Don: Rural folk want map to determine land ownership

http://www.theborneopost.com/2013/09/25/don-rural-folk-want-map-to-determine-land-ownership/#ixzz2ftFwDR60

by Eve Sonary Heng, reporters@theborneopost.com. 

Posted on September 25, 2013, Wednesday

UNMANNED AERIAL VEHICLE: Sean Chai of Santumn Enterprise with the helicopter.

INNOVATIVE ICT APPLICATION: A Ba Kelalan photo-montage map.

LOW-COST: Unimas campus trials with the helium-filled balloon.

KUCHING: Rural communities are showing increasing interest in grassroots initiatives to develop maps of their territories.

In a statement yesterday, a visiting professor from the Institute for Social Informatics and Technological Innovation at Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (Unimas) Dr Roger Harris said in a recent Global Conference on Community Participatory Mapping on Indigenous Peoples’ Territories held in Samosir, North Sumatra, indigenous groups from countries including Malaysia, Nepal, Panama, Mexico and Brazil, explained how they had adopted affordable, high-tech mapping technology to retrace the history of their land ownership and to catalogue their natural resources.

He said in Sarawak, eBario Sdn Bhd, the organisation that operates the multi-award-winning eBario telecentre, has initiated the eBario Innovation Village Project as a living laboratory to incubate innovative grassroots applications of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) capable of stimulating development within Malaysia’s isolated rural and indigenous communities.

In partnership with Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (Unimas) and with funding support from the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), the project is testing low cost aerial photography for community mapping, using digital cameras attached to tethered helium-filled balloons and radio-controlled model airplanes.

“The resultant photographs are stitched together by computer to form an aerial view covering a wide area which is then geo-tagged with global positioning co-ordinates to form detailed maps.

“Such maps can be used for a range of applications including land-use planning, claims for land rights, eco-tourism, development of agriculture, hydrology, animal migration plotting, indigenous knowledge inventories, environmental surveillance, documentation of climate change impacts, dispute resolution, road mapping, forest management and cataloguing of cultural sites. Low cost technologies and the skills to use them bring these applications within the reach of grassroots communities,” he said.

The eBario-Unimas team is working with Sean Chai Ching Loong of Santumn Enterprise, a local firm that specialises in aerial photography with unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs).

Using both helium-filled balloons and UAVs, the team has begun to generate high-quality photo-montages that form the basis of detailed maps.

This month, the team visited Ba Kelalan in the highlands of northern Sarawak to test their approach in the field.

Community representatives expressed their interest in the results and have asked the team to return to extend their coverage into surrounding areas.

“Detailed maps are generally not available to the general public, or they are either prohibitively expensive or insufficiently detailed for the purposes that rural communities would wish to use them.

“Modern maps are based on aerial photographs but with low cost technologies and contemporary computer software, rural folk need not be excluded from their use. Actually, aerial photographs provide a truer representation of reality than even the most detailed maps,” he explained.

As more ICTs become available to Malaysia’s rural communities, and especially to those in isolated and remote locations, as with the eBario initiative and its sister projects in Ba Kelalan and other locations, so the residents can be facilitated towards more activities which they themselves prioritise and which cater to their specific needs.

Curtin, eBario, association ink MoU

http://www.theborneopost.com/2013/09/07/curtin-ebario-association-ink-mou/

Posted on September 7, 2013, Saturday

MIRI: Curtin Sarawak is extending its expertise in the development of student learning activities, training, research and collaborative projects with eBario Sendirian Berhad and Rurum Kelabit Sarawak.

A memorandum of understanding (MoU) on the project was signed recently between eBario chief executive officer Councillor John Tarawe, Laila Raja for Rurum Kelabit and outgoing Curtin Sarawak pro vice-chancellor Professor Ian Kerr.

Present to witness the signing were incoming pro vice-chancellor Professor Jim Mienczakowski, Curtin Sarawak Research Institute (CSRI) director Professor Aaron Goh, CSRI senior research fellow Dr Lisa Marie King and Supang Terawe of Rurum Kelabit Sarawak.

Mienczakowski said the MoU marked an important milestone for Curtin Sarawak and demonstrated its commitment to engage with local communities in its pursuit of academic excellence.

King, who was instrumental in establishing the cooperative relationship between the different parties, echoed Mienczakowki’s sentiments.

“As a member of CSRI, I am keen to apply my knowledge and expertise to enhance the well-being of communities in Sarawak. Our close engagement with eBario and Rurum Kelabit Sarawak will lead to significant activities and joint projects that can have a positive impact, both on the university’s learning experiences and the communities,” she said.

eBario Sdn Bhd is an award-winning initiative that runs projects and activities such as the eBario Telecentre, eBario Innovation Village, Radio Bario, eBario Knowledge Fair, Bario Slow Food Festival and eBorneo Research.

Tribute to a Kelabit paramount chief

http://www.theborneopost.com/2013/07/20/tribute-to-a-kelabit-paramount-chief/

by Lucy Bulan. Posted on July 20, 2013, Saturday

DEEPLY ROOTED: A family portrait.

Ngimat Ayu

A PIONEER, innovator and paramount chief of the Kelabits, Ngimat Ayu passed away on July 18, 2013 at the age of 92, leaving a legacy of immense love and kindness, outstanding leadership and tremendous wisdom.

Surrounded by his wife, children and grandchildren as he breathed his last, Ngimat Ayu was one Kelabit who had lived a full life and stood tall and strong amongst all odds.

As news of his passing began to reach people, especially Kelabits in Malaysia and those living in other parts of the world, condolence messages began pouring in to his immediate family members and relatives.

Many recalled fond memories of Ngimat Ayu and how much he will be missed.

Indeed, this man whom his grandchildren call a legend had left a lasting impression on everyone – young and old – who were fortunate to have met him.


Family history


Born on July 15, 1921 in Pa’ Main, Bario in the Kelabit highlands, Ngimat Ayu, whose given name was Gerawat Aran, was one of four children of Tagung Aran @ Ngemung Sakai and Sineh Tagung Aran.

His siblings were Lu’ui, Muda and Dayang (Tepuh Luyuq dedtur). Because he was quite sickly as a child, and according to Kelabit custom of meman anak, Gerawat was adopted and brought up by his uncle (his father’s youngest brother) Tekapen Raja and Edteh Kedieh Aran.

In 1955, he married Martha Padan from Long Pupung, Kerayan. In those days, he was one of the rare ones to get a bride from Kerayan, Kalimantan, a marriage arranged by their relatives. And as is the Kerayan custom, he had to pay a huge dowry for this beautiful, hardworking maiden of noble ancestry.

They were blessed with seven children – Abel, Anne, Felicity Ruran, Linda, Evelyn, Nancy Daun, and Scott Apoi. They became adoptive parents to three children of Gerawat’s sister and brother-in-law Tepuh Luyuq, both of whom had died early from sickness – Datin Sri Mariam Balan, Maria Peter Lu’ui and the late Tony Ngimat Ayu.

Following the birth of his eldest child, Abel Ngimat, Gerawat changed his name to Ngimat Ayu according to Kelabit tradition. Then on the birth of his first grandchild, Stephen Baya Peter (the son of Maria Peter Lu’ui), Ngimat Ayu changed his name to Belaan Tauh.

Meantime, Ngimat Ayu had adopted five other children. Today, he has 31 grandchildren and 18 great grandchildren.

Before going to school, young Ngimat Ayu (known then by his given name Gerawat) worked with the Allied Forces in the Japanese Resistance Army.

He remembered being in Ba’Kelalan and Belawit when the Japanese surrendered, and helped the Allied Forces to escort the Japanese out of Belawit.

He also fearlessly assisted Major Tom Harrison to fish out the Penan and the Iban from Indonesia who were believed to have murdered Hardin, the Resident of Marudi at the end of 1945.

Gerawat attended the first school set up by Major Tom Harrison in Pa’ Main Longhouse at the age of 24.

“Many parents were reluctant to allow their children to go to school,” he said.

“They insisted that they themselves had done very well without schooling —why waste time in school?”

But young Gerawat’s father was one of the chiefs responsible for the introduction of the first school in the community, so Gerawat became one of the first of 19 students to attend school when the school first opened in 1946.

The school Tom Harrison started had one teacher, Paul Kohuan from East Timor.

He taught Gerawat until Primary Four in Pa’ Main School, after which Tom Harrison brought Gerawat to Kuching to work in the Sarawak Museum.

His job was to collect and record artifacts for the Museum.

While working, he continued his Primary Five and Six education in Merpati Jepang through night studies.

Young Gerawat and his peers went to school with one vision in mind: to return to the Kelabit Highlands and serve the community (nuuh bawang), and to uplift their living condition.

So on completion of his primary school education, Tom Harrison told Gerawat he was to go into the medical line as there were enough Kelabit teachers already.

He acquiesced without question.


The medical assistant-dresser


Gerawat started his training as a medical assistant (then called dresser) in Kuching in 1951, and was the first Orang Ulu to be trained as a dresser.

“When I began my practical training in Kuching, I still had my Orang Ulu haircut and elongated earlobes, and the patients always asked to see the medical assistant, not knowing I was the one.

“I always told them ‘he is inside his room’ but treated them myself and only referred complicated cases to the senior medical officer,” he said.

Gerawat’s training was so comprehensive that he knew how to stitch wounds, conduct simple surgery like cutting off elongated earlobes, treat leprosy, pull out teeth, order and disburse medication and even deliver babies.

On his initial return to the Kelabit Highlands, Gerawat was accompanied and introduced as a dresser by SAO Kusil Tingang and Tom Harrison.

He was based in Pa’ Main, but made regular monthly trips to each outstation village in the highlands — from Long Banga in the south to all the villages in the Kelapang and Debpur basin, and to Kuba’an, Long Lellang and Seridan villages.

Even after being joined by other dressers later, he continued to be the travelling ‘medicine man’ for years, organising groups of porters from each village in making monthly trips to Lio Mattu to collect and carry medicine sent from Marudi for him to disburse.

He came up with the idea of using used cooking oil tins as storage containers for his medicine.

He stored them at each village so that he could reduce the number of porters to go around with him.

“I worked alone as the only dresser in the highlands for years. I never ran out of medicine. I made sure there was regular supply all the time even though transportation was very difficult.

“Everything had to be transported by boat from Marudi to Lio Mattu, and by land from thence to Bario. Today, you people have aeroplanes and helicopters to carry medicine to Bario, and you still have not enough stock of medicine! I cannot understand this,” he lamented.

Gerawat @ Ngimat Ayu served as ulu dresser altogether for 15 years (1951-65).

The effectiveness of his service, assisted afterwards by other health assistants, can be seen from the rapid disappearance of leprosy, skin diseases, malaria and fatal epidemics (kedta in Kelabit) that had plagued the Kelabits for generations and almost wiped out the tribe at one point.

One of his achievements had been to inculcate clean habits among the people.

“I got people to drink only boiled water and remove their livestock from under their longhouses and to disallow dogs from living together in the longhouses. I faced a great deal of opposition especially in this but with support from Tom Harrison and the missionaries, we succeeded in changing peoples’ lifestyles,” he said.


The paramount chief


In 1965, Tom Harrison arranged for an election of a new Penghulu to replace the then Penghulu Lawai Besara.

Four contestants stood for the post (Inan Mulun, Ulit Mattu, Galih Balang, and Ngimat Ayu) and Ngimat Ayu was elected.

He had to quit his post as medical assistant and thence began his long history as the paramount chief of the Kelabit.

Ngimat Ayu served as the only Kelabit Penghulu from 1966-1997.

And then in 1998, the government decided to appoint a Pemanca as the new paramount chief of the Kelabit.

Penghulu Ngimat Ayu was appointed and he served as Pemanca until 2005 with three new Penghulus as his assistants: Henry Jalla of Bario, Tulu Ayu of Long Seridan, and Gan Tuloi of Long Peluan. Ngimat Ayu was a visionary and an innovator.

During his tenure as the paramount chief, he witnessed the opening up of Bario Lem Baaq to rapid development, including the Codification of the Kelabit Customary Laws (the Adet Kelabit 2008), the building of an all-weather-airport, the introduction of ICT through e-Bario, the building of the inter village road within Bario and the road connecting Bario to the outside world, to name a few.

He strongly supported the idea of Bario Ceria and the provision of power supply through the solar farm in Bario, especially after the failed hydro-hybrid project.

His magnificent art of negotiation, extraordinary hospitality to guests and locals alike and his tremendous leadership skills have enabled him to gain much favour from people in authority on behalf of the Kelabit community.

His special ability to identify with young and old, educated and uneducated, strangers and family alike has endeared him to a multitude of people, making him easily approachable and loveable.

As far as he was able and available, he visited every sick person he knew, went to every funeral, attended every wedding he was invited to and was able to laugh and cry with people he knew.

In a nutshell, Ngimat Ayu made time for everyone.


Straddling two worlds


Ngimat Ayu has straddled many eras and was a pioneer in many fields.

He served as the first Orang Ulu medical assistant (ulu dresser) from 1951-65 and left his job to become the first elected Penghulu of the Kelabit from 1966-97.

He was then promoted to become the first Kelabit Pemanca from 1998-2005.

Ngimat Ayu was born (in 1921) before the Japanese Occupation and before the impact of the rule of the White Rajah had been fully felt by the Kelabit.

He had personally experienced the hardship under the old way of life but understood the value systems, the customs and traditions that gave the Kelabit their identity.

He lived through and fought during the Japanese Occupation and helped bridge the gap between our Indonesian neighbours and our people after the Indonesian-Malaysian Confrontation in the 1960’s.

He embraced Christianity as a first generation Christian in the highlands and witnessed the extraordinary impact their faith had on the Kelabit community.

He participated in the resettlement exercise whereby the neighbouring villages were relocated to Bario Lem Baaq during the Confrontation.

Thus, he experienced the hard work and excitement of opening up new horizons and fresh boundaries as well as the pain and loss of leaving the familiar.

As Penghulu, he was instrumental in settling many legal issues related to this relocation exercise in a peaceful manner.

Ngimat Ayu was a student pioneer of the first school in the Kelabit Highlands, and lived to see even his grandchildren finish university education.

He saw the schools in the Kelabit Highlands grow from the first primary school to lower secondary school level.

Before he died, he said: “My dream and vision is to see the secondary school in Bario reaching Form 5 level so that more students can reach Form 5 level instead of dropping out of school. Please don’t give up on the vision.”

Ngimat Ayu is one Kelabit man who has lived a full life, faced countless challenges and still stood tall and strong against all odds.

Clothed with God’s full armour, he was able, having done everything, to stand (Eph 6:13).

He leaves behind a legacy of immense love and kindness, outstanding leadership, and tremendous wisdom.

He is greatly missed by family, friends, the whole Kelabit community and all who knew him.

Farewell our father, cousin, uncle, grandfather. Rest in Peace. Until we meet again.

Wired to the world

http://www.thestar.com.my/Lifestyle/Features/2013/04/22/Wired-to-the-world.aspx

Published: Monday April 22, 2013 MYT 12:00:00 AM
Updated: Friday April 26, 2013 MYT 12:30:24 AM

Spark! by ALVIN UNG

Aishah working on her blog. The Internet has given her new opportunities for growth.

The amazing untold story of how broadband was made accessible to rural Malaysia, thanks largely to the initiative of a quiet man with a big vision.

ONE hot afternoon in March, I bought a woollen hat woven by a young woman living in Felda Jengka 24, an oil palm plantation in the heart of Pahang.

The brown-and-yellow hat was adorned with a three-dimensional white flower. Aishah took eight hours to crochet the hat. It was for sale for RM18.

“Can I buy this hat online?” I asked, as we chatted at a rural broadband Internet centre which began as a Pusat Internet Desa, or PID.

“Yes, I’m on Facebook,” said Aishah, smiling shyly, as she sat on a tall chair. “Just let me know the size, colours, and how many flowers you want on the hat. You can also contact me on Yahoo Messenger.”

I fished out two red notes from my wallet. I wasn’t sure how to hand her the money.

“Thank you for buying the hat,” Aishah said in Bahasa Malaysia, as she raised her leg high. She took the two bills from me using her big toe and second toe.

Nur Aishah Ariffin, 26, the youngest in a family of six children, was born with stumps instead of arms. The school teachers did not allow her to enrol in school, so she stayed at home watching television everyday until she turned 18, when she joined a community centre. She taught herself how to crochet. Using her feet, she used scissors to snip yarn, wrapped the yarn around the crochet hook, and began pulling loops. She made beautiful hats and bags.

But what use was it to sell a woollen hat in the middle of an oil palm plantation? Who would buy Aishah’s foot-made products? How would this motivated, bright young woman find opportunities for growth and learning?

Aishah’s story of untapped potential could be repeated thousands of times in rural households all across the country. Even for people who do not face the daily challenge of living without hands and arms, the rural poor face other kinds of invisible disabilities. For example, they spend far more time and money to do the things city folk take for granted, whether it is reading the news, writing an e-mail, or applying for entrance into universities.

The Internet is the great leveller. Global research has shown that the rollout of Internet services in rural communities can reduce urban migration while generating new income and home businesses in villages.

Getting there has been a challenge for Malaysia. Less than 15 years ago, Internet penetration in the country was less than 10%. None of the primary or secondary schools were wired to the Internet.

Access in rural areas was zilch. Most villagers had not seen a computer.

Since then Malaysia has been playing catch-up. The biggest game changer is the Communications Multimedia Act (CMA 1998) introduced as one of the Bills of Guarantee for the Multimedia Super Corridoor (MSC). This Act encourages the building of civil society. Less known, but equally important, is one of the 10 objectives: “to ensure an equitable provision of affordable services over ubiquitous national infrastructure.” In other words, rural folks should also get access to affordable Internet technology.

But creating sound policy and passing laws is only the first mile in a marathon. It is the ability to implement simple, scalable and sustainable solutions that will ensure whether the change effort endures or withers away.

Therein comes the rub: It is not in the interest of private telecommunications to spend billions to lay out broadband for so few people across jungles, rivers and mountains. And even after you build Internet centres in villages, it is an even bigger challenge to educate the people to use the Net.

Last month, a Felda settler and village chief told me that when he first sighted a desktop PC, he grabbed the mouse by its “tail” and swung it like a lasso.

So who were the people who helped to build the foundation for rural broadband access in Malaysia? And years later, has that made a difference?

“Dr Halim is the man you’re looking for,” declared Dr Fadhlullah Suhaimi Abdul Malek, the NKEA director at Pemandu. “He’s the spark who made broadband accessible in the rural setting. During a time when broadband was not available, he was persistent in pushing for the idea. He convinced the telcos to join in. And he always went down to the ground to make sure things were happening. It’s an amazing, untold story.”

A few weeks later, I found myself sitting in a Proton Perdana with Datuk Seri Dr Halim Shafie, the chairman of Telekom Malaysia (TM), as we drove along the Karak Highway to visit a community broadband centre in Jengka, a two hours’ drive from Kuala Lumpur.

In 1999, when Halim was appointed as deputy secretary-general of the Ministry of Energy, Water and Communications, there was no broadband outside the city. Today there are hundreds of rural broadband centres. More than a hundred are being set up this year. All 10,000 schools and hundreds of rural libraries are broadband-enabled. Halim helped to kick-start these initiatives.

“How did you even get started?” I asked Halim.

“We started by asking a question,” Halim recollected as our car motored past trucks going uphill on the Karak Highway. “How do we push communications and the Internet into rural areas?”

“If you can put Internet access into Bario, you can put it anywhere,” said Leo Moggie, the then energy minister from Kanuwit, Sarawak.

Bario was a Kelabit village in the highlands of Sarawak near the Kalimantan border. As a kid, Idris Jala (now CEO of Pemandu) recollected walking one week through jungle and travelling another week by boat to reach Miri.

Halim enlisted Telekom Malaysia, Mimos and Unimas to install a VSAT facility and an Internet centre so that villagers could access voice and Internet services via satellite. When the service was launched in 2000, the headmistress in Bario spoke, in tears: “For the first time in our history, we can make a phone call from Bario.”

Halim was almost in tears, too. “We saw how the Internet opened up the whole world for rural folks, particularly kids,” Halim told me.

Now the challenge was scalability: how do you do this again and again in hundreds of obscure villages in Sabah, Sarawak and Peninsular Malaysia? And how do you put in place the systems and structures to make such an undertaking sustainable over the long-term? Or to put it bluntly: how do you avoid building glorified cyber-cafes left to rot in the jungle?

Interestingly enough, Halim’s childhood prepared him to tackle these perplexing questions.

Halim grew up in a rural village in Kuala Ketil near Sungai Petani, Kedah, where he walked or cycled 5km to an estate primary school called Batu Pekaka English School, led by the then headmaster David Raman.

“David was the best teacher I ever had. He knew we all came from very poor families,” said Halim, who grew up selling rubber, bananas, chickens and flowers from the backyard in order to buy rice, flour and kerosene. When Halim entered Standard Six, the headmaster applied for Halim to enter Malay College Kuala Kangsar (MCKK) even though Halim had not heard about the famous boarding school.

“David was extraordinarily kind and committed to us. He gave us opportunities we never had. I could never repay the debt I owed him,” Halim said.

Halim went to MCKK without a school uniform during the first week but he made the decision to work harder than anyone else. He woke up in the pre-dawn hours and walked alone across a dark field (where the “Green Lady” was rumoured to haunt) so that he could study in a lit classroom.

Halim subsequently read Economics in Universiti Malaya, graduated in the top 2% in the Masters programme at Pittsburgh University in Pennsylvania, the United States, and obtained a PhD in Information Transfer from Syracuse University (in New York, the United States) in 1988.

“I am not intelligent,” Halim said. “Coming from a rural school, I did not get much exposure to the world. But I realised I could go somewhere in life because I made the decision to work harder than almost anyone, almost anywhere.”

Hard work drew him across the divide from rural poverty to the urban middle class where he spent nearly three decades climbing the ranks in several government ministries until he became secretary-general of the Ministry of Energy, Water and Communications in 2000.

At this point, unknown to him, all the pieces of the jigsaw were now in place for Halim to repay the debt he owed to his primary school headmaster.

Halim’s reminisces were interrupted by our arrival at Felda Jengka 24 – a squat building with a dozen PCs, WiFi, a living room area and a training room. The TM chairman was given an official welcome.

Amid the speeches, I found myself drawn towards Muhammad Shafudin, manager of the community broadband centre, which was recently rebranded as Pusat Internet 1Malaysia. As we chatted, I discovered that Shafudin’s essentially a tech evangelist who transformed the broadband outpost into a community hub.

Since starting his job in 2010, he has trained more than 1,400 people on how to use Word, access the Internet, assemble computers and set up a blog. He has educated home-makers on the dangers of cyber crime. He has helped grassroots entrepreneurs set up blogs and e-commerce sites to sell products such as coins, rings, keris, frozen food, apple vinegar, olive oil, papaya seed extract, and virgin coconut oil.

“We try to give our best using the existing infrastructure in this centre,” Shafudin told me. “We do everything from sweeping the rubbish to recruiting volunteers and emceeing community events.”

If the elderly cannot come to the centre, Shafudin and his assistant manager will bring computers to their homes to educate them. Last year, Shafudin made a video on Aishah’s story which won a U-Pustaka 2012 national award.

What keeps Shafudin, a Gen Y university graduate, motivated to work in a rural place? Shafudin said he is allowed to earn extra income when he opens the centre after hours or when he provides a service, such as installing Windows into a PC.

“I use the centre to help the community, but the community also helps me. My work here has given me the business opportunities to improve my life,” said Shafudin, the father of a one-year-old son.

Ongoing efforts to bridge the urban-rural divide are being coordinated under Pemandu’s Economic Transformation Plan – in an Entry Point Project called “Extending Reach.” The first initiative is building community broadband centres such as the one I visited; 162 new community broadband centres are expected to be set up this year. The second initiative provides wireless access to selected villages through an initiative called “Kampung Tanpa Wayar.” There were 2,489 rural wireless spots built in 2012; 689 more wireless sites are planned for 2013.

Of course, transforming any community requires a combination of high-tech and down-to-earth initiatives, including revamping the local Saturday market.

One of the projects which Pemandu is coordinating with the Federal Agriculture Marketing Authority (FAMA) is to modernise local markets into a 24-hour community market called Pasar Komuniti in Jengka.

Azlin Abdullah, a Felda manager, told me the Jengka community – comprising 70,000 people who live in Maran, Jerantut and Temerloh – were fortunate to have four Internet centres. “With these centres, the kids don’t have to go to cybercafes. During school breaks, hundreds of children come here everyday. The older kids use the centre to fill in online applications for universities,” Azlin said.

“When I was in the city, I didn’t dare to touch a computer,” said Samad Arshad, the ketua peneroka of Felda 24. “Now I dare to hold a mouse.”

On our car ride back to Kuala Lumpur, I found Halim in a reflective mode.

“When we put Internet access in rural areas for farmers, housewives and kids, we are opening up their world. I really believe in that. There are kids with potential everywhere. What we need to do is provide them opportunities and facilities to realise their potential,” he told me.

At that moment, something clicked for me. I realised there wouldn’t be a Shafudin or an Aishah talking to me today if not for the foundation that Halim built a decade ago when he was secretary-general of the Ministry of Energy.

“You built a foundation of success for these people just as David Raman built the foundation for you,” I told Halim.

“What I’ve done is nowhere near what David has done for me and so many others,” Halim said immediately. After a while he nodded slowly. “But, yes, I suppose I am now doing it for others.”

Aishah herself is a recipient of Halim’s – and David Raman’s – legacy.

Since meeting Shafudin at the community broadband centre in Jengka, Aishah has begun sharing her story through her Facebook page and selling hats, bags and origami items through the Internet.

Aishah’s now downloading YouTube videos to learn beading which she hopes will make her products more saleable.

“If I could, I would come here everyday. I’m learning so much by studying what other people do in art and craft,” Aishah said, as she keenly observed me taking notes on my iPad.

Now Aishah sells only a couple of hats or bags a month. But that’s not the point. The point is that the Internet has connected Aishah to the world.

She now has the opportunity to contribute her talents in ways she could never have done before. Who knows where this will lead her? So if you are able to connect tens of thousands of Aishahs to the rest of the world, then you are, in the words of Steve Jobs, making a dent in the universe.

“There are thousands of people in the most rural areas who will flourish when we give them opportunities,” said Halim as our car re-entered Kuala Lumpur. “Even under the most extreme circumstances, we can discover human potential.”

■ Alvin Ung is a facilitator, executive coach and author of the bestselling book Barefoot Leadership. To view more videos, photos and insights on Datuk Seri Dr Halim Shafie, please visit www.businesscircle.com.my. The column and multimedia content are a collaborative effort between the columnist and the Economic Transformation Programme.

Bario woman elevated as High Court judge

http://www.theborneopost.com/2012/09/29/bario-woman-elevated-as-high-court-judge/

by Khabil Kiram. Posted on September 29, 2012, Saturday

Supang and her husband, Geoffry William Mariner.

SANDAKAN: Former Judicial Commissioner Supang Lian, whose humble beginning started in the far-flung village of Paq Umur in Bario, Sarawak, was yesterday elevated to a High Court judge and will return to serve in her native Sarawak as High Court judge in Sibu effective mid-October to replace Justice Datuk Yew Jen Kie.

“Who would have dreamt that an indigenous girl from the rainforest of Borneo from an ethnic group barely 5,000 in number could possibly become a High Court judge?

“One thing is certain and it says a lot for our nation … that the people with a background like mine are given that opportunity,” said Supang in her speech during her elevation ceremony.

She attributes her success to her late father, who imbued her with a strong sense of independence and self-belief.

“My father was among the first Kelabit from the highland to have obtained some form of formal education and at a young age he was recruited into the British Constabulary Force and was stationed mainly in Kuching.

“When we grew up, he spoke of the world far and beyond the mountains and as was then possible in the longhouse setting, he nourished us with a greater latitude to find our own ways in life, for he believed in us and inspired us to reach for the stars,” she said.

Supang also expressed her fondness for Sabah, averring that Sabahans are welcoming, unassuming and friendly, leading her to the discovery “that everyone here can sing and dance.”

She expressed tremendous thankfulness for the position of trust bestowed upon her as well as gratitude to a long list of people, including her Irish husband, Geoffry William Mariner and her other family members, fellow judges and members of the legal fraternity.

Petronas holds education camp at SK Bario

http://www.theborneopost.com/2011/10/27/petronas-holds-education-camp-at-sk-bario/

Posted on October 27, 2011, Thursday

MIRI: Some 80 SK Bario pupils attended the Petronas Science Educamp programme at the school from Oct 21-24.

Pupils from Primary 4 to 6 took part in experiential learning activities with emphasis on Science, Mathematics and English.

“We would like to thank Petronas for bringing a new fun learning experience to the pupils and teachers in Bario,” SK Bario headmistress Dora Tigan said during the closing ceremony.

Spearheaded by Petronas Sarawak Regional Office, Miri in collaboration with wholly-owned subsidiary Petrosains, the programme targets pupils in remote areas.

Corporate affairs senior executive Suffian Sabeli said the main objectives of the programme included exposing pupils to varying concepts of science and technology, as well as igniting an interest in science and technology careers.

It is also designed to assist teachers to think out of the box by seeking alternative teaching resources. In December, another programme will be held at SK Ba Kelalan, Lawas.

Similar programmes were carried out at SK Long Bedian and SK Long Bemang in Miri Division; SK Long Tuma, SK Long Luping and SK Long Napir, Limbang Division; SK Batu 36 in Sibu Division; and SK Dua Sungai, Mukah Division.

New Radio Bario hits the airwaves at 94.5 MHz FM

http://www.theborneopost.com/2011/10/15/new-radio-bario-hits-the-airwaves-at-94-5-mhz-fm/

Posted on October 15, 2011, Saturday

BARIO: The Kelabit community of Bario became better connected on Thursday when their brand new radio station hit the airwaves. Radio Bario is Malaysia’s first community-run radio station, and the Kelabit community never had their own broadcast media, until now.

Representing a milestone in Malaysia’s broadcasting and media development, Radio Bario is a project by eBario Sdn Bhd, the organisation which operates the eBario telecentre, with funding from the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) — under their Indigenous Peoples Assistance Facility.

It is operated ‘by and for the community’ and has a limited radius of between 20-30 kilometres from the station, serving the scattered longhouses and farms.

The creation of Radio Bario is highly significant. Not only will the station broadcast in the Kelabit language, but for the first time listeners will hear news, interviews, stories and music with direct relevance to their culture and history.

Radio Bario has also been successful in mobilising the local community to make the station their own.

The people of Bario undertake every role, from on-air presentation to collecting local news and encouraging the participation of the whole community.

It is the product of four years of planning by eBario Sdn Bhd, which collaborated with RadioActive Ltd. RadioActive is a UK-based company with a strong track record in installing community radio stations.

They provide equipment, training and technical assistance to help build community radio stations around the world, having previously worked in over 20 countries in Africa, Asia and Latin America.

Community radio is a not-for-profit low-cost limited reach broadcasting facility providing a variety of information and entertainment services to the residents of a restricted geographical area.

Normally operated by volunteer programme producers drawn from within the community itself, its function is to supplement mainstream broadcasting with local news, entertainment and cultural programming, mostly in the local language.

John Tarawe of eBario expects that the success of the Radio Bario launch would lead to the launch of other community stations in Malaysia. He said in a press release, “our work with eBario has demonstrated a successful track record with community mobilisation. Radio is one of the best examples of that.”

RadioActive director Max Graef says; “Radio Bario is our 50th project. Each one is unique, but Bario has been a memorable experience because of the warmth and commitment of the local community.

“After just a few training sessions we’re already hearing some great results on air. Community radio can have a great impact, especially considering the low costs involved in getting a station started. We hope to see many other communities in Malaysia benefiting from this technology in the near future.”

As national radio does not reach many of the isolated and remote rural parts of Sarawak, and with its assortment of mother-tongue languages, community radio opens up a new channel of communication for the State’s underserved communities.

Moreover, it provides opportunities for conducting public debates on issues of local interest.

With the widespread use of hand phones these days, listeners can participate in phone-ins from wherever they happen to be.

Useful information can now be easily spread throughout isolated communities in a faster, more timely and economical manner than ever before.

Stanley Isaac, the station manager, is one person who’d endorse this view. A former schoolteacher, Stanley presented Radio Bario’s very first live programme in his native Kelabit.

“For three years it was a dream. Now people are blinking their eyes and saying “Is it true?” he enthused.

Ex-Pemanca Ngimat Ayu added: “This is a very important thing because the indigenous communities don’t hear themselves in the mainstream media and now we feel connected. This will help to conserve and preserve our language and our identity.”

Given the positive experience of Radio Bario’s launch, eBario and RadioActive have formed a joint venture to install more radio stations in Malaysia.

At a recent dialogue in Miri, several representatives of other indigenous groups in Sarawak expressed their interest in establishing their own community radio stations.

Anyone interested to do so can contact John Tarawe on 0194381777 or by email at john.tarawe@gmail.com.

Green project to save interior folk from pollution set to become national model

http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2011/7/12/sarawak/9081134&sec=sarawak

Tuesday July 12, 2011

By STEPHEN THEN
stephenthen@thestar.com.my

MIRI: A pioneer project is taking shape in the mountainous interior of Bario to devise an environment-friendly method of waste disposal for rural communities without modern waste disposal system.

If successful, this first such project in the state and perhaps even in the country, may become the model for other rural waste disposal options nationwide.

The pioneer project in the northern region is impressive not only because of its significance but also because it was sparked off by a group of university students and the local communities in Bario.

Energy, Green Technology and Water Ministry, after getting wind of the effort, now wants to help make it a success and then use it as a blueprint for rural waste disposal and management for the nation, says Datuk Sebastian Ting, the political secretary of Minister Datuk Seri Peter Chin.

Not so isolated anymore: The once pristine Bario highlands in the northern region is fast becoming polluted due to excessive human activities and development projects.

It all started when several students from Curtin University of Technology, Sarawak Campus visited the Bario highlands recently and found the once clean and clear rivers there polluted due to blatant waste discharge.

Kelabit student Rachel Kedung Bulan decided to rope in a few mates from John Curtin Leadership Academy, a volunteer group to start a project called ‘Don’t Dump In Bario’ or in local Kelabit dialect — Ngebata Ngeribed Bario.

Rachel formed a team made up of Mohsen Taheri, Eze Oriekwo, Syed Jamal Kazmi and Joanne Liew to kick-start the project to carry out an education campaign to stop blatant rubbish and waste dumping into the rivers in Bario.

The group also set up a project to reduce, reuse and recycle, and then designed a proper system to dispose of human and household wastes in a green manner.

Rachel said the beautiful pristine image of Bario was getting tainted by too much development projects that had resulted in serious environmental repercussions because of the absence of rubbish or waste disposal treatment plant in the area.

“In the past, the rivers in Bario were so clean, people could jump in and swim any time. That is no longer possible. Rubbish are flowing down the rivers freely,” she said yesterday.

She attrributed this to the development taking place in Bario today and the freer movement of goods and people.

According to her, the once isolated settlements there were now accessible not only by air but also by road.

“Bario is facing unprecedented influx of people and tourists and this surge in human activities along with the construction of roads have resulted in a sudden increase in the amount of wastes and rubbish generated. We need to restore the beautiful image of Bario.”

Elaborating on the project, she said what they were undertaking would involve three phases.

“The first phase involves an education campaign against blatant dumping of wastes and rubbish in Bario.

“The second phase, to reduce, reuse and recycle while the third phase is to devise a sustainable long-term system to decompose biodegradable wastes and green disposal methods that will carry minimal impact on the environment,” she said.

Curtin Sarawak University Life manager Haslina Abdul Malek told The Star that Rurum Kelabit Sarawak Association and Sarawak Shell had joined in the effort, with Shell giving RM10,000 to help finance the project.

“An environmental expert from Japan (Naoko Sumiyoshi) is also joining in to give technical advice on how best to handle the project.

“We hope to come up with a green waste disposal system for Bario before end of this year,” she said.

Ting said the ministry was excited with the Bario project not only because it was the first of its kind but also because it could serve as a model for other rural communities, if successful.

“It is a well-known fact that rural settlements in the deep interior of Sarawak and other states do not have any modern waste disposal system or waste treatment plants.

“If Bario can come up a waste disposal system that is green, it can be used as model for other rural settlements as well,” he said.

Asked what his ministry could do to help the Bario project, he said it could seek specialist help for the Bario team and also get more funds from other relevant ministries such as Rural and Regional Development Ministry.

Ting said he would be visiting Bario next week to meet the team and to see for himself what sort of help the ministry could offer.

Kelabit-owned Persafe Engineering receives certificates of excellence

http://www.theborneopost.com/?p=110092

Kelabit-owned Persafe Engineering receives certificates of excellence

Posted on March 29, 2011, Tuesday

BINTULU: Its was a commendable achievement by a Bumiputera company recognised for its speed and creativity in delivering quality products and services to its clients, said Sarawak Immigration Department director Datu Robert Lian.

He was commenting on the achievement of Persafe Engineering Sdn Bhd, a company wholly owned by Kelabit ethnic minority of Sarawak for being awarded with the ISO 2001:2008 and OHSAS 1800:2007 certifications.

“This is indeed a special recognition accorded to Persafe Engineering for having established quality management system, which include an effective and efficient organisation structure, policies, procedures and practices in place for managing its processes or business activities throughout its business operations,” he said when speaking at the certificates presentation cum appreciation dinner held last Saturday night.

“I have no doubt that these important elements or ingredients have shaped the corporate culture and contributed towards the rapid and impressive growth of the company since its inception 15 years ago,” he added.

Working hard to meet the changing industry requirements of the day has given the company a strong reputation as one of the best service providers for the oil and gas sector with good prospect to venture for business opportunities outside Malaysia, he said.

He said as the company continues to move forward in search for more business opportunities, it will face new challenges brought about by the rapidly evolving information technology and the process of globalisation.

“I am happy to note that the company has taken the right step to continually adjust its structure and procedures in order to sustain competitiveness and long term survival.

“For this strategy to succeed, the board, management and staff of the company will have to take full responsibility and be accountable for the activities under their charge. They should be conversant with the scope and extent of their accountability and be provided with the necessary reporting and monitoring systems,” said Lian.

In the course of time, it is expected that the company’s business operations will continue to grow and expand both domestically and overseas thus he stressed strong commitment is required besides proactive leadership in wanting to drive further progress.

He said the support of human capital and the implementation of various key initiatives are essential.

It is therefore imperative for the company to continue taking proactive actions to develop professional and business skills and know-how of employees in order to empower them with the right competencies to focus on growth, operational excellence, human capital development and other critical issues, he lamented.

Lian said working as a team is important with each business unit lending an unconditional support to each other.

“You will need the support and help your colleagues and your success or failure will depend on how good a team player you are.

“Knowing the company have the right initiatives, culture and esprit de corps, together you should strive to achieve the company’s vision of becoming the most ‘preferred contractor’ in the region,” he said.