Bario Radio on air soon

http://tribune.my/prime/2246-bario-radio-on-air-soon.html

Bario Radio on air soon

Thursday, 02 September 2010 11:58

KUCHING: eBario Sdn Bhd, a social enterprise established to operate the remote and isolated eBario telecentre located in the Kelabit Highlands, became the recipient of Malaysia’s first license for a community radio station issued by the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) on Aug 31.

MCMC described community radio as “a small scale, low cost, not for profit radio broadcasting system designed to deliver content that has specific interest to the community it serves.” Acknowledging the recent interest in the provision of such services, most notably by eBario Sdn Bhd, MCMC pointed out that the concept is relatively new to Malaysia.

Accordingly, the regulatory body has recently issued new guidelines for applying for a community radio license.

Community radio stations have blossomed in much of Africa and Latin America and have sprung up in neighbouring countries in Asia.

Within their limited reach of 15-30 kilometres, and the relatively low cost of setting up and ease of use, they are used by communities to broadcast information of local interest.

Broadcasts are usually prepared by the residents themselves and are often conducted in local languages or dialects that national media do not cater to.

The Bario community radio station is funded by the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), under its Indigenous Peoples Assistance Facility (IPAF).

According to John Tarawe, CEO of eBario Sdn Bhd and a research fellow and consultant at the Centre of Excellence for Rural Informatics (CoERI) at Universiti Malaysia Sarawak, the proposal to set up the station was one of forty successful submissions to the IPAF out of more than 800 from around the world.

He added that the proposal was an initiative which took two years of lobbying by the community with support from Rurum Kelabit Sarawak Tarawe, who is also a Kelabit resident of Bario and district councillor, stated that the station is intended to serve the people within the Forum of the Indigenous People of the Highlands of Borneo, known by its acronym Formadat (Forum Masyarakat Adat Dataran Tinggi).

“The eBario telecentre currently provides information services to the Bario community via shared public access to the internet.

“Having won multiple awards for its innovative approach to the use of Information and Communications Technologies for the social and economic development of the people living in the remote Bario area, the radio station is seen as a natural extension by delivering information right into the homes of the residents,” said Tarawe.

The station will be managed and operated by the community themselves, broadcasting much of its material in the local Kelabit language.

With their internet connection, it also planned to broadcast programmes on the internet to provide information services to the wider Kelabit diaspora living throughout Malaysia and beyond.

Members of the Bario community have been involved in every step of the proposal and they are enthusiastic about the prospect of operating their own radio station.

Expressing concern that the Kelabit language is dying as the younger generation moves away from the area, Tarawe said, “It is expected that the radio station will contribute towards the revival of the language.” The station will also broadcast local news collected by the residents themselves as well as facilitate debate on issues of local concern.

It will also provide a channel for public service announcements in the local Kelabit language, including the relaying of national news, providing information to promote better agriculture, encouraging commercial enterprises, preserving the local culture, extending education and improve public health.

The initiators of Bario Radio expect it to herald more such proposals for community radio stations to improve information flow to Malaysia’s isolated rural and indigenous communities.

For more information on eBario, call John Tarawe on 019-4381777 or email him at jtarawe@ bario.net