had been rewarded by MASwings.
The eight rural schools from Sarawak are Sk Long Banga, SK Long Akah, SK Ba’Kelalan, Sk Bario, SK Mulu, SK Long Lellang, Long Seridan and SK Marudi. The two schools from Sabah are SK Rusop Pitas and SK Pekan 2 Pitas, in Tawau.
Saturday, December 11, 2010
RM100 mln boost for affordability
http://www.theborneopost.com/?p=79745
RM100 mln boost for affordability
by Margaret Ringgit.
Posted on December 11, 2010, Saturday
80 per cent of state to enjoy benefits of Price Standardisation Scheme next year
MIRI: The federal government’s Price Standardisation Scheme will cover 80 per cent of the state next year.
Deputy Minister of Domestic Trade, Cooperatives and Consumerism Datuk Tan Lian Hoe said RM100 million had been allocated to ensure that essential items are more affordable state-wide.
“For this year, with a total allocation of RM67 million, we have covered about 30 per cent of Sarawak’s areas, mostly in the interior, which was known as the Community Drumming project,” she said.
With the increased allocation for next year, she said, the number of distribution areas would increase from 191 at present to 269 next year.
Among the areas which will be covered are Mulu, Bakun, Belaga, Sungai Asap, Long Simut, Bario and Tutoh Apoh.
Tan added that the government is concerned and aware of the rakyat’s plight, especially after the increase of the RON95 petrol and diesel prices on Dec 3.
She said the Community Drumming project would help to lighten this load.
Tan told reporters this at Yu Lan Plaza after handing over Letters of Intent (LOI) to 27 appointed point of sale distributors for controlled items such as diesel, sugar, and LPG in rural areas in Miri, Bintulu and Limbang yesterday.
Among those present at the function were Domestic, Trade Co-operative and Consumerism’s state director Wan Ahmad Uzir Wan Sulaiman and theMinistry’s head for Miri branch Zakaria Awang.
“Sarawak is our main priority area due to its geographical size. We are serious about this project so that the people living in the interior areas of Sarawak can afford to buy controlled items such as diesel, petrol,LPG or sugar at affordable prices.”
She urged members of the public to be the Ministry’s eyes and ears to ensure that the elected point-of-sale distributors in their respective areas did not hike the prices of controlled items.
“We will not compromise with those who increase the priced controlled items,” she cautioned.
In 2009, Sarawak received RM57 million out of a total RM96 million approved nationwide for the programme, which encompassed 15 per cent of the state.
RM100 mln boost for affordability
by Margaret Ringgit.
Posted on December 11, 2010, Saturday
80 per cent of state to enjoy benefits of Price Standardisation Scheme next year
MIRI: The federal government’s Price Standardisation Scheme will cover 80 per cent of the state next year.
Deputy Minister of Domestic Trade, Cooperatives and Consumerism Datuk Tan Lian Hoe said RM100 million had been allocated to ensure that essential items are more affordable state-wide.
“For this year, with a total allocation of RM67 million, we have covered about 30 per cent of Sarawak’s areas, mostly in the interior, which was known as the Community Drumming project,” she said.
With the increased allocation for next year, she said, the number of distribution areas would increase from 191 at present to 269 next year.
Among the areas which will be covered are Mulu, Bakun, Belaga, Sungai Asap, Long Simut, Bario and Tutoh Apoh.
Tan added that the government is concerned and aware of the rakyat’s plight, especially after the increase of the RON95 petrol and diesel prices on Dec 3.
She said the Community Drumming project would help to lighten this load.
Tan told reporters this at Yu Lan Plaza after handing over Letters of Intent (LOI) to 27 appointed point of sale distributors for controlled items such as diesel, sugar, and LPG in rural areas in Miri, Bintulu and Limbang yesterday.
Among those present at the function were Domestic, Trade Co-operative and Consumerism’s state director Wan Ahmad Uzir Wan Sulaiman and theMinistry’s head for Miri branch Zakaria Awang.
“Sarawak is our main priority area due to its geographical size. We are serious about this project so that the people living in the interior areas of Sarawak can afford to buy controlled items such as diesel, petrol,LPG or sugar at affordable prices.”
She urged members of the public to be the Ministry’s eyes and ears to ensure that the elected point-of-sale distributors in their respective areas did not hike the prices of controlled items.
“We will not compromise with those who increase the priced controlled items,” she cautioned.
In 2009, Sarawak received RM57 million out of a total RM96 million approved nationwide for the programme, which encompassed 15 per cent of the state.
113 Students from 12 ethnic groups take part in skills training
http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2010/12/11/sarawak/7594112&sec=sarawak
Saturday December 11, 2010
113 students from 12 ethnic groups take part in skills training
By ZORA CHAN
zora@thestar.com.my
JOSEPHINE Bujang, 18, may be the only female trainee among 60 others in an automation technician course, but she is not someone who is easily overwhelmed.
Aspiring to be an engineer, this Berawan lass from Rumah Kajan Sijeh, Long Tru, in Tinjar, about four hours by express boat or car from Miri, said she did not take up a childcare-provider course like her peers as she wanted a more challenging career.
“I’m applying for scholarships to further my studies at diploma and degree levels at a private college in Miri,” she told StarMetro after receiving her certificate from Yahos Sdn Bhd in Kuching yesterday.
Graduation: Fatimah (right) presenting a certificate to Betty Laweng, 22, a Kenyah from Sungai Asap for completing the childcare-provider course.
Yahos Sdn Bhd is a training provider appointed by the Economic Planning Unit under the Prime Minister’s Department via the State Planning Unit under the Chief Minister’s Department to train students from minority ethnic groups in Sarawak.
Its skill-based Sijil Kemahiran Malaysia (SKM) courses are accredited by the Department of Skills Development.
A total of 113 students from 12 ethnic groups in the state joined the programme which had its first intake in July this year.
The ethnic groups they represent are Beketan, Berawan, Kayan, Kelabit, Kenyah, Kiput, Lahanan, Lun Bawang, Murut, Penan, Punan and Sekapan.
A total of 63 students took up the Automation Technician and Mechatronic Level 2 course while the remaining 50 took up the Childcare Provider Level 2 course.
Minister in the Chief Minister’s Department Datin Fatimah Abdullah, who officiated at the certificate presentation, said the courses were tailored to meet the needs of industries and the trainees should be able to find employment soon or further their education.
She said the state introduced SKM for the minority groups because of its inclusiveness policy to ensure no ethnic group was left out from the mainstream of development.
Earlier, Yahos Sdn Bhd managing director Natasha Nasa Douglas Uggah said a new course would be introduced next year namely Beautician and Aesthetician Level 1 and 2 to train students in make-up, facial treatment, pedicure, manicure, hair-do and daily operations of a beauty centre.
Another new course would be Culinary Level 1 and 2 to train students to prepare various local and international cuisines, she added.
Saturday December 11, 2010
113 students from 12 ethnic groups take part in skills training
By ZORA CHAN
zora@thestar.com.my
JOSEPHINE Bujang, 18, may be the only female trainee among 60 others in an automation technician course, but she is not someone who is easily overwhelmed.
Aspiring to be an engineer, this Berawan lass from Rumah Kajan Sijeh, Long Tru, in Tinjar, about four hours by express boat or car from Miri, said she did not take up a childcare-provider course like her peers as she wanted a more challenging career.
“I’m applying for scholarships to further my studies at diploma and degree levels at a private college in Miri,” she told StarMetro after receiving her certificate from Yahos Sdn Bhd in Kuching yesterday.
Graduation: Fatimah (right) presenting a certificate to Betty Laweng, 22, a Kenyah from Sungai Asap for completing the childcare-provider course.
Yahos Sdn Bhd is a training provider appointed by the Economic Planning Unit under the Prime Minister’s Department via the State Planning Unit under the Chief Minister’s Department to train students from minority ethnic groups in Sarawak.
Its skill-based Sijil Kemahiran Malaysia (SKM) courses are accredited by the Department of Skills Development.
A total of 113 students from 12 ethnic groups in the state joined the programme which had its first intake in July this year.
The ethnic groups they represent are Beketan, Berawan, Kayan, Kelabit, Kenyah, Kiput, Lahanan, Lun Bawang, Murut, Penan, Punan and Sekapan.
A total of 63 students took up the Automation Technician and Mechatronic Level 2 course while the remaining 50 took up the Childcare Provider Level 2 course.
Minister in the Chief Minister’s Department Datin Fatimah Abdullah, who officiated at the certificate presentation, said the courses were tailored to meet the needs of industries and the trainees should be able to find employment soon or further their education.
She said the state introduced SKM for the minority groups because of its inclusiveness policy to ensure no ethnic group was left out from the mainstream of development.
Earlier, Yahos Sdn Bhd managing director Natasha Nasa Douglas Uggah said a new course would be introduced next year namely Beautician and Aesthetician Level 1 and 2 to train students in make-up, facial treatment, pedicure, manicure, hair-do and daily operations of a beauty centre.
Another new course would be Culinary Level 1 and 2 to train students to prepare various local and international cuisines, she added.
Friday, December 10, 2010
Kafe Canaan promisi makanan eksotik
http://www.malaysiazoom.com/kafe-canaan-promosi-makanan-eksotik/
Kafe Canaan promosi makanan eksotik
Posted by admin on Dec 10, 2010
MIRI 10 Dis. – Suku kaum Kelabit dari tanah tinggi Bario sememangnya terkenal dengan sikap peramah dan lemah.
Namun, selain daripada sikap kaum itu kepada masyarakat luar, kesedapan makanan disajikan kepada tetamu juga sukar untuk dilupai sepanjang hayat.
Berteraskan sumber hutan, pelbagai jenis sayur-sayuran dan buah-buahan disajikan dalam daun dan buluh beserta nasi lembut yang berbungkus dengan daun.
Selain itu, hasil buruan seperti rusa, kijang atau pelanduk dan ikan dicampur dengan tumbuhan hutan lain juga dihidangkan di atas daun yang menjadikannya kelihatan cukup eksotik.
Namun tidak perlu bimbang, meskipun tidak berpeluang berkunjung ke Bario, hidangan eksotik Kelabit ini masih boleh dinikmati di Kafe Canaan yang terletak di Pusat Komersial Centre Point, Miri di sini.
Pemilik Kafe Canaan, Ranson Ballan berkata, kafe itu menyediakan 80 peratus hidangan tradisi kaum Kelabit antaranya hidangan wajib nubak layak (nasi yang dibungkus menggunakan sejenis daun), sayur-sayuran hutan seperti umbut, daun ubi, pucuk lemidin dan siput sungai.
Selain itu, beras Bario, pekasam dan kuih-muih yang diperbuat daripada beras pulut yang ditumbuk turut disajikan kepada pelanggan.
“Setiap hari, kita menyediakan kira-kira 13 hidangan termasuk daging ayam yang dimasak menggunakan buluh. Pengunjung boleh memilih untuk menikmati nasi Bario atau nubak layak,” kata Ballan kepada Utusan Malaysia, di sini semalam.
Mula beroperasi sejak lima tahun lalu, Kafe Canaan mendapat sambutan luar biasa daripada pengunjung termasuk pelancong dari Korea, Jepun, China, Eropah, Amerika Syarikat dan Australia.
“Tujuan kita ialah memperkenalkan hidangan yang diwarisi daripada nenek moyang kepada orang luar.
“Pada masa sama, kita mahu menyahut seruan kerajaan untuk menambah nilai komersial makanan tradisi tanpa menjejaskan keunikan makanan itu,” katanya.
Katanya, pengiktirafan Miri sebagai bandar raya lima tahun lalu telah memberi idea kepadanya untuk membuka premis makanan yang berbeza daripada yang lain.
Apatah lagi, dengan status sebagai bandar raya peranginan yang mempunyai hampir 30 suku kaum, Miri perlu menampilkan ciri-ciri keunikan itu melalui makanan tradisional.
Kata Ballan, pada masa itu, masih belum ramai di kalangan suku kaum di Miri menceburi bidang perniagaan makanan tradisi berbanding sekarang yang muncul ibarat cendawan tumbuh selepas hujan.
“Usaha ini sejajar dengan langkah kerajaan untuk menjadikan Miri sebagai syurga makanan di utara Sarawak,” katanya.
Menurutnya, dia tidak dapat melupakan pengalaman melihat pelanggan yang terdiri daripada pelancong asing menikmati nubak layak dengan pekasam di Kafe Canaan.
“Tidak semua orang pandai makan nubak layak apatah dengan pekasam yang rasa-rasanya masam dan masin. Justeru satu kepuasan apabila melihat kaum lain dapat menikmati hidangan kami dengan begitu berselera,” katanya.
Pengusaha kafe itu begitu puas kerana dapat mempromosi makanan eksotik Kelabit kepada pelancong luar.
Tambahnya, nubak layak amat sinonim dengan kaum Kelabit dan menjadi tradisi bagi kaum itu membawa nubak layak setiap kali pergi ke hutan atau huma.
Oleh kerana huma atau hutan terletak jauh dari rumah pada zaman dahulu, nenek moyang mereka membawa nasi bungkus yang sengaja dimasak dengan lembut.
“Dahulu mana ada bekas membawa sup. Justeru, nasi tersebut memang dimasak dengan air yang banyak agar ia lembut, mudah dimakan selain senang hadam,” katanya.
Katanya, nubak layak juga merupakan hidangan tradisi Orang Ulu seperti Kayan dan Lun Bawang.
“Apa yang membezakan ialah nubak layak Kelabit mempunyai tekstur yang lebih lembut berbanding nubak layak Kayan,” katanya.
Mungkin ramai yang tidak tahu walaupun kaum Kelabit terkenal dengan penanaman beras Bario, namun mereka menggunakan beras dari jenis lain untuk memasak nubak layak.
“Jangan terkejut jika berkunjung ke rumah panjang di Bario, kami tidak gunakan beras Bario untuk membuat nubak layak,” katanya.
Kata Ballan, beras Bario tidak sesuai dijadikan nubak layak sebaliknya lebih enak dinikmati dengan memasaknya seperti biasa.
Setiap hari, Kafe Canaan menyediakan sebanyak 100 bungkus nubak layak.
Melihat kepada sambutan baik, Ballan berharap dapat memperluaskan ruang perniagaannya memandangkan yang sedia ada tidak mencukupi untuk menampung jumlah pelanggan yang kian meningkat.
Seorang pelanggan, Sherman Meru Palong, 49, dari Lawas berkata, Kafe Canaan menyediakan makanan yang menepati selera orang kampung atau rumah panjang.
“Setiap hari menikmati hidangan di bandar bosan juga. Kita perlukan lebih banyak tempat makan seumpama ini, lagipun ia mendapat sambutan baik daripada orang ramai,” katanya.
Kafe Canaan dibuka mulai pukul 6 pagi hingga 3 petang setiap Isnin hingga Sabtu dan menyediakan hidangan sarapan pagi dan makan tengah hari.
Dipetik dari Utusan Malaysia
Saturday, December 4, 2010
On-board jumble sale and waterfront clean-up in Kuching
http://thestar.com.my/metro/story.asp?sec=sarawak&file=/2010/12/4/sarawak/7556424
Saturday December 4, 2010
On-board jumble sale and waterfront clean-up in Kuching
LAYAR Warisan Sdn Bhd and Backtoback Ideas will hold a jumble sale on board the Sarawak River Cruise and a joint exercise to clean up the Kuching Waterfront tomorrow.
Backtoback Ideas is a Malaysian events solution company while Layar Warisan is the owner of Sarawak River Cruise.
Layar Warisan managing director Fiona Marcus Raja said the proceeds from the events entitled Cash In On Cast-offs On Board and The Kuching Waterfront Clean-up will be donated to charitable organisations in Kuching and the Kelabit community in Bario.
The jumble sale would run from 9am to 3pm while the clean-up campaign would be from 3pm to 4pm, she added.
Several corporations are sponsoring the event while Sara Urusharta Sdn Bhd and Sarawak Economic Development Corporation will sponsor the use of the Waterfront Amphitheatre and volunteer manpower for the waterfront clean-up.
Saturday December 4, 2010
On-board jumble sale and waterfront clean-up in Kuching
LAYAR Warisan Sdn Bhd and Backtoback Ideas will hold a jumble sale on board the Sarawak River Cruise and a joint exercise to clean up the Kuching Waterfront tomorrow.
Backtoback Ideas is a Malaysian events solution company while Layar Warisan is the owner of Sarawak River Cruise.
Layar Warisan managing director Fiona Marcus Raja said the proceeds from the events entitled Cash In On Cast-offs On Board and The Kuching Waterfront Clean-up will be donated to charitable organisations in Kuching and the Kelabit community in Bario.
The jumble sale would run from 9am to 3pm while the clean-up campaign would be from 3pm to 4pm, she added.
Several corporations are sponsoring the event while Sara Urusharta Sdn Bhd and Sarawak Economic Development Corporation will sponsor the use of the Waterfront Amphitheatre and volunteer manpower for the waterfront clean-up.
Computer Constraint Behind Race Blunder
http://www.brudirect.com/index.php/The-Borneo-Post-Online/computer-constraint-behind-race-blunder.html
Computer Constraint Behind Race Blunder
Written by Peter Boon and Margaret Apau
Saturday, 04 December 2010 10:52
William Ghani Bina
Kuching: When parents receive their children's report cards, they're usually concerned over grades but last week, six parents were fretting over race when their children received their mid- and yearend report cards.
In a letter to Sarawak Teachers' Union (STU) president William Ghani Bina last week, the parents complained that their children's racial status had been changed from Lun Bawang, Kelabit and Iban to ‘Keturunan Melayu'.
When contacted yesterday regarding the race discrepancy in the six students' report cards, principal Robin Udau explained that the submission of the students as ‘Malay' was non-political, but a makeshift remedy to an administrative problem with the computer programme.
"Since the exam analysis software that we are using is from Johor, it only provides four columns for race: Malay, Chinese, Indian or Lain-Lain," he said.
Since ‘Lain-Lain' did not include non-Muslim Bumiputeras, the school put them under the Malay category for the MoE's statistical purposes.
"That way they can see how each race group fares academically. While the system give us an overview of individual student performance over the course of the year, it also can help us gauge the whole school's academic performance," he said, adding that information on the latter would be forwarded to the MoE.
The computer system has been used for a year now, over the course of which they usually revert back the student's race to the original denomination on the report card.
"Within our own school's registration system, students are registered according to their birth certificates," he assured, stressing that the information on the exam analysis programme would not change the information on the birth certificate.
Ghani took immediate action, meeting up with the deputy director of the State Education Department, Jaidah Alek to discuss the matter.
"On Thursday, I sought clarification from the director-general of education Datuk Ghafar Mahmud on the matter and was told that this was due to the results from the examination analysis system or Sistem Analisis Peperiksaan (SAP) sent by the examination unit of MoE," he said yesterday.
As such, parents need not be unduly worried over the matter as it would be amicably resolved soon, he assured, thanking parents for highlighting the matter.
"We respect Islam as the official religion of Malaysia and, in this country, all races live together harmoniously like brothers and sisters," Ghani noted, thanking Ghafar for his rapid response in the matter.
He appealed to the parents not to blame the school or teachers on this matter as rectifications were underway.
"But I do hope such things will not happen again and hope that MoE will be more careful in handling such matters in future," he said.
Nonetheless, he believed that some schools still face such problems.
"Check with STU or the department concerned," Ghani advised. -- Courtesy of The Borneo Post Online
Computer Constraint Behind Race Blunder
Written by Peter Boon and Margaret Apau
Saturday, 04 December 2010 10:52
William Ghani Bina
Kuching: When parents receive their children's report cards, they're usually concerned over grades but last week, six parents were fretting over race when their children received their mid- and yearend report cards.
In a letter to Sarawak Teachers' Union (STU) president William Ghani Bina last week, the parents complained that their children's racial status had been changed from Lun Bawang, Kelabit and Iban to ‘Keturunan Melayu'.
When contacted yesterday regarding the race discrepancy in the six students' report cards, principal Robin Udau explained that the submission of the students as ‘Malay' was non-political, but a makeshift remedy to an administrative problem with the computer programme.
"Since the exam analysis software that we are using is from Johor, it only provides four columns for race: Malay, Chinese, Indian or Lain-Lain," he said.
Since ‘Lain-Lain' did not include non-Muslim Bumiputeras, the school put them under the Malay category for the MoE's statistical purposes.
"That way they can see how each race group fares academically. While the system give us an overview of individual student performance over the course of the year, it also can help us gauge the whole school's academic performance," he said, adding that information on the latter would be forwarded to the MoE.
The computer system has been used for a year now, over the course of which they usually revert back the student's race to the original denomination on the report card.
"Within our own school's registration system, students are registered according to their birth certificates," he assured, stressing that the information on the exam analysis programme would not change the information on the birth certificate.
Ghani took immediate action, meeting up with the deputy director of the State Education Department, Jaidah Alek to discuss the matter.
"On Thursday, I sought clarification from the director-general of education Datuk Ghafar Mahmud on the matter and was told that this was due to the results from the examination analysis system or Sistem Analisis Peperiksaan (SAP) sent by the examination unit of MoE," he said yesterday.
As such, parents need not be unduly worried over the matter as it would be amicably resolved soon, he assured, thanking parents for highlighting the matter.
"We respect Islam as the official religion of Malaysia and, in this country, all races live together harmoniously like brothers and sisters," Ghani noted, thanking Ghafar for his rapid response in the matter.
He appealed to the parents not to blame the school or teachers on this matter as rectifications were underway.
"But I do hope such things will not happen again and hope that MoE will be more careful in handling such matters in future," he said.
Nonetheless, he believed that some schools still face such problems.
"Check with STU or the department concerned," Ghani advised. -- Courtesy of The Borneo Post Online
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
'Melayu' native kids: Ministry in the dark
http://freemalaysiatoday.com/fmt-english/politics/barisan-nasional/13584-melayu-native-kids-ministry-in-the-dark
'Melayu' native kids: Ministry in the dark .
Wed, 01 Dec 2010 14:17 . .
By Patrick Lee and Joseph Tawie
UPDATED KUALA LUMPUR: The Education Ministry is unaware that the race of indigenous children has been changed to Malay in their school report cards.
Deputy Education Minister Wee Ka Siong told FMT this was the first time he had heard of it.
He said the fault did not rest with his ministry, but the National Registration Department (NRD).
"It could not have happened under our education system, because the ministry follows the child's birth certificate,” he said.
“Any correction to this (a child's racial origin) must be done with the NRD, not us. This has nothing to do with the ministry. We have no right to say if you're Malay or Chinese. We've no right.
“As far as I know, a child is registered based on the birth certificate, which is downloaded, or based on the system,” he added.
Wee was commenting on a FMT report that native Sarawakian children were classified as Malays in their school report cards.
Sarawak PKR chief Baru Bian, who raised the issue, said these children were identified as "lain-lain" in the past.
One parent even told Bian that the status of his child could not be changed back as it was already set in the system.
Wee also said that it was possible that the information in the report cards was not official and that it could have been changed.
"The report card is not an official document, it is a book... So you can change it, but I think it's more to do with amending the information,” he said.
Sarawak Dayak Iban Association livid
Meanwhile, the Sarawak Dayak Iban Association (Sadia) said the act of altering the children's race was "unconstitutional and wrong".
Taking the Education Ministry to task, Sadia president Sidi Munan said: "The ministry should know about the implications of such an act. This is a sensitive issue and affects us.”
"They should just go back to the constitution. It clearly defines the natives of Sarawak," he added.
Expressing puzzlement over the matter, Sidi said he did not understand why this was being done.
"Have they misunderstood... are they thinking that ‘Keturunan Melayu’ is the same as the Malay stock?
“But that is not what we are talking about here. This document (report card) has nothing to do with anthropological definition of ‘Keturunan n Melayu’. It does not make sense,” he said.
“If he is Kelabit call him Kelabit. If he is Iban call him Iban (Sea Dayak), Bidayuh (Land Dayak), and so on. The word of the constitution is law. It is the supreme law of the land. How can you go against it?” he asked.
'Melayu' native kids: Ministry in the dark .
Wed, 01 Dec 2010 14:17 . .
By Patrick Lee and Joseph Tawie
UPDATED KUALA LUMPUR: The Education Ministry is unaware that the race of indigenous children has been changed to Malay in their school report cards.
Deputy Education Minister Wee Ka Siong told FMT this was the first time he had heard of it.
He said the fault did not rest with his ministry, but the National Registration Department (NRD).
"It could not have happened under our education system, because the ministry follows the child's birth certificate,” he said.
“Any correction to this (a child's racial origin) must be done with the NRD, not us. This has nothing to do with the ministry. We have no right to say if you're Malay or Chinese. We've no right.
“As far as I know, a child is registered based on the birth certificate, which is downloaded, or based on the system,” he added.
Wee was commenting on a FMT report that native Sarawakian children were classified as Malays in their school report cards.
Sarawak PKR chief Baru Bian, who raised the issue, said these children were identified as "lain-lain" in the past.
One parent even told Bian that the status of his child could not be changed back as it was already set in the system.
Wee also said that it was possible that the information in the report cards was not official and that it could have been changed.
"The report card is not an official document, it is a book... So you can change it, but I think it's more to do with amending the information,” he said.
Sarawak Dayak Iban Association livid
Meanwhile, the Sarawak Dayak Iban Association (Sadia) said the act of altering the children's race was "unconstitutional and wrong".
Taking the Education Ministry to task, Sadia president Sidi Munan said: "The ministry should know about the implications of such an act. This is a sensitive issue and affects us.”
"They should just go back to the constitution. It clearly defines the natives of Sarawak," he added.
Expressing puzzlement over the matter, Sidi said he did not understand why this was being done.
"Have they misunderstood... are they thinking that ‘Keturunan Melayu’ is the same as the Malay stock?
“But that is not what we are talking about here. This document (report card) has nothing to do with anthropological definition of ‘Keturunan n Melayu’. It does not make sense,” he said.
“If he is Kelabit call him Kelabit. If he is Iban call him Iban (Sea Dayak), Bidayuh (Land Dayak), and so on. The word of the constitution is law. It is the supreme law of the land. How can you go against it?” he asked.
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
Six native students' race changed to Malay, raises fear among parents
http://www.malaysianmirror.com/media-buzz-detail/139-sarawak/50829-six-native-students-race-changed-to-malay-raises-fear-among-parents
Six native students' race changed to Malay, raises fear among parents 38
Share
Chris Reubens
Tuesday, 30 November 2010 18:20
KUCHING - A group of parents who received their children’s report cards were shocked to find that their native children of Lun Bawang, Kelabit, Iban have been changed to 'Keturunan Melayu' instead of the usual lain-lain.
Parents of six students have jointly wrote a letter to the President of Sarawak Teachers Union, William Ghani Bina about the issue stating that the students' official religion is Christian and that they consume pork on a daily basis.
According to State PKR Chief Baru Bian, a father has also refused to sign his son’s report card unless the school reverts the son's official status from 'Malay' to 'Others'.
Baru Bian said based from the complainants' report cards, the matter appeared to have come from the one school in Miri.
“The school is in the Miri city vicinity. I believed that there could be other cases from the phone calls I have received. I have asked all parents to check their children’s report cards and provide proof,” he said.
Baru Bian said he wanted the Education Ministry to investigate the matter immediately and revert back the original status of the students.
He also asked why native students of Dayak origins should be called Melayu or Malay in schools now.
“If we look at the Constitution of Malaysia, the Malay race or Melayu under Article 160 is clearly defined as a person who professes the religion of Islam, habitually speaks the Malay language, conforms to Malay custom and was before Merdeka Day born in the Federation or in Singapore or born of parents one of whom was born in the Federation or in Singapore, or is on that day domiciled in the Federation or in Singapore," he said.
Furthermore, the Federal Constitution also clearly defines what constitutes a "native": a person who is a citizen and either belongs to one of the races specified in Clause (7) as indigenous to the State or is of mixed blood deriving exclusively from those races; and in relation to Sabah, a person who is a citizen, is the child or grandchild of a person of a race indigenous to Sabah, and was born (whether on or after Malaysia Day or not) either in Sabah or to a father domiciled in Sabah at the time of the birth.
Clause (7) states that the races to be treated for the purposes of the definition of "native" in Clause (6) as indigenous to Sarawak are the Bukitans, Bisayahs, Dusuns, Sea Dayaks, Land Dayaks, Kadayans, Kalabit, Kayans, Kenyahs (Including Sabups and Sipengs), Kajangs (including Sekapans, Kejamans, Lahanans, Punans, Tanjongs and Kanowits), Lugats, Lisums, Malays, Melanos, Muruts, Penans, Sians, Tagals, Tabuns and Ukits,” he said.
Baru Bian said one parent went to the school to complain but was told that the status cannot be changed as it was already in the system and the education officer in-charge was not able to make the changes.
“We echo the concerns of these parents because it has great implications in the future. If such status is not clarified and maintained, it can be implied that a native person, once he or she is classified as a MALAY in official school documents, is a MUSLIM by virtue of the definition of Article 160,” he added.
When contacted by MM, the President of Sarawak Teachers Union William Ghani Bina confirmed that he has received a complaint letter recently and has discussed the matter with the Sarawak Deputy Director of Education.
He said the matter is serious as it could cause a lot of misunderstanding: “If you call these students Malays, but they consume non-halal food in public, it is offending the Malay and Islam. And with Christmas coming along, it is not right. These children are church goers but will be celebrating their Christmas under the Malay status,” he stressed.
“We respect the Malay and we also want to be respected and be known by our own race and dialects,” he added.
According to William, it was found that it was neither the fault of the teachers nor the schools concerned but it was a directive from the Education Exam Division of the Ministry.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Six native students' race changed to Malay, raises fear among parents 38
Share
Chris Reubens
Tuesday, 30 November 2010 18:20
KUCHING - A group of parents who received their children’s report cards were shocked to find that their native children of Lun Bawang, Kelabit, Iban have been changed to 'Keturunan Melayu' instead of the usual lain-lain.
Parents of six students have jointly wrote a letter to the President of Sarawak Teachers Union, William Ghani Bina about the issue stating that the students' official religion is Christian and that they consume pork on a daily basis.
According to State PKR Chief Baru Bian, a father has also refused to sign his son’s report card unless the school reverts the son's official status from 'Malay' to 'Others'.
Baru Bian said based from the complainants' report cards, the matter appeared to have come from the one school in Miri.
“The school is in the Miri city vicinity. I believed that there could be other cases from the phone calls I have received. I have asked all parents to check their children’s report cards and provide proof,” he said.
Baru Bian said he wanted the Education Ministry to investigate the matter immediately and revert back the original status of the students.
He also asked why native students of Dayak origins should be called Melayu or Malay in schools now.
“If we look at the Constitution of Malaysia, the Malay race or Melayu under Article 160 is clearly defined as a person who professes the religion of Islam, habitually speaks the Malay language, conforms to Malay custom and was before Merdeka Day born in the Federation or in Singapore or born of parents one of whom was born in the Federation or in Singapore, or is on that day domiciled in the Federation or in Singapore," he said.
Furthermore, the Federal Constitution also clearly defines what constitutes a "native": a person who is a citizen and either belongs to one of the races specified in Clause (7) as indigenous to the State or is of mixed blood deriving exclusively from those races; and in relation to Sabah, a person who is a citizen, is the child or grandchild of a person of a race indigenous to Sabah, and was born (whether on or after Malaysia Day or not) either in Sabah or to a father domiciled in Sabah at the time of the birth.
Clause (7) states that the races to be treated for the purposes of the definition of "native" in Clause (6) as indigenous to Sarawak are the Bukitans, Bisayahs, Dusuns, Sea Dayaks, Land Dayaks, Kadayans, Kalabit, Kayans, Kenyahs (Including Sabups and Sipengs), Kajangs (including Sekapans, Kejamans, Lahanans, Punans, Tanjongs and Kanowits), Lugats, Lisums, Malays, Melanos, Muruts, Penans, Sians, Tagals, Tabuns and Ukits,” he said.
Baru Bian said one parent went to the school to complain but was told that the status cannot be changed as it was already in the system and the education officer in-charge was not able to make the changes.
“We echo the concerns of these parents because it has great implications in the future. If such status is not clarified and maintained, it can be implied that a native person, once he or she is classified as a MALAY in official school documents, is a MUSLIM by virtue of the definition of Article 160,” he added.
When contacted by MM, the President of Sarawak Teachers Union William Ghani Bina confirmed that he has received a complaint letter recently and has discussed the matter with the Sarawak Deputy Director of Education.
He said the matter is serious as it could cause a lot of misunderstanding: “If you call these students Malays, but they consume non-halal food in public, it is offending the Malay and Islam. And with Christmas coming along, it is not right. These children are church goers but will be celebrating their Christmas under the Malay status,” he stressed.
“We respect the Malay and we also want to be respected and be known by our own race and dialects,” he added.
According to William, it was found that it was neither the fault of the teachers nor the schools concerned but it was a directive from the Education Exam Division of the Ministry.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Native kids being classified as 'Melayu'
http://freemalaysiatoday.com/fmt-english/politics/sabah-and-sarawak/13539-native-kids-being-classified-as-melayu
Native kids being classified as 'Melayu'
Tue, 30 Nove 2010 16:38
By Joseph Tawie
KUCHING: Sarawak PKR chief Baru Bian has received complaints from native parents about their children being classified as Malays in their school report cards.
According to him, the children's “keturunan” (origin) were stated as “Melayu” instead of “Lain-Lain” (others) as practiced in the past.
“We were informed by one parent that the status cannot be changed (back) because it was already within the system and the education officer was not able to make the changes,” he said.
Sarawak PKR was also furnished with a copy of a letter inked by six concerned parents which was sent to the state teachers' union president seeking a clarification on the matter.
“We echo the concerns of these parents because it has great implications in the future,” said Baru.
“If the status is not clarified and maintained, it can be implied that a native person, once he or she is classified as a Malay in official school documents, is a Muslim by virtue of the definition of Article 160 (of the Federal Constitution),” he added.
Article 160 states that “a Malay means a person who professes the religion of Islam, habitually speaks the Malay language, conforms to Malay custom...”
Whereas, Article 161 on natives states that “in relation to Sarawak, a person who is a citizen and either belongs to one of the races specified in Clause (7) as indigenous to the state or is of mixed blood deriving exclusively from those races; and...”
“The races to be treated for the purposes of the definition of 'native' as indigenous to Sarawak are the Bukitans, Bisayahs, Dusuns, Sea Dayaks, Land Dayaks, Kadayans, Kalabit, Kayans, Kenyahs (Including Sabups and Sipengs), Kajangs (including Sekapans, Kejamans, Lahanans, Punans, Tanjongs and Kanowits), Lugats, Lisums, Malays, Melanos, Muruts, Penans, Sians, Tagals, Tabuns and Ukits.”
Meanwhile, Baru demanded that the Education Ministry launch an immediate investigation into the matter and provide an explanation.
“We are afraid that this may just be the tip of the iceberg and we would like to alert other native parents to check the status of their children before the matter becomes irreversible,” he said.
Union to raise it with ministry
When contacted, the president of Sarawak teachers' union, William Ghani Bina said he had taken up the issue to the state deputy director of education.
“And I am going to Kuala Lumpur and on Thursday, I will discuss it with the Director-General of Education,” he said.
“For you and I this is very bad. How can a Malay go to church? How can a Malay celebrate Christmas? How can a Malay celebrate Gawai?” he asked.
He added that these children and their families ate pork as well.
“How can they be of keturunan Melayu?”
He also noted that while the documents of the children indicated that they were 'Melayu', their birth certificates clearly showed that their parents were 'Christians' (see photos).
The children go to the Temenggong Datuk Muip school in Miri.
Native kids being classified as 'Melayu'
Tue, 30 Nove 2010 16:38
By Joseph Tawie
KUCHING: Sarawak PKR chief Baru Bian has received complaints from native parents about their children being classified as Malays in their school report cards.
According to him, the children's “keturunan” (origin) were stated as “Melayu” instead of “Lain-Lain” (others) as practiced in the past.
“We were informed by one parent that the status cannot be changed (back) because it was already within the system and the education officer was not able to make the changes,” he said.
Sarawak PKR was also furnished with a copy of a letter inked by six concerned parents which was sent to the state teachers' union president seeking a clarification on the matter.
“We echo the concerns of these parents because it has great implications in the future,” said Baru.
“If the status is not clarified and maintained, it can be implied that a native person, once he or she is classified as a Malay in official school documents, is a Muslim by virtue of the definition of Article 160 (of the Federal Constitution),” he added.
Article 160 states that “a Malay means a person who professes the religion of Islam, habitually speaks the Malay language, conforms to Malay custom...”
Whereas, Article 161 on natives states that “in relation to Sarawak, a person who is a citizen and either belongs to one of the races specified in Clause (7) as indigenous to the state or is of mixed blood deriving exclusively from those races; and...”
“The races to be treated for the purposes of the definition of 'native' as indigenous to Sarawak are the Bukitans, Bisayahs, Dusuns, Sea Dayaks, Land Dayaks, Kadayans, Kalabit, Kayans, Kenyahs (Including Sabups and Sipengs), Kajangs (including Sekapans, Kejamans, Lahanans, Punans, Tanjongs and Kanowits), Lugats, Lisums, Malays, Melanos, Muruts, Penans, Sians, Tagals, Tabuns and Ukits.”
Meanwhile, Baru demanded that the Education Ministry launch an immediate investigation into the matter and provide an explanation.
“We are afraid that this may just be the tip of the iceberg and we would like to alert other native parents to check the status of their children before the matter becomes irreversible,” he said.
Union to raise it with ministry
When contacted, the president of Sarawak teachers' union, William Ghani Bina said he had taken up the issue to the state deputy director of education.
“And I am going to Kuala Lumpur and on Thursday, I will discuss it with the Director-General of Education,” he said.
“For you and I this is very bad. How can a Malay go to church? How can a Malay celebrate Christmas? How can a Malay celebrate Gawai?” he asked.
He added that these children and their families ate pork as well.
“How can they be of keturunan Melayu?”
He also noted that while the documents of the children indicated that they were 'Melayu', their birth certificates clearly showed that their parents were 'Christians' (see photos).
The children go to the Temenggong Datuk Muip school in Miri.
Friday, November 19, 2010
Beads symbol of status to Kelabits
http://tribune.my/prime/4635-beads-symbol-of-status-to-kelabits.html
Beads symbol of status to Kelabits
Friday, 19 November 2010 15:07
Zainon Talip
MIRI: Since time immemorial, beads have become a symbol of luxury and status.
“For this reason, they (beads) are considered very precious and handed down from generation to generation,” said Minister of Tourism and Heritage, Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Dr George Chan Hong Nam who is also the Deputy Chief Minister.
Dr Chan said this when officiating at the opening of ‘Our Mothers’ Beads programme organised by the Sarawak Rurum Kelabit here last Wednesday night.
He added that among the beads preferred by the Kelabit community were the light blue glass beads, red gem stones beads and orange and dark brown bone beads.
“Beads are believed to be older than human civilization and the earliest beads were made from seashells, animal teeth, and fruit seeds, stringed up with ropes,” he said.
Dr Chan however disclosed that the most precious beads were the ‘largesized’ blue to pale greenish and dark blue glass beads.
“The blue glass beads are about half an inch long and a quarter inch wide,” he said.
Dr Chan also disclosed that beads had also been used as a form of currency, wedding gifts and personal adornment.
Meanwhile, Chairman of Rurum Kelabit Sarawak Miri Branch, Datin Sri Mariam Balan said that over 20 years ago, the Kelabit community was worried with the influx of fake beads which are widely sold in the local market.
“We should be proud that we can have ‘Ba’o Kelabit Rawir’ (hat beads) and Bane Alai (chain) made from original beads,” she said.
Mariam, however, also acknowledged that the arrival of the fake beads was giving them the opportunity to promote their customs and jewelries.
Among those present at the function were Assistant Minister of Communication and Sports Datuk Lee Kim Shin, Patron of “Our Mothers’ Beads” Datuk Lorna Enan Mullon, Deputy State Secretary Datu Ose Muran, President Rurum Kelabit Sarawak Gerawat Gala and Telang Usan assemblyman Lihan Jok.
Beads symbol of status to Kelabits
Friday, 19 November 2010 15:07
Zainon Talip
MIRI: Since time immemorial, beads have become a symbol of luxury and status.
“For this reason, they (beads) are considered very precious and handed down from generation to generation,” said Minister of Tourism and Heritage, Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Dr George Chan Hong Nam who is also the Deputy Chief Minister.
Dr Chan said this when officiating at the opening of ‘Our Mothers’ Beads programme organised by the Sarawak Rurum Kelabit here last Wednesday night.
He added that among the beads preferred by the Kelabit community were the light blue glass beads, red gem stones beads and orange and dark brown bone beads.
“Beads are believed to be older than human civilization and the earliest beads were made from seashells, animal teeth, and fruit seeds, stringed up with ropes,” he said.
Dr Chan however disclosed that the most precious beads were the ‘largesized’ blue to pale greenish and dark blue glass beads.
“The blue glass beads are about half an inch long and a quarter inch wide,” he said.
Dr Chan also disclosed that beads had also been used as a form of currency, wedding gifts and personal adornment.
Meanwhile, Chairman of Rurum Kelabit Sarawak Miri Branch, Datin Sri Mariam Balan said that over 20 years ago, the Kelabit community was worried with the influx of fake beads which are widely sold in the local market.
“We should be proud that we can have ‘Ba’o Kelabit Rawir’ (hat beads) and Bane Alai (chain) made from original beads,” she said.
Mariam, however, also acknowledged that the arrival of the fake beads was giving them the opportunity to promote their customs and jewelries.
Among those present at the function were Assistant Minister of Communication and Sports Datuk Lee Kim Shin, Patron of “Our Mothers’ Beads” Datuk Lorna Enan Mullon, Deputy State Secretary Datu Ose Muran, President Rurum Kelabit Sarawak Gerawat Gala and Telang Usan assemblyman Lihan Jok.
Praise for bead-ownership certification
http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2010/11/19/sarawak/7458166&sec=sarawak
Friday November 19, 2010
Praise for bead-ownership certification
By DIANA ROSE
drose@thestar.com.my
THE pioneering effort of the Kelabit community of Bario Highlands to authenticate their bead collection as treasured heirloom with the issuance of ownership certificates deserves praise and should be emulated by other communities.
Deputy Chief Minister Tan Sri Dr George Chan said that beads were considered as among mankind’s most durable ornaments.
“One can say that beads belonging to a particular community mirror the culture of that community. They tell us a great deal about the social, political, economic and religious lives of the community concerned.
“It is indeed an appropriate move to preserve the heirlooms as part of the community’s material cultural heritage,” he said at the launch of the Kelabit Beads Certification ceremony organised by the Beads’ Committee of the Wanita Rurum Kelabit Sarawak in Miri on Wednesday night.
About 30 mothers from the highlands received beads ownership certificates from Dr Chan at the event themed Celebrating Our Mothers Beads of which Datuk Lorna Enan Muloon was the patron.
At the event, Dr Chan was officially accepted as a member of the Kelabit community after he was garlanded with a priceless Kelabit bane (bead necklace) and given the name Mayung Balang, meaning Tiger Slayer in the Kelabit dialect.
At the event, he reiterated his suggestion to Sarawak Museum to look into the setting up of a mini beads showcase area in Miri.
Meanwhile, Lorna, in her message in the souvenir programme for the event, said that beads were highly-valued heirlooms and heritage of Sarawak’s indigenous people who were regarded as the bead experts of Borneo.
On the ownership certification, she hoped it would assist in efforts to promote the beads of Sarawak in Malaysia and the rest of the world.
More than 500 guests attended the event.
Adding merriment was a fashion show displaying ways to accessorise beads and a performance by upcoming Kelabit singers Sharon Lugun and Sarah Gala.
The event’s organising chairperson Lucy Bulan, who is also the Wanita Rurum Kelabit Sarawak deputy chairperson, briefed the diners on the types of beads of the Kelabit community.
Friday November 19, 2010
Praise for bead-ownership certification
By DIANA ROSE
drose@thestar.com.my
THE pioneering effort of the Kelabit community of Bario Highlands to authenticate their bead collection as treasured heirloom with the issuance of ownership certificates deserves praise and should be emulated by other communities.
Deputy Chief Minister Tan Sri Dr George Chan said that beads were considered as among mankind’s most durable ornaments.
“One can say that beads belonging to a particular community mirror the culture of that community. They tell us a great deal about the social, political, economic and religious lives of the community concerned.
“It is indeed an appropriate move to preserve the heirlooms as part of the community’s material cultural heritage,” he said at the launch of the Kelabit Beads Certification ceremony organised by the Beads’ Committee of the Wanita Rurum Kelabit Sarawak in Miri on Wednesday night.
About 30 mothers from the highlands received beads ownership certificates from Dr Chan at the event themed Celebrating Our Mothers Beads of which Datuk Lorna Enan Muloon was the patron.
At the event, Dr Chan was officially accepted as a member of the Kelabit community after he was garlanded with a priceless Kelabit bane (bead necklace) and given the name Mayung Balang, meaning Tiger Slayer in the Kelabit dialect.
At the event, he reiterated his suggestion to Sarawak Museum to look into the setting up of a mini beads showcase area in Miri.
Meanwhile, Lorna, in her message in the souvenir programme for the event, said that beads were highly-valued heirlooms and heritage of Sarawak’s indigenous people who were regarded as the bead experts of Borneo.
On the ownership certification, she hoped it would assist in efforts to promote the beads of Sarawak in Malaysia and the rest of the world.
More than 500 guests attended the event.
Adding merriment was a fashion show displaying ways to accessorise beads and a performance by upcoming Kelabit singers Sharon Lugun and Sarah Gala.
The event’s organising chairperson Lucy Bulan, who is also the Wanita Rurum Kelabit Sarawak deputy chairperson, briefed the diners on the types of beads of the Kelabit community.
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
Assemblyman on 3-day visit to rural communities
http://tribune.my/home/4563-assemblyman-on-3-day-visit-to-rural-communities.html
Assemblyman on 3-day visit to rural communities
Tuesday, 16 November 2010 13:43
BARIO: The people of Pa’ Longan still believe that the Barisan Nasional (BN) government is the ‘agent of change’ that will bring development to their area, despite the long wait for the road network from here to their respective places.
Speaking at a press conference here yesterday, State assemblyman for Ba’Kelalan Nelson Balang Rining said that Pa’ Longan, which was one of the areas listed in the Ba’Kelalan constituency, was the only place that did not have a road connection to Bario.
“It is the only village not reachable by road,” he said, adding that the people of Pa’ Longan had been waiting for the road connection for a long time.
Nelson said the people there also need urgent assistance from the government to replace their old water pipes which has been in use since the 1970s.
According to him, the people in the surrounding areas such as Pa’ Daleh and Pa’ Mada had also requested for their old water pipes to be replaced.
Nelson disclosed that 300 Penans from Pa’ Tik, Long Lubang and Long Medamut have requested the National Registration Department’s Mobile Team to come to their villages for the purpose of registration for personal documents.
He said the people from the vicinity had also requested for housing loans to build longhouses, as well as for electricity supply.
Regarding the e-Kasih system which was requested by the community, he said that he will submit the names of the applicants as soon as possible for further action.
Nelson was on a 3-day working visit to the area last week together with Miri Deputy Resident, Emang Oyo Emang.
During the visit, he and his team went to several areas including Pa’ Longan, Pa’ Daleh and Pa’ Tik.
Assemblyman on 3-day visit to rural communities
Tuesday, 16 November 2010 13:43
BARIO: The people of Pa’ Longan still believe that the Barisan Nasional (BN) government is the ‘agent of change’ that will bring development to their area, despite the long wait for the road network from here to their respective places.
Speaking at a press conference here yesterday, State assemblyman for Ba’Kelalan Nelson Balang Rining said that Pa’ Longan, which was one of the areas listed in the Ba’Kelalan constituency, was the only place that did not have a road connection to Bario.
“It is the only village not reachable by road,” he said, adding that the people of Pa’ Longan had been waiting for the road connection for a long time.
Nelson said the people there also need urgent assistance from the government to replace their old water pipes which has been in use since the 1970s.
According to him, the people in the surrounding areas such as Pa’ Daleh and Pa’ Mada had also requested for their old water pipes to be replaced.
Nelson disclosed that 300 Penans from Pa’ Tik, Long Lubang and Long Medamut have requested the National Registration Department’s Mobile Team to come to their villages for the purpose of registration for personal documents.
He said the people from the vicinity had also requested for housing loans to build longhouses, as well as for electricity supply.
Regarding the e-Kasih system which was requested by the community, he said that he will submit the names of the applicants as soon as possible for further action.
Nelson was on a 3-day working visit to the area last week together with Miri Deputy Resident, Emang Oyo Emang.
During the visit, he and his team went to several areas including Pa’ Longan, Pa’ Daleh and Pa’ Tik.
Launching of Certification System for Kelabit beads
http://tribune.my/home/4564-launching-of-certification-system-for-kelabit-beads.html
Launching of Certification System for Kelabit beads
Tuesday, 16 November 2010 13:43
KUCHING: The Wanita Rurum Kelabit Sarawak (WRKS) Beads Committee is launching the Certification of Kelabit beads at the Eastwood Valley Golf and Country Club in Miri on 17 November 2010.
Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Dr George Chan, who is also Minister of Tourism and Heritage, will be officiating at the launching.
The aim of the event themed “Celebrating Our Mothers’ Beads” is to protect the identity and value of the Kelabit community’s heirloom beads which had been passed down the generations.
The traditional beads have always been regarded as an expression of wealth, artistry and deep tradition among the community and therefore, unless the origins and authenticity of the traditional beads can be protected through a registry and certification system as initiated by the WRKS Beads Committee, their real values will not be understood or appreciated by future generations.
According to Lucy Bulan, Organising Chairperson of the event and Deputy Chairperson of the WRKS Beads’ Committee, beads to the Kelabit, as it is to some of the other Orang Ulu communities, were equivalent to currency as well as symbols of wealth, power and beauty.
“There used to be so few antique beads in the community that everyone knew exactly which family had what type of beads, and how many.
They used to be confined only to the ‘noble’ families”, said Lucy.
She added that with the influx of almost exact replicas of the beads that the Kelabit valued so much, which were brought in by Indonesian traders some years ago, everyone could own a “peta b’ao rawir” beadcap or the precious “alai beads”. The Kelabit identity is so entwined in the use of these beads that these new arrivals became real blessings to everyone.
“However, the experienced eye would always be able to tell the antique from the replica. Not only that, they could trace the history of the beads.
“To ensure that these antique beads remain antique and their value preserved, Rurum Kelabit Sarawak Women’s Unit had for some years now been proposing that authenticity certificates be given to the owners. It is for this reason that this event has been organised”, said Lucy.
The members of this Committee comprise appointed elders from the community who are knowledgeable about the history and authenticity of the antique beads, as well as representatives from community leaders such as the Pemancas and Penghulus.
“The registration and certification is on a voluntary basis and we encourage those families with antique beads to come forward to have their beads certified by the Committee, so as to preserve the value of their beads and to control and minimise the passing of new and fake beads as heirlooms or antique beads”, said Datin Sri Mariam Balan, the Chairperson of Wanita RKS Beads Committee who is also Advisor to the event’s Organising Committee and Wanita RKS.
Launching of Certification System for Kelabit beads
Tuesday, 16 November 2010 13:43
KUCHING: The Wanita Rurum Kelabit Sarawak (WRKS) Beads Committee is launching the Certification of Kelabit beads at the Eastwood Valley Golf and Country Club in Miri on 17 November 2010.
Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Dr George Chan, who is also Minister of Tourism and Heritage, will be officiating at the launching.
The aim of the event themed “Celebrating Our Mothers’ Beads” is to protect the identity and value of the Kelabit community’s heirloom beads which had been passed down the generations.
The traditional beads have always been regarded as an expression of wealth, artistry and deep tradition among the community and therefore, unless the origins and authenticity of the traditional beads can be protected through a registry and certification system as initiated by the WRKS Beads Committee, their real values will not be understood or appreciated by future generations.
According to Lucy Bulan, Organising Chairperson of the event and Deputy Chairperson of the WRKS Beads’ Committee, beads to the Kelabit, as it is to some of the other Orang Ulu communities, were equivalent to currency as well as symbols of wealth, power and beauty.
“There used to be so few antique beads in the community that everyone knew exactly which family had what type of beads, and how many.
They used to be confined only to the ‘noble’ families”, said Lucy.
She added that with the influx of almost exact replicas of the beads that the Kelabit valued so much, which were brought in by Indonesian traders some years ago, everyone could own a “peta b’ao rawir” beadcap or the precious “alai beads”. The Kelabit identity is so entwined in the use of these beads that these new arrivals became real blessings to everyone.
“However, the experienced eye would always be able to tell the antique from the replica. Not only that, they could trace the history of the beads.
“To ensure that these antique beads remain antique and their value preserved, Rurum Kelabit Sarawak Women’s Unit had for some years now been proposing that authenticity certificates be given to the owners. It is for this reason that this event has been organised”, said Lucy.
The members of this Committee comprise appointed elders from the community who are knowledgeable about the history and authenticity of the antique beads, as well as representatives from community leaders such as the Pemancas and Penghulus.
“The registration and certification is on a voluntary basis and we encourage those families with antique beads to come forward to have their beads certified by the Committee, so as to preserve the value of their beads and to control and minimise the passing of new and fake beads as heirlooms or antique beads”, said Datin Sri Mariam Balan, the Chairperson of Wanita RKS Beads Committee who is also Advisor to the event’s Organising Committee and Wanita RKS.
Saturday, November 13, 2010
Rurum Lun Bawang and Rurum Kelabit Christmas Dinner
http://tribune.my/home/4496-rurum-lun-bawang-and-rurum-kelabit-christmas-dinner.html
Rurum Lun Bawang and Rurum Kelabit Christmas Dinner
Saturday, 13 November 2010 16:27
KUCHING: The Rurum Lun Bawang & Rurum Kelabit Kuching Branches will be holding their Christmas Service and Dinner on December 3 and 4 at Kuching Evangelical Church here (SIB Iris Garden) starting at 7.30 pm.
According to the Chairman of the dinner’s Organising Committee, Richard Labung Ganang,the main aim of the event is to help keep alive the traditions of the two highlanders communities, which includes remembering what God had done in transforming their lives and also to let the younger generation continue the noble practice of fellowship and thanksgiving.
His sentiments were shared by Caroline Agan, the Vice Chairperson of Rurum Kelabit Sarawak.
The guest speaker at the Christmas Service shall be Rev Danil Raut, President of SIB Semananjung Malaysia. All the members of the Kelabit and Lun Bawang Community in and around Kuching are cordially invited. Others who can understand the Lun Bawang & Kelabit dialects are also welcome to join in the service.
Meanwhile, the Christmas Dinner on December 4 is open to members of the two associations and their friends. Tickets for the dinner are now on sale.
Please contact the following persons for further details: Ennis (013-8119545) and Margaret (013- 8026826) from Rurum Kelabit Association: Rose Pengiran (016- 8977775) and Floria Apak (013- 5707438) from the Rurum Lun Bawang Sarawak.
The Lun Bawang and Rurum Kelabit’s very own live band will be performing songs in Lun Bawang and Kelabit at the dinner, to bring cheers and add to the mood for the Christmas season.
Rurum Lun Bawang and Rurum Kelabit Christmas Dinner
Saturday, 13 November 2010 16:27
KUCHING: The Rurum Lun Bawang & Rurum Kelabit Kuching Branches will be holding their Christmas Service and Dinner on December 3 and 4 at Kuching Evangelical Church here (SIB Iris Garden) starting at 7.30 pm.
According to the Chairman of the dinner’s Organising Committee, Richard Labung Ganang,the main aim of the event is to help keep alive the traditions of the two highlanders communities, which includes remembering what God had done in transforming their lives and also to let the younger generation continue the noble practice of fellowship and thanksgiving.
His sentiments were shared by Caroline Agan, the Vice Chairperson of Rurum Kelabit Sarawak.
The guest speaker at the Christmas Service shall be Rev Danil Raut, President of SIB Semananjung Malaysia. All the members of the Kelabit and Lun Bawang Community in and around Kuching are cordially invited. Others who can understand the Lun Bawang & Kelabit dialects are also welcome to join in the service.
Meanwhile, the Christmas Dinner on December 4 is open to members of the two associations and their friends. Tickets for the dinner are now on sale.
Please contact the following persons for further details: Ennis (013-8119545) and Margaret (013- 8026826) from Rurum Kelabit Association: Rose Pengiran (016- 8977775) and Floria Apak (013- 5707438) from the Rurum Lun Bawang Sarawak.
The Lun Bawang and Rurum Kelabit’s very own live band will be performing songs in Lun Bawang and Kelabit at the dinner, to bring cheers and add to the mood for the Christmas season.
Thursday, November 11, 2010
No plan by MARDI to set up research station in Bario
http://tribune.my/prime/4448-no-plan-by-mardi-to-set-up-research-station-in-bario.html
No plan by MARDI to set up research station in Bario
Thursday, 11 November 2010 15:41
THE Malaysian Agricultural Research and Development Institute (MARDI) does not have any plan to set up a research station in Bario, said Minister of Modernisation of Agriculture, Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Alfred Jabu Numpang.
“Nevertheless, MARDI and Department of Agriculture (DOA) will collaborate to undertake appropriate research on selected highland crops,” said Jabu in response to Nelson Baling Rining (BN-Ba’ Kelalan) in his winding up speech at the DUN sitting yesterday.
Jabu told Balang, who had suggested for more than one crop of Bario rice per year, that Bario rice or Padi Adan was a traditional rice variety that matured in six months and was sensitive to changes in day length.
“Thus, it is not likely that we can grow Bario rice variety twice a year or five times in two years,” he said.
Responding to Frederick Bayo Manggie (BN-Kedup) on the ineffectiveness of the ‘penanaman berkelompok’ concept, Jabu said that one of the reasons why this approach was not implemented fully in certain areas was because many of rural farmers were dependent on subsidies to start the project.
“With limited budget given to the Agriculture Department for subsidies, it is unavoidable that some areas will have to wait longer for such projects to be implemented,” he said, adding that the real issue was not ineffectiveness of the concept but rather fund constraint, which could delay the implementation of such project in Kedup.
He also said that the Ministry would consider the request for an aquaculture project at Batang Ai hydro dam as suggested by Malcom Mussen Lamoh (BNBatang Ai).
No plan by MARDI to set up research station in Bario
Thursday, 11 November 2010 15:41
THE Malaysian Agricultural Research and Development Institute (MARDI) does not have any plan to set up a research station in Bario, said Minister of Modernisation of Agriculture, Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Alfred Jabu Numpang.
“Nevertheless, MARDI and Department of Agriculture (DOA) will collaborate to undertake appropriate research on selected highland crops,” said Jabu in response to Nelson Baling Rining (BN-Ba’ Kelalan) in his winding up speech at the DUN sitting yesterday.
Jabu told Balang, who had suggested for more than one crop of Bario rice per year, that Bario rice or Padi Adan was a traditional rice variety that matured in six months and was sensitive to changes in day length.
“Thus, it is not likely that we can grow Bario rice variety twice a year or five times in two years,” he said.
Responding to Frederick Bayo Manggie (BN-Kedup) on the ineffectiveness of the ‘penanaman berkelompok’ concept, Jabu said that one of the reasons why this approach was not implemented fully in certain areas was because many of rural farmers were dependent on subsidies to start the project.
“With limited budget given to the Agriculture Department for subsidies, it is unavoidable that some areas will have to wait longer for such projects to be implemented,” he said, adding that the real issue was not ineffectiveness of the concept but rather fund constraint, which could delay the implementation of such project in Kedup.
He also said that the Ministry would consider the request for an aquaculture project at Batang Ai hydro dam as suggested by Malcom Mussen Lamoh (BNBatang Ai).
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
MASwings to fix booking and seating problems on rural air services
http://www.theborneopost.com/?p=73908
MASwings to fix booking and seating problems on rural air services
Posted on November 9, 2010, Tuesday
MIRI: MASwings will reduce glitches in their rural air services operation through introduction of computerised booking and seat allocation system.
“Currently, everything is done manually. We have to do seat allocation upfront,” its managing director Dato’ Mohd Salleh Ahmad Tabrani disclosed to reporters after launching the Safety and Security Seminar and Workshop here.
Mohd Salleh was asked to comment on the problem faced by passengers from remote areas in Baram, that they were often left stranded in Marudi when on transit in the township before proceeding to Miri. They claimed that their seats were given to passengers from Marudi while leaving them to catch the next available flight.
Admitted the fault, Mohd Salleh said: “The problem arise because of all the inventory management is not computerised and we have to decide upfront on the number of seats going to be allocated… probably half of the aircraft (seats) would be given to passengers from Long Akah and another half to those from Marudi to Miri.”
The managing director said they have to be flexible in managing the inventory, adding that, however, the complaints or problems were not on regular basis.
Mohd Salleh assured that they will address the problem.
MASwings embarked on a pilot project called ‘Highlander’ to computerised all their short take off and landing (STOL) ports’ operations. The project was now in trial basis in both Bario and Ba kelalan, where the airline provided both area with solar power, satellite dishes, battery packs and basic computer resolution programmes to computerised their operations.
The system will be introduced to other STOL ports in rural and remote areas in the state upon the success in their pilot projects.
MASwings to fix booking and seating problems on rural air services
Posted on November 9, 2010, Tuesday
MIRI: MASwings will reduce glitches in their rural air services operation through introduction of computerised booking and seat allocation system.
“Currently, everything is done manually. We have to do seat allocation upfront,” its managing director Dato’ Mohd Salleh Ahmad Tabrani disclosed to reporters after launching the Safety and Security Seminar and Workshop here.
Mohd Salleh was asked to comment on the problem faced by passengers from remote areas in Baram, that they were often left stranded in Marudi when on transit in the township before proceeding to Miri. They claimed that their seats were given to passengers from Marudi while leaving them to catch the next available flight.
Admitted the fault, Mohd Salleh said: “The problem arise because of all the inventory management is not computerised and we have to decide upfront on the number of seats going to be allocated… probably half of the aircraft (seats) would be given to passengers from Long Akah and another half to those from Marudi to Miri.”
The managing director said they have to be flexible in managing the inventory, adding that, however, the complaints or problems were not on regular basis.
Mohd Salleh assured that they will address the problem.
MASwings embarked on a pilot project called ‘Highlander’ to computerised all their short take off and landing (STOL) ports’ operations. The project was now in trial basis in both Bario and Ba kelalan, where the airline provided both area with solar power, satellite dishes, battery packs and basic computer resolution programmes to computerised their operations.
The system will be introduced to other STOL ports in rural and remote areas in the state upon the success in their pilot projects.
Saturday, November 6, 2010
Categorise SK Long Napir as Penan school
http://www.theborneopost.com/?p=73334
Categorise SK Long Napir as Penan school — Batu Danau repCategorise SK Long Napir as Penan school — Batu Danau rep
Posted on November 6, 2010, Saturday
PAULUS Palu Gumbang (BN-Batu Danau) has called for SK Long Napir to be recognised as a Penan school so that all its students could receive allowances as those in other Penan schools in the state.
At the moment, the school, located deep in Ulu Limbang has about 81 students including pre-schoolers.
From the number, 57 students (80.2 per cent) are Penans while the 24 others are Kelabits.
“Now that the Penan students in SK Long Napir are more than 80 per cent, it is only just that the school received recognition. Furthermore, it is to help the people,” said the Batu Danau assemblyman when debating during the State 2011 Budget at the State Legislative Assembly yesterday.
Gumbang also mentioned that the school used to be dominated by the Kelabits but as the Penans became more aware of the importance of education, more of their young have entered school.
On another note, he urged the government to implement as soon as possible the community’s much needed Batu Danau-Nanga Medamit-Tedungan water supply project under the national key result area (NKRA).
“I understand that no less than 49 settlements including longhouses and villages along the said areas will benefit from these projects.
“In addition, I also hope that the clean water supply projects could be extended to Kubong-Ulu Pandaruan areas comprising of Rumah Bujang, 12 1/2 Mile Kubong road, Rumah Ungkil, Kampung Reda, Rumah James Jimbau, Kampung Semabat, Rumah Baba Ajit, SK Penganan, Rumah Sintau, Lubok Kepayang and Rumah Manai.”
Regarding the rural electricity supply (RES), Gumbang said 12 projects costing RM4.7 million under the NKRA was supposed to be implemented in 2009-2010.
The contractor for the projects covering Kampung Anak Bukit/Kuala Awang, Tanjung Riman, Tanjong, Ranggu/Pengkalan Jawa, Pengkalan Gurah, Lembuak Tedungan, Nanga Medamit (including its health clinic), Tanjung Ungar (Limbang), Bawang Ubor and Pengkalan Madang have been identified and it was hoped that the implementation would commenced soon.
“Apart from the said areas, there are many more villages and longhouses in Batu Danau that do not have 24-hour electricity.
“The villagers are so accustomed to generate their own electricity but due to the increase in diesel cost, it has become a burden for the people.
“Therefore, I hoped that the government would speed up the implementation of the projects and I hope that these said areas could be included.”
The areas are Kelati, Teban, Tubai, Ensurai, Sungai Lumbong, Pulau Brunei, Ensungei, Staie and Nanga Merit.
Categorise SK Long Napir as Penan school — Batu Danau repCategorise SK Long Napir as Penan school — Batu Danau rep
Posted on November 6, 2010, Saturday
PAULUS Palu Gumbang (BN-Batu Danau) has called for SK Long Napir to be recognised as a Penan school so that all its students could receive allowances as those in other Penan schools in the state.
At the moment, the school, located deep in Ulu Limbang has about 81 students including pre-schoolers.
From the number, 57 students (80.2 per cent) are Penans while the 24 others are Kelabits.
“Now that the Penan students in SK Long Napir are more than 80 per cent, it is only just that the school received recognition. Furthermore, it is to help the people,” said the Batu Danau assemblyman when debating during the State 2011 Budget at the State Legislative Assembly yesterday.
Gumbang also mentioned that the school used to be dominated by the Kelabits but as the Penans became more aware of the importance of education, more of their young have entered school.
On another note, he urged the government to implement as soon as possible the community’s much needed Batu Danau-Nanga Medamit-Tedungan water supply project under the national key result area (NKRA).
“I understand that no less than 49 settlements including longhouses and villages along the said areas will benefit from these projects.
“In addition, I also hope that the clean water supply projects could be extended to Kubong-Ulu Pandaruan areas comprising of Rumah Bujang, 12 1/2 Mile Kubong road, Rumah Ungkil, Kampung Reda, Rumah James Jimbau, Kampung Semabat, Rumah Baba Ajit, SK Penganan, Rumah Sintau, Lubok Kepayang and Rumah Manai.”
Regarding the rural electricity supply (RES), Gumbang said 12 projects costing RM4.7 million under the NKRA was supposed to be implemented in 2009-2010.
The contractor for the projects covering Kampung Anak Bukit/Kuala Awang, Tanjung Riman, Tanjong, Ranggu/Pengkalan Jawa, Pengkalan Gurah, Lembuak Tedungan, Nanga Medamit (including its health clinic), Tanjung Ungar (Limbang), Bawang Ubor and Pengkalan Madang have been identified and it was hoped that the implementation would commenced soon.
“Apart from the said areas, there are many more villages and longhouses in Batu Danau that do not have 24-hour electricity.
“The villagers are so accustomed to generate their own electricity but due to the increase in diesel cost, it has become a burden for the people.
“Therefore, I hoped that the government would speed up the implementation of the projects and I hope that these said areas could be included.”
The areas are Kelati, Teban, Tubai, Ensurai, Sungai Lumbong, Pulau Brunei, Ensungei, Staie and Nanga Merit.
Friday, November 5, 2010
Geographical constraint hampers communication in remote areas
http://tribune.my/prime/4279-geographical-constraint-hampers-communication-in-remote-areas.html
Geographical constraint hampers communication in remote areas
Friday, 05 November 2010 12:01
Assistant Minister of Public Health and Public Utilities Dr. Stephen Rundi Atom revealed that the geographical constraint and unavailability of stable power supply are hampering efforts by the government to provide optimum cellular coverage and fixed line services to the remote areas.
Rundi was replying to a question by Nelson Balang Rining, Ba’Kelalan assemblyman, on the installation of telephone lines for Ba’Kelalan, Long Semadoh and Long Sukang.
“Nevertheless, the government in collaboration with telecommunication industry players has taken the initiative to deploy Nano Cellular Base Transceiver Stations as an interim solution to the telecommunication requirement in these areas,” said Rundi.
He said currently, there are two locations being served by this cellular service, namely the areas surrounding a primary school and airport in Ba’Kelalan and Kampung Bario.
“Powered by generator sets and solar power respectively, these two sites deploy minimal coverage radius of up to 1,000 meters,” he said.
Rundi gave his assurance that For Long Semadoh and Long Sukang, and extended areas in Ba’Kelalan, the Ministry would propose the said locations to the Malaysia Communication and Multimedia Commission (SKMM) for consideration to be included in future cellular coverage expansion initiatives.
Geographical constraint hampers communication in remote areas
Friday, 05 November 2010 12:01
Assistant Minister of Public Health and Public Utilities Dr. Stephen Rundi Atom revealed that the geographical constraint and unavailability of stable power supply are hampering efforts by the government to provide optimum cellular coverage and fixed line services to the remote areas.
Rundi was replying to a question by Nelson Balang Rining, Ba’Kelalan assemblyman, on the installation of telephone lines for Ba’Kelalan, Long Semadoh and Long Sukang.
“Nevertheless, the government in collaboration with telecommunication industry players has taken the initiative to deploy Nano Cellular Base Transceiver Stations as an interim solution to the telecommunication requirement in these areas,” said Rundi.
He said currently, there are two locations being served by this cellular service, namely the areas surrounding a primary school and airport in Ba’Kelalan and Kampung Bario.
“Powered by generator sets and solar power respectively, these two sites deploy minimal coverage radius of up to 1,000 meters,” he said.
Rundi gave his assurance that For Long Semadoh and Long Sukang, and extended areas in Ba’Kelalan, the Ministry would propose the said locations to the Malaysia Communication and Multimedia Commission (SKMM) for consideration to be included in future cellular coverage expansion initiatives.
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
Three road projects for Lingga
http://tribune.my/prime/4170-three-road-projects-for-lingga.html
Three road projects for Lingga
Wednesday, 03 November 2010 15:23
MINISTER of Infrastructure Development and Communications Dato Sri Michael Manyin Jawong relayed his answer to a question by Simoi Peri (BNLingga) who wanted to know the completion dates for the road upgrading projects in her constituency.
Manyin revealed that there were three road upgrading projects approved by Ministry of Rural and District Development under the NKRA programme in Lingga constituency.
“The projects include the road upgrading of Stumbin-Tanjung Bijat-Stirau, Jalan Sri Aman- Sembau-Stumbin-Lingga and Jalan Stumbin Link, which is a new inclusion,” he said.
“The architectural drafts for the three projects have been completed and the Ministry is now preparing for a tender process. The road upgrading work is expected to start in early 2011,” he added.
To a question from Nelson Balan Rining (BN-Ba’ Kelalan) who wanted to know if the government had plan to build more roads in his constituency, Manyin said there was no plan to build a road from Ba’Kelalan to Bario.
He elaborated that Bario would be connected by proposed road projects, namely Long Lama-Long Laput-Long Miri-Long Pilah-Long Nikan-Long Kesih-Long Akah road, the 40-Km Long Akah-Long Banga road and the 67-Km Bario- Pa’ Dalih-Long Banga road.
Three road projects for Lingga
Wednesday, 03 November 2010 15:23
MINISTER of Infrastructure Development and Communications Dato Sri Michael Manyin Jawong relayed his answer to a question by Simoi Peri (BNLingga) who wanted to know the completion dates for the road upgrading projects in her constituency.
Manyin revealed that there were three road upgrading projects approved by Ministry of Rural and District Development under the NKRA programme in Lingga constituency.
“The projects include the road upgrading of Stumbin-Tanjung Bijat-Stirau, Jalan Sri Aman- Sembau-Stumbin-Lingga and Jalan Stumbin Link, which is a new inclusion,” he said.
“The architectural drafts for the three projects have been completed and the Ministry is now preparing for a tender process. The road upgrading work is expected to start in early 2011,” he added.
To a question from Nelson Balan Rining (BN-Ba’ Kelalan) who wanted to know if the government had plan to build more roads in his constituency, Manyin said there was no plan to build a road from Ba’Kelalan to Bario.
He elaborated that Bario would be connected by proposed road projects, namely Long Lama-Long Laput-Long Miri-Long Pilah-Long Nikan-Long Kesih-Long Akah road, the 40-Km Long Akah-Long Banga road and the 67-Km Bario- Pa’ Dalih-Long Banga road.
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
Brain drain continues to put the country on the losing end
http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2010/11/2/sarawak/7339395&sec=sarawak
Tuesday November 2, 2010
Brain drain continues to put the country on the losing end
By YU JI
yuji@thestar.com.my
REPORTS on the brain drain come and go every so often, but behind all the headlines and letters to the editors, there exists a real problem that will take generations to remedy.
First off, let it be clear, there can be no solving of the brain drain. The exodus of human capital is part and parcel of globalisation. It is the result of universities with international reach, the Internet and borders that are getting more porous by the day.
Indeed, when so much economic talk these days is focused on free trade agreements and foreign direct investment through which commodities and money move so freely, the very idea of nationality erodes.
This is not to say, however, that Malaysia’s brain drain should not be tackled.
In February this year, a report based on Parliamentary proceedings stated that between March 2008 and August 2009, about 305,000 Malaysians left the country for jobs elsewhere.
The figure was almost double the number of Malaysians who left in 2007.
Throughout the years, Singapore has been the recipient of some of the brightest and most hard-working workers from its neighbouring country. An estimate a few years ago claimed that about 40% of those leaving Malaysia headed for the tiny island nation.
Other countries that Malaysians prefer are Australia, New Zealand, the United States and Britain.
On a smaller scale, the brain drain happens inter-state as well.
The Sarawak Progressive Democratic Party has set up clubs in Johor, where the party says almost 40,000 Ibans are working.
Meanwhile, thousands of rural Sarawakians continue to arrive in the state’s towns and cities every year, looking for better salaries.
Take Bario, the fertile Kelabit Highlands, as an example. Well known for its rice, the area’s youths, however, have left in droves over the past three years.
Its rice production is in decline. Rice fields have been abandoned while some locals have started importing rice from nearby villages.
Even Padiberas Nasional Bhd, the country’s regulator and distributor of rice in the industry, said it faced great difficulties in promoting the award-winning Bario rice as the export volume was inconsistent.
To counter the migration of youths, farmers left behind in Bario have been employing Indonesian workers.
Multiply Bario’s situation by a few hundred and you have Malaysia’s scenario – talent leaving, influx of low-skilled foreigners.
The country’s policymakers have never denied there is a brain drain, yet they also seem to resist taking drastic measures. Some politicians have spoken up in support of a true 1Malaysia, but then balked at the smallest sign of trouble from certain groups.
What brain drain comes down to is opportunity. Simple as that.
National Heart Association Malaysia president Prof Dr Sim Kui Hian, rumoured to be a state election candidate, is among a few who had been enormously successful overseas, but eventually returned to Malaysia.
“When people ask me why I came back – mind you I left a better paying job overseas – I say it’s because I miss my laksa, my kolo mee.
“But when I really think about it sometimes, the reason why I’ve stayed back is because of the prestige. I like the challenge of heading a cardiac unit here (in Kuching),” he told StarMetro recently.
Dr Sim is a founding member of the Sarawak General Hospital’s Cardiac Unit, which is making a move to the Sarawak Heart and Cancer Institute in Samarahan.
Had there been no cardiac unit to be set up here, would Dr Sim have returned?
Why should talented people stay put anywhere when better, more challenging and more rewarding opportunities abound somewhere else? Even if you don’t feel that way, would you deny your child such an opportunity?
Opportunity is dependent on equality. The rate of the brain drain can only increase further if a disadvantaged social environment continues to be felt in a world made smaller by great leaps in technological progress.
The Gini Coefficient Index is the internationally-accepted standard to measure inequality, usually used to estimate the difference between the rich and the poor.
It’s saddening to note that the index shows that Malaysians have been growing apart in wealth in the past decade.
It indicates a trend where the rich are getting richer while the poor remain poor, or make so little progress on income levels that any increase is negated by inflation.
Surely, one of the best ways to improve on this would be to introduce the much-talked-about but long-delayed minimum wage scheme.
You see, setting a minimum wage will also positively adjust salaries up the job ladder. It will likely offset the brain drain to some extent.
The minimum wage scheme wasn’t introduced in Budget 2011, but a council was founded which would look into how the scheme could be implemented.
The worry, though, is whether such much-needed efforts will come too little too late. Much has been said about Malaysia falling into the middle-income trap.
Putting targets on higher income levels is a noble aim. And there is no reason to assume the country can’t reach them. Still, rebalancing income distribution and to stem the brain drain are faraway goals from where we stand.
Tuesday November 2, 2010
Brain drain continues to put the country on the losing end
By YU JI
yuji@thestar.com.my
REPORTS on the brain drain come and go every so often, but behind all the headlines and letters to the editors, there exists a real problem that will take generations to remedy.
First off, let it be clear, there can be no solving of the brain drain. The exodus of human capital is part and parcel of globalisation. It is the result of universities with international reach, the Internet and borders that are getting more porous by the day.
Indeed, when so much economic talk these days is focused on free trade agreements and foreign direct investment through which commodities and money move so freely, the very idea of nationality erodes.
This is not to say, however, that Malaysia’s brain drain should not be tackled.
In February this year, a report based on Parliamentary proceedings stated that between March 2008 and August 2009, about 305,000 Malaysians left the country for jobs elsewhere.
The figure was almost double the number of Malaysians who left in 2007.
Throughout the years, Singapore has been the recipient of some of the brightest and most hard-working workers from its neighbouring country. An estimate a few years ago claimed that about 40% of those leaving Malaysia headed for the tiny island nation.
Other countries that Malaysians prefer are Australia, New Zealand, the United States and Britain.
On a smaller scale, the brain drain happens inter-state as well.
The Sarawak Progressive Democratic Party has set up clubs in Johor, where the party says almost 40,000 Ibans are working.
Meanwhile, thousands of rural Sarawakians continue to arrive in the state’s towns and cities every year, looking for better salaries.
Take Bario, the fertile Kelabit Highlands, as an example. Well known for its rice, the area’s youths, however, have left in droves over the past three years.
Its rice production is in decline. Rice fields have been abandoned while some locals have started importing rice from nearby villages.
Even Padiberas Nasional Bhd, the country’s regulator and distributor of rice in the industry, said it faced great difficulties in promoting the award-winning Bario rice as the export volume was inconsistent.
To counter the migration of youths, farmers left behind in Bario have been employing Indonesian workers.
Multiply Bario’s situation by a few hundred and you have Malaysia’s scenario – talent leaving, influx of low-skilled foreigners.
The country’s policymakers have never denied there is a brain drain, yet they also seem to resist taking drastic measures. Some politicians have spoken up in support of a true 1Malaysia, but then balked at the smallest sign of trouble from certain groups.
What brain drain comes down to is opportunity. Simple as that.
National Heart Association Malaysia president Prof Dr Sim Kui Hian, rumoured to be a state election candidate, is among a few who had been enormously successful overseas, but eventually returned to Malaysia.
“When people ask me why I came back – mind you I left a better paying job overseas – I say it’s because I miss my laksa, my kolo mee.
“But when I really think about it sometimes, the reason why I’ve stayed back is because of the prestige. I like the challenge of heading a cardiac unit here (in Kuching),” he told StarMetro recently.
Dr Sim is a founding member of the Sarawak General Hospital’s Cardiac Unit, which is making a move to the Sarawak Heart and Cancer Institute in Samarahan.
Had there been no cardiac unit to be set up here, would Dr Sim have returned?
Why should talented people stay put anywhere when better, more challenging and more rewarding opportunities abound somewhere else? Even if you don’t feel that way, would you deny your child such an opportunity?
Opportunity is dependent on equality. The rate of the brain drain can only increase further if a disadvantaged social environment continues to be felt in a world made smaller by great leaps in technological progress.
The Gini Coefficient Index is the internationally-accepted standard to measure inequality, usually used to estimate the difference between the rich and the poor.
It’s saddening to note that the index shows that Malaysians have been growing apart in wealth in the past decade.
It indicates a trend where the rich are getting richer while the poor remain poor, or make so little progress on income levels that any increase is negated by inflation.
Surely, one of the best ways to improve on this would be to introduce the much-talked-about but long-delayed minimum wage scheme.
You see, setting a minimum wage will also positively adjust salaries up the job ladder. It will likely offset the brain drain to some extent.
The minimum wage scheme wasn’t introduced in Budget 2011, but a council was founded which would look into how the scheme could be implemented.
The worry, though, is whether such much-needed efforts will come too little too late. Much has been said about Malaysia falling into the middle-income trap.
Putting targets on higher income levels is a noble aim. And there is no reason to assume the country can’t reach them. Still, rebalancing income distribution and to stem the brain drain are faraway goals from where we stand.
Will God visit Malaysia Again, 37 years after the Bario Revival?
http://www.sinclairwong.com/2010/11/02/will-god-visit-malaysia-again-37-years-after-the-bario-revival/
Will God visit Malaysia Again, 37 years after the Bario Revival?
Tuesday, November 02nd, 2010
Author: Sinclair Wong
Last Sunday, I had a wonderful time listening to a first hand account from Pastor Solomon Bulan on the Bario Revival in Sarawak, Malaysia which took place in 1973. A humble Kelabit pastor, Pastor Solomon was a school teacher then. The revival broke out as a result of much prayer for revival among the young people in the Bario church. Bario is in the Kelabit Highlands (Mount Murud). The Kelabit is a small tribe with just about 5,000 persons. The Holy Spirit came upon the people with great power and conviction. The young as well as the old began to cry out and repent of their sins. School children, farmers and almost everyone stopped everything they were doing and went to church from morning till night, everyday, to pray. There were miraculous signs of speaking and interpretation of tongues, healings, casting out of evil spirits, word of knowledge and a great zeal to spread the Gospel to other villages and tribes. Hidden charms kept by the believers were revealed by the Holy Spirit and those convicted had their lives greatly changed. Groups of school boys, aging between 13-15 years, went out into the dense forests, walking for days to preach the Gospel from village to village. Whole villages were converted and set on fire by the Holy Spirit. The journey from one village to another by foot would normally take about 8 – 10 hours. Sometimes, because the team would stop for prayer, the delay may cause them to have to travel at night in pitch darkness. The Holy Spirit would lit up their path by causing leaves to glow in the dark. Each of these mission trips would take about two weeks. This went on for several years. Pastor Solomon co-authored a book with his sister in 2004 to give an account of the revival. It is entitled “The Bario Revival”.
The revival spread to the Lun Bawang who live in Ba Kelalan which is on the other slope of Mount (Gunung) Murud. In 1985, God visited the Lun Bawangs with great signs and wonders. There were many miracles and “lights” which looked like fire balls appeared in the sky as the Christian choir sang praises to God. ( Read about the news reports by a New Straist Times Journalist on Sarawak Sightings 1,2 & 3). In November 1985, a group of these Lun Bawangs came to Kuala Lumpur to attend a Morris Cerullo conference. We managed to invite 5 of them to come to our church and share what they had witnessed in Ba Kelalan. I can remember clearly how they related the burning of the sand and wet moss and also how the birds in the forest sang together with the choir as the lights appeared and “danced” in the sky in accordance to the singing. One of the team members was quite unforgettable because his name was called “Buaya” which means “crocodile”.
Ps Solomon noted that there were three phases in the Bario Revival. The first was Repentance, the second was Praise and Worship and the third was Retreat to the Mountain for Prayer. The first phase of Repentance was an obvious sign as the initial move of the Holy Spirit. The second is when the people of God gave themselves to daily worship and praise at the church. The believers would go to church at 5.30 am and end at 12.00 pm. They then attend to their work. From 6.00 pm to 12.00 am there would be another service in church. They were never physically tired of meeting in the church nor feel hungry. Even today, church services are held daily. The last phase was when they would retreat to the mountain top for prayers (Prayer mountains).
It is now 37 years since the Revival took place. Ps Solomon was reflective on this. He mentioned a sobering fact; what was the purpose of such a great revival and signs from God? A new generation of Kelabit and Lun Bawangs have arisen but they have no experience or personal knowledge of God’s power. The church is losing them to modernity and Islamization. He said that there is a desperation in the country and a deep underlying spiritual desperation in the Church. The Church has been complacent and as a result, we are losing our children to the world. Ps Solomon feels that Revival is for believers and not non-believers. When God gives a revival to His people, He brings a Restoration of Direction to the Church. God has His timing for revivals but His people must pray because prayer brings revivals.
Will God visit Malaysian again? Will His next visit bring an even greater outpouring; not only in Sarawak but to the whole country of Malaysia (East and West Malaysia)? Will this also mean the salvation of the “sons of the land”?
Will God visit Malaysia Again, 37 years after the Bario Revival?
Tuesday, November 02nd, 2010
Author: Sinclair Wong
Last Sunday, I had a wonderful time listening to a first hand account from Pastor Solomon Bulan on the Bario Revival in Sarawak, Malaysia which took place in 1973. A humble Kelabit pastor, Pastor Solomon was a school teacher then. The revival broke out as a result of much prayer for revival among the young people in the Bario church. Bario is in the Kelabit Highlands (Mount Murud). The Kelabit is a small tribe with just about 5,000 persons. The Holy Spirit came upon the people with great power and conviction. The young as well as the old began to cry out and repent of their sins. School children, farmers and almost everyone stopped everything they were doing and went to church from morning till night, everyday, to pray. There were miraculous signs of speaking and interpretation of tongues, healings, casting out of evil spirits, word of knowledge and a great zeal to spread the Gospel to other villages and tribes. Hidden charms kept by the believers were revealed by the Holy Spirit and those convicted had their lives greatly changed. Groups of school boys, aging between 13-15 years, went out into the dense forests, walking for days to preach the Gospel from village to village. Whole villages were converted and set on fire by the Holy Spirit. The journey from one village to another by foot would normally take about 8 – 10 hours. Sometimes, because the team would stop for prayer, the delay may cause them to have to travel at night in pitch darkness. The Holy Spirit would lit up their path by causing leaves to glow in the dark. Each of these mission trips would take about two weeks. This went on for several years. Pastor Solomon co-authored a book with his sister in 2004 to give an account of the revival. It is entitled “The Bario Revival”.
The revival spread to the Lun Bawang who live in Ba Kelalan which is on the other slope of Mount (Gunung) Murud. In 1985, God visited the Lun Bawangs with great signs and wonders. There were many miracles and “lights” which looked like fire balls appeared in the sky as the Christian choir sang praises to God. ( Read about the news reports by a New Straist Times Journalist on Sarawak Sightings 1,2 & 3). In November 1985, a group of these Lun Bawangs came to Kuala Lumpur to attend a Morris Cerullo conference. We managed to invite 5 of them to come to our church and share what they had witnessed in Ba Kelalan. I can remember clearly how they related the burning of the sand and wet moss and also how the birds in the forest sang together with the choir as the lights appeared and “danced” in the sky in accordance to the singing. One of the team members was quite unforgettable because his name was called “Buaya” which means “crocodile”.
Ps Solomon noted that there were three phases in the Bario Revival. The first was Repentance, the second was Praise and Worship and the third was Retreat to the Mountain for Prayer. The first phase of Repentance was an obvious sign as the initial move of the Holy Spirit. The second is when the people of God gave themselves to daily worship and praise at the church. The believers would go to church at 5.30 am and end at 12.00 pm. They then attend to their work. From 6.00 pm to 12.00 am there would be another service in church. They were never physically tired of meeting in the church nor feel hungry. Even today, church services are held daily. The last phase was when they would retreat to the mountain top for prayers (Prayer mountains).
It is now 37 years since the Revival took place. Ps Solomon was reflective on this. He mentioned a sobering fact; what was the purpose of such a great revival and signs from God? A new generation of Kelabit and Lun Bawangs have arisen but they have no experience or personal knowledge of God’s power. The church is losing them to modernity and Islamization. He said that there is a desperation in the country and a deep underlying spiritual desperation in the Church. The Church has been complacent and as a result, we are losing our children to the world. Ps Solomon feels that Revival is for believers and not non-believers. When God gives a revival to His people, He brings a Restoration of Direction to the Church. God has His timing for revivals but His people must pray because prayer brings revivals.
Will God visit Malaysian again? Will His next visit bring an even greater outpouring; not only in Sarawak but to the whole country of Malaysia (East and West Malaysia)? Will this also mean the salvation of the “sons of the land”?
Friday, October 29, 2010
Petrified Baram natives want 'dam plan' scrapped
http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/fmt-english/politics/sabah-and-sarawak/12191-petrified-baram-natives-want-dam-plan-scrapped
Petrified Baram natives want 'dam plan' scrapped
Fri, 29 Oct 2010 12:15
By Joseph Tawie
MIRI: Some 20,000 indigenous natives of Kayan, Kenyah, Saben and Penan communities living in the Baram division are horrified to hear about the voluminous fast-flowing Rajang River drying up, a phenomenon blamed in part to the impoundment of the controversial Bakun dam which began on Oct 13.
The unexpected dry spell and the continuous impoundment has caused untold misery and hardship for those living along the Kapit, Belaga, Nanga Merit and Pelagus areas.
“Never before have the Baram residents ever heard of the Rajang River drying up or seen such a thing,” said Philip Jau, chairman of Baram Protection Action Committee in a statement to FMT.
“We don’t want this (dry up) to happen to the Baram River, if the construction of Baram dam is to proceed,” he said.
“The committee therefore demands that the government scrap its plan to build the Baram dam which has a capacity of 1,000 MW. Otherwise at least 20,000 indigenous Kayan, Kenyah, Kelabit, Saben and Penan communities from hundreds of longhouses and villages situated along the Baram River valley will be affected and displaced,” he said.
Jau said the majority of the communities living in Baram "strongly and vehemently oppose the Baram dam" and also all the other planned and currently under construction dams throughout Sarawak. He said the state had more than enough supply of energy even without these additional dams.
Not consulted
Jau said that the Baram residents were never consulted about the construction of the Baram dam.
“Even though it is still in its planning stage, the people have a right to know and to decide whether to agree or disagree with the project,” he said, pointing out that if all the planned 12 dams and Bakun Dam are operational, Sarawak would have an insane amount of surplus electricity or 600% surplus.
"The energy generated from Bakun Dam alone is more than enough to power Sarawak,” he said.
The Baram dam is expected to submerge an area of 38,900 hectares (389 sq km) of land and forest. The area is mostly native customary land, and consists of temuda, cultivated lands, gardens, villages, churches, graveyards, community forests and sites of historical significance.
The people are going to lose their longhouses, villages, properties, lands and forests as well as the history as a result of submergence and displacement by the Baram dam.
The dam will also submerge the existing government schools, medical clinics, airstrip and other building facilities which the government have spent a lot of tax payers’ money on.
The longhouse/villages downstream affected by the Baram Dam are Long Laput, Sungai Dua, Sri Kenawan, Uma Bawang, Long Miri (Daleh Pelutan), Long Pilah and Long Kesseh.
In the upstream and within the dam reservoir area are Long Na’ah, Long Liam, Long San, Long Selatong (Kiri & Kanan), Long Apu, Long Julan Asal, Long Julan Pelutan, Long Anap, Long Palai, Long Je’eh, Long Moh, Long Sela’an and Long Semiyang as well as some villages in Akah River that are Long Beku, Ba’ Abang, Long Tap and Long Tebangan.
Petrified Baram natives want 'dam plan' scrapped
Fri, 29 Oct 2010 12:15
By Joseph Tawie
MIRI: Some 20,000 indigenous natives of Kayan, Kenyah, Saben and Penan communities living in the Baram division are horrified to hear about the voluminous fast-flowing Rajang River drying up, a phenomenon blamed in part to the impoundment of the controversial Bakun dam which began on Oct 13.
The unexpected dry spell and the continuous impoundment has caused untold misery and hardship for those living along the Kapit, Belaga, Nanga Merit and Pelagus areas.
“Never before have the Baram residents ever heard of the Rajang River drying up or seen such a thing,” said Philip Jau, chairman of Baram Protection Action Committee in a statement to FMT.
“We don’t want this (dry up) to happen to the Baram River, if the construction of Baram dam is to proceed,” he said.
“The committee therefore demands that the government scrap its plan to build the Baram dam which has a capacity of 1,000 MW. Otherwise at least 20,000 indigenous Kayan, Kenyah, Kelabit, Saben and Penan communities from hundreds of longhouses and villages situated along the Baram River valley will be affected and displaced,” he said.
Jau said the majority of the communities living in Baram "strongly and vehemently oppose the Baram dam" and also all the other planned and currently under construction dams throughout Sarawak. He said the state had more than enough supply of energy even without these additional dams.
Not consulted
Jau said that the Baram residents were never consulted about the construction of the Baram dam.
“Even though it is still in its planning stage, the people have a right to know and to decide whether to agree or disagree with the project,” he said, pointing out that if all the planned 12 dams and Bakun Dam are operational, Sarawak would have an insane amount of surplus electricity or 600% surplus.
"The energy generated from Bakun Dam alone is more than enough to power Sarawak,” he said.
The Baram dam is expected to submerge an area of 38,900 hectares (389 sq km) of land and forest. The area is mostly native customary land, and consists of temuda, cultivated lands, gardens, villages, churches, graveyards, community forests and sites of historical significance.
The people are going to lose their longhouses, villages, properties, lands and forests as well as the history as a result of submergence and displacement by the Baram dam.
The dam will also submerge the existing government schools, medical clinics, airstrip and other building facilities which the government have spent a lot of tax payers’ money on.
The longhouse/villages downstream affected by the Baram Dam are Long Laput, Sungai Dua, Sri Kenawan, Uma Bawang, Long Miri (Daleh Pelutan), Long Pilah and Long Kesseh.
In the upstream and within the dam reservoir area are Long Na’ah, Long Liam, Long San, Long Selatong (Kiri & Kanan), Long Apu, Long Julan Asal, Long Julan Pelutan, Long Anap, Long Palai, Long Je’eh, Long Moh, Long Sela’an and Long Semiyang as well as some villages in Akah River that are Long Beku, Ba’ Abang, Long Tap and Long Tebangan.
Sunday, October 17, 2010
A thing of beauty
http://thestar.com.my/lifestyle/story.asp?file=/2010/10/17/lifefocus/7235678&sec=lifefocus
Sunday October 17, 2010
A thing of beauty
By DIANA ROSE
starmag@thestar.com.my
Beads have literally rolled their way round the world, picking up, along the journey, bits of culture, lore and drama.
HAVE beads will travel. That seemed to be the case back in the days when traders explored new territories to ply their wares.
Research carried out by the American Beads Society shows that beads were brought to Southeast Asia from India via the Silk and the Cardamon routes. American beads expert Jamey Allen concurs with that observation.
“There is no doubt that the vast majority of ancient stone and glass beads were made in India, and distributed to her trading partners. In some instances, the technology (knowledge and skills, and actual workers) was transferred to new locations,” Allen says in a paper presented at the inaugural Borneo International Beads Conference (BIBC) in Miri, Sarawak, last week.
But the earliest evidence of beads can be traced to the Hellenic city of Alexandria (founded in 332BCE), a huge trading centre that had links with the East.
In facts, beads were so treasured that they were often buried with their owners; these tiny possessions are among the most common items unearthed from ancient graves.
In a 1995 interview in Kuala Lumpur, Kamaruddin Zakaria, the-then curator of archaeology at Muzium Negara, said that early beadmakers had settled in Mantai, Oc-eo and Klong Thom (ancient cities in mainland Southeast Asia) and dominated the trade in the first half of the first millenium CE.
Around the sixth or seventh centuries, the latter two sites were abandoned and new sites emerged in Kuala Selinsing and Sating Pra. Around this time, Mantai began producing stone beads.
In olden times, only the aristocrats owned the alai maun or yellow peanut beads, which were a status symbol. – Apoi Ngimat
During the ninth or 10th centuries, beads from the Islamic west penetrated the South-East Asian market, coming through the Malay peninsula and slowly filtering into Borneo and the Philippines.
About 120 delegates attended the two-day BIBC, organised by Sarawak Craft Hub. Among them was World Crafts Council president Usha Krishna of India.
“For the first time the treasures of the indigenous people of Sarawak were put on display on a very personal and passionate level,” Usha says. “I do not do how to do beading or make beads but I love the beauty of it. Thus, I came.
“Now I see beads in a very different perspective. They have become a new world treasure. Just imagine – some of the beads found among the people of Sarawak are thousands of years old. How did they acquire them?”
Eileen Paya Foong says her ancestors obtained rare beads in exchange for a slave girl, and a mother and her child.
The Borneo bead story is as colourful and exotic as it is old. Generally, beads were used in ceremonial rites and rituals, for barter trading, and as jewellery (to denote wealth, power and social standing).
“Beads have played an important role in Dayak society for several centuries. They are not only decorative objects valued just for their aesthetic qualities, but have a deeper cultural value,” says Eileen Paya Foong, a marketing executive at Curtin University of Technology Sarawak, where she is also doing a degree in Borneo studies.
Paya Foong, of Kenyah-Chinese parentage, shares how her ancestors got to possess the Lukut Sekala (eye beads) in her paper titled “Barang Pu’un Mek: An Uma Pawek Family’s Pesaka Beads”. She claims that her family is among only eight in Sarawak that has those precious beads today.
In the past, a single lukut sekala was worth an adult male slave. These beads were usually designed in chevron, swirls, circles or eye style.
According to Paya Foong, one lukut sekala in her family’s possession was a ransom paid in exchange for the lives of a mother and her child during a head-hunting romp.
Another was given to her family in exchange for a slave girl.
Apparently, the Kenyah aristocrats in Uma Pawek in the Upper Baram region of Sarawak were unhappy that one of her ancestor’s had owned a slave girl. This ancestor had married out of the caste and been demoted to commoner, and was thus not allowed to have slave.
So the aristocrats negotiated to take the slave girl as their own; in return, they gave her previous owner a gong and a lukut sekala.
Aristocrat Devong of mixed Kenyah-Kayan parentage of Uma Nyaveng Sungai Asap says the bead treasures she owns are ancestral heirlooms. As far as she knows, some have been in the family for at least seven generations.
Dr Cheah Hwei Fen, a lecturer on Asian art and textile history at the Australian National University, presented a paper on “Beadwork (Penang, Singapore, Malacca)”, shared visuals on Nyonya beadwork and explored Peranakan Chinese ideas about fashion, identity, change and women’s lives in the late 19th and 20th centuries
She was amazed by how highly the people in Borneo value their beads. “In the Peranakan community, beads and beadworks are appreciated for their aesthetic beauty. That’s about it. The Peranakans do not share such a passionate link to beads as the people here.”
Jamey Allen helping to authenticate beads brought to him at the Borneo International Beads Conference held in Miri.
Dr Cheah thinks it is possible to fan appreciation for beads by having creative innovations and using the old techniques to create contemporary designs.”Nyonya beadwork has been sustained through museum displays and beadwork classes. The challenge for Nyonya beaders is to embrace beadwork as a mode of contemporary artistic creativity and imagination, drawing on history as an inspiration without being inhibited by past models.”
Universiti Malaysia Sarawak senior lecturer (Department of Anthropology and Sociology) Poline Bala, who hails from Sarawak’s Bario highlands, says: “We Kelabit are very passionate about our material culture, including our beads.
“We do not care where they are made, but we value the story behind each bead, how it got to be in our possession, the arduous, and at times dangerous, journeys people took to acquire it and the beauty of beads.”
Speaking about “Old beads and new beads among the Kelabit of Sarawak: Their changing social role and significance”, Poline says the highland community is toying with the idea of issuing certificates of origin to separate treasured heirlooms from replicas, which are actively traded throughout Borneo. Most of the latter are made in Java, Indonesia.
Datin Devong Anyie of Uma Nyaveng of Asap Belaga is a fine example of Sarawakian Orang Ulu whose passion for beads has not waned with the years.
“Some of the replicas are so good that it has become quite difficult to distinguish them,” she says, adding that the Kelabits prize the “bao rawir, alai, adan and lukut sekala.” A Kelabit woman’s bead cap (called the pala) can fetch up to RM30,000 apiece.
Yekti Kusmartono, one of Indonesia’s foremost bead scholars, relates how bead artisans in East Java make high quality replicas of “old” Venetians beads using recycled perfume and liquor bottles. These beautiful replicas are made into costume jewelleries at hefty prices.
Her passion for beads started in the 1970s, after she saw strings of antique stones and glass beads on display in shops in Jakarta. The majority of the beads were from East Java.
“This triggered my interest as my home town is in East Java. Before realising it, I had entered the world of beads, and began designing and stringing them!” Yekti recalls.
“Then I embarked on something even more fascinating – learning about the history and tradition of beads.” As antique beads became rarer and more expensive, she then explored the possibility of copying them.
“With the skills of the bead-makers in East Java we started reproducing them,” adds Yekti, whose replicas, which fetch thousands of ringgit per piece, have found their way to Europe.
“That’s how precious beads are, no matter whether they are antique or replicas of an antique. We’re literally producing art from shard.”
Allen, a researcher, lecturer and specialist on antique beads, especially multi-layered Rosetta beads, elaborated on The Heirloom Beads of Island Southeast Asia in his paper.
He notes that while ancient and antique beads are cherished throughout the world, it is only in this region that one can find substantial traditions that sustain interest in these artefacts, which are made mainly of glass, agate and metal and probably date back 2,000 years.
“Beads are usually thought to be older, rarer, and more valuable than is often the case in reality. Most of the heirloom beads in Borneo have Middle Eastern and Indian origins.
“There are also Chinese beads, copied versions of 16th or 17th century Venetian beads, bohemian beads and some of unknown origins.”
“This conference has given us an opportunity to discover, at a more personal level on how the people of Borneo value their beads. It is also good that the people here name each bead – it is easier to identify them,” said Allen, who was surprised to find that the natives in Borneo have male and female versions of the lukut sekala.
Indeed, the story of beads reveals many interesting facts wrapped around the survival of material culture, and lore.
As Heidi Munan, organising chairman of the Borneo conference, puts it:
“Beads really got to travel around, from one continent to another, from the coast to the highland, from one generation to another. They are resilient.”
She can add that beads are beautiful and definitely here to stay!
Sunday October 17, 2010
A thing of beauty
By DIANA ROSE
starmag@thestar.com.my
Beads have literally rolled their way round the world, picking up, along the journey, bits of culture, lore and drama.
HAVE beads will travel. That seemed to be the case back in the days when traders explored new territories to ply their wares.
Research carried out by the American Beads Society shows that beads were brought to Southeast Asia from India via the Silk and the Cardamon routes. American beads expert Jamey Allen concurs with that observation.
“There is no doubt that the vast majority of ancient stone and glass beads were made in India, and distributed to her trading partners. In some instances, the technology (knowledge and skills, and actual workers) was transferred to new locations,” Allen says in a paper presented at the inaugural Borneo International Beads Conference (BIBC) in Miri, Sarawak, last week.
But the earliest evidence of beads can be traced to the Hellenic city of Alexandria (founded in 332BCE), a huge trading centre that had links with the East.
In facts, beads were so treasured that they were often buried with their owners; these tiny possessions are among the most common items unearthed from ancient graves.
In a 1995 interview in Kuala Lumpur, Kamaruddin Zakaria, the-then curator of archaeology at Muzium Negara, said that early beadmakers had settled in Mantai, Oc-eo and Klong Thom (ancient cities in mainland Southeast Asia) and dominated the trade in the first half of the first millenium CE.
Around the sixth or seventh centuries, the latter two sites were abandoned and new sites emerged in Kuala Selinsing and Sating Pra. Around this time, Mantai began producing stone beads.
In olden times, only the aristocrats owned the alai maun or yellow peanut beads, which were a status symbol. – Apoi Ngimat
During the ninth or 10th centuries, beads from the Islamic west penetrated the South-East Asian market, coming through the Malay peninsula and slowly filtering into Borneo and the Philippines.
About 120 delegates attended the two-day BIBC, organised by Sarawak Craft Hub. Among them was World Crafts Council president Usha Krishna of India.
“For the first time the treasures of the indigenous people of Sarawak were put on display on a very personal and passionate level,” Usha says. “I do not do how to do beading or make beads but I love the beauty of it. Thus, I came.
“Now I see beads in a very different perspective. They have become a new world treasure. Just imagine – some of the beads found among the people of Sarawak are thousands of years old. How did they acquire them?”
Eileen Paya Foong says her ancestors obtained rare beads in exchange for a slave girl, and a mother and her child.
The Borneo bead story is as colourful and exotic as it is old. Generally, beads were used in ceremonial rites and rituals, for barter trading, and as jewellery (to denote wealth, power and social standing).
“Beads have played an important role in Dayak society for several centuries. They are not only decorative objects valued just for their aesthetic qualities, but have a deeper cultural value,” says Eileen Paya Foong, a marketing executive at Curtin University of Technology Sarawak, where she is also doing a degree in Borneo studies.
Paya Foong, of Kenyah-Chinese parentage, shares how her ancestors got to possess the Lukut Sekala (eye beads) in her paper titled “Barang Pu’un Mek: An Uma Pawek Family’s Pesaka Beads”. She claims that her family is among only eight in Sarawak that has those precious beads today.
In the past, a single lukut sekala was worth an adult male slave. These beads were usually designed in chevron, swirls, circles or eye style.
According to Paya Foong, one lukut sekala in her family’s possession was a ransom paid in exchange for the lives of a mother and her child during a head-hunting romp.
Another was given to her family in exchange for a slave girl.
Apparently, the Kenyah aristocrats in Uma Pawek in the Upper Baram region of Sarawak were unhappy that one of her ancestor’s had owned a slave girl. This ancestor had married out of the caste and been demoted to commoner, and was thus not allowed to have slave.
So the aristocrats negotiated to take the slave girl as their own; in return, they gave her previous owner a gong and a lukut sekala.
Aristocrat Devong of mixed Kenyah-Kayan parentage of Uma Nyaveng Sungai Asap says the bead treasures she owns are ancestral heirlooms. As far as she knows, some have been in the family for at least seven generations.
Dr Cheah Hwei Fen, a lecturer on Asian art and textile history at the Australian National University, presented a paper on “Beadwork (Penang, Singapore, Malacca)”, shared visuals on Nyonya beadwork and explored Peranakan Chinese ideas about fashion, identity, change and women’s lives in the late 19th and 20th centuries
She was amazed by how highly the people in Borneo value their beads. “In the Peranakan community, beads and beadworks are appreciated for their aesthetic beauty. That’s about it. The Peranakans do not share such a passionate link to beads as the people here.”
Jamey Allen helping to authenticate beads brought to him at the Borneo International Beads Conference held in Miri.
Dr Cheah thinks it is possible to fan appreciation for beads by having creative innovations and using the old techniques to create contemporary designs.”Nyonya beadwork has been sustained through museum displays and beadwork classes. The challenge for Nyonya beaders is to embrace beadwork as a mode of contemporary artistic creativity and imagination, drawing on history as an inspiration without being inhibited by past models.”
Universiti Malaysia Sarawak senior lecturer (Department of Anthropology and Sociology) Poline Bala, who hails from Sarawak’s Bario highlands, says: “We Kelabit are very passionate about our material culture, including our beads.
“We do not care where they are made, but we value the story behind each bead, how it got to be in our possession, the arduous, and at times dangerous, journeys people took to acquire it and the beauty of beads.”
Speaking about “Old beads and new beads among the Kelabit of Sarawak: Their changing social role and significance”, Poline says the highland community is toying with the idea of issuing certificates of origin to separate treasured heirlooms from replicas, which are actively traded throughout Borneo. Most of the latter are made in Java, Indonesia.
Datin Devong Anyie of Uma Nyaveng of Asap Belaga is a fine example of Sarawakian Orang Ulu whose passion for beads has not waned with the years.
“Some of the replicas are so good that it has become quite difficult to distinguish them,” she says, adding that the Kelabits prize the “bao rawir, alai, adan and lukut sekala.” A Kelabit woman’s bead cap (called the pala) can fetch up to RM30,000 apiece.
Yekti Kusmartono, one of Indonesia’s foremost bead scholars, relates how bead artisans in East Java make high quality replicas of “old” Venetians beads using recycled perfume and liquor bottles. These beautiful replicas are made into costume jewelleries at hefty prices.
Her passion for beads started in the 1970s, after she saw strings of antique stones and glass beads on display in shops in Jakarta. The majority of the beads were from East Java.
“This triggered my interest as my home town is in East Java. Before realising it, I had entered the world of beads, and began designing and stringing them!” Yekti recalls.
“Then I embarked on something even more fascinating – learning about the history and tradition of beads.” As antique beads became rarer and more expensive, she then explored the possibility of copying them.
“With the skills of the bead-makers in East Java we started reproducing them,” adds Yekti, whose replicas, which fetch thousands of ringgit per piece, have found their way to Europe.
“That’s how precious beads are, no matter whether they are antique or replicas of an antique. We’re literally producing art from shard.”
Allen, a researcher, lecturer and specialist on antique beads, especially multi-layered Rosetta beads, elaborated on The Heirloom Beads of Island Southeast Asia in his paper.
He notes that while ancient and antique beads are cherished throughout the world, it is only in this region that one can find substantial traditions that sustain interest in these artefacts, which are made mainly of glass, agate and metal and probably date back 2,000 years.
“Beads are usually thought to be older, rarer, and more valuable than is often the case in reality. Most of the heirloom beads in Borneo have Middle Eastern and Indian origins.
“There are also Chinese beads, copied versions of 16th or 17th century Venetian beads, bohemian beads and some of unknown origins.”
“This conference has given us an opportunity to discover, at a more personal level on how the people of Borneo value their beads. It is also good that the people here name each bead – it is easier to identify them,” said Allen, who was surprised to find that the natives in Borneo have male and female versions of the lukut sekala.
Indeed, the story of beads reveals many interesting facts wrapped around the survival of material culture, and lore.
As Heidi Munan, organising chairman of the Borneo conference, puts it:
“Beads really got to travel around, from one continent to another, from the coast to the highland, from one generation to another. They are resilient.”
She can add that beads are beautiful and definitely here to stay!
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