The great Sarawak cat drop

http://www.theborneopost.com/2014/02/09/the-great-sarawak-cat-drop/

by Tom McLaughlin. 

Posted on February 9, 2014, Sunday

Rice ready to be harvested is seen in Bario.

Bario cats and rats — Sketch by Borneo Niki, Kuching Waterfront

PROBABLY one of the most bizarre and unbelievable stories ever to come out of Sarawak was the report that the Royal Air Force parachuted cats into Bario in 1960.

The story begins with the attempt to eradicate malaria in the Kelabit Highlands.

A report in the Straits Times states that F LaChance, a World Health Organisation (WHO) entomologist was leaving Sarawak after successfully eradicating malaria. He had also sprayed houses in the “inaccessible Kelabitt (sic) Plateau”.

According to an article in the American Journal of Public Health, LaChance and his team would enter a longhouse and spray the insecticide DDT and/or BHC on the walls and under the beds of longhouses.
The residue would dry into white powder and remain effective for six months where the application would have to be applied again. It was felt this was enough to eradicate the mosquito carrying the malaria parasite plasmodium.

However, during a local malaria conference, the Kelabit community reported a  deterioration of the thatch on the roof of the longhouse. A team of WHO investigators was sent to investigate and found that a moth caterpillar population, which lived in the thatch, had exploded. They were literally consuming the roofs.

An investigation followed and it was found the DDT had affected a small chaclid wasp, which laid its eggs in the body of the caterpillar controlling the population.

Counts showed the caterpillar population had increased by 50 per cent. It was decided to spray the homes and roofs with a very toxic pesticide, which killed both the caterpillars and the wasps.

From around the world, including Sabah and Sarawak, reports flooded in about the die off of cats who licked their paws after walking across the roofs and rubbing their sides after the more potent spraying.

Villagers reported that the cats “would have the shakes, get sick, linger for a few days, and die”. Toxicology reports from the Center for Disease Control in Atlanta, USA confirmed the levels of insecticide in the cats’ systems were enough to cause the die off.

With the demise of the cats came the rats. A 1959 WHO Field Report informed the “field rats were a greater menace than usual, partly as a result of anti-malarial spraying which accidentally killed many cats”.

In his book ‘Fairland Sarawak’, Alastair Morrison reported that the popular and debonair district officer Malcom MacSporran was sleeping when a rat chewed through his pillow, apparently to remove the stuffing for a nest.

The bon vivant screamed out word that the town was being overrun by rats. John Seal, the assistant director of Civil Aviation in Kuching, received the call and another report stated the Kuching Fire Brigade was enlisted to round up cats to save the Bario rice crop from devastation.

MacSporran then enlisted an RAF plane to drop cats over Bario. Unfortunately, it was cloudy and the plane had to proceed to Jesselton (now Kota Kinabalu). The kind-hearted crew let the cats out for the night in a secure shed.

The plane took off the next morning after a battle to put the unwilling cats back into the wicker baskets. The plane was diverted to Brunei because the clouds had not dissipated.

Later the weather improved and the now bloody, scratched and testy crew parachuted the felines into Bario.

It is not known how many cats survived the drop or the condition of the man who opened the wicker baskets to let out the by then very angry cats.

Both the Straits Times and the Singapore Free Press of March 17, 1960 reported that 23 cats “expertly packed in wicker baskets” were airlifted and parachuted into Bario via an RAF Beverly Transport plane along with seven tons of other supplies.

They were engaged to help the Bario people to fight the rats, which had virtually destroyed the food supplies. The Straits Times report stated they were a gift “from the citizens of Kuching”.

Two years after the ‘parachuting cats’ incident, Rachel Carson’s ‘Silent Spring’ was published, kicking off the environmental movement. Many think Carson wrote the book after reading about the incident.

The United States banned DDT after testimony about the deaths of cats in Bario and other incidents. A worldwide ban of DDT was signed in 2001.

DDT has now been shown to cause breast and other cancers, male infertility, low birth rate, miscarriages and organ damage in humans. The facts are indisputable.

There is an organised attempt to bring DDT back to control malaria in Africa and Asia. Based on the ill effects of DDT, the global community must be vigilant against its return.

Association receives funds in memory of Ngimat Ayu

http://www.theborneopost.com/2013/07/25/association-receives-funds-in-memory-of-ngimat-ayu/

Posted on July 25, 2013, Thursday

THANK YOU: Association representative Jacqueline Buri (back fifth right) receives the donation from Ngimat’s youngest daughter Nancy Daun in the presence of family members.

MIRI: The Miri Palliative Care Association received RM2,000 donation from the family of the late Kelabit paramount chief Ngimat Ayu recently.

His daughter Enne said the family will also donate all profits from sales of the book ‘A Tribute to a Kelabit Paramount Chief’ as a sign of appreciation for the association.

“The people from the Miri Palliative Care Association visited our family, particularly my late father, once every two weeks after he became very sick last February.

“We were so thankful to the association for helping us to go through the moment where they taught us more on how to care for our father,” she said.

Enne explained that Ngimat was diagnosed with cancer about three years ago and the family had been terrified when they first heard the news.

“Apart from our own family, friends and relatives, we have the people from the association visiting us and giving us the moral support we needed,” she said.

She urged those who wished to help those in need, especially cancer patients, to become association members or volunteers, adding she will also register as a volunteer.

“I was driven to become a volunteer because I have seen how they cared for my late father. He was well-taken care of and why not I do something for other people as well, especially for cancer patients,” she said.

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.

On the road

http://www.theborneopost.com/2012/10/21/248759/

by Chang Yi. Posted on October 21, 2012, Sunday


Penan mothers and early childhood learning 

THE tebung (hollow wood drum) of Bario sounds the wake-up call at 5.30am like clockwork everyday. And indeed it is the clock of the Highlands.

FOR A BETTER FUTURE: A Penan mother walking her child to school in the early hours of the morning.

The beautiful rainforest sound resonates through the forest, rousing the late wakers among the fauna as well as the little children of Bario Asal and the surrounding villages.

The tebung (at least one in each Highland village) also belts out the same wake-up call in the other settlements although not all at 5.30am like Bario. For example, at Pa Adang (a Penan settlement) in the upper reaches of the Lawas valley, the wake-up call is at 6am.

Usually, by this time, many Penan mothers from Aral Dalan will be walking along the lonely path to Bario Asal where their children attend pre-school and primary classes. They walk for one hour (from six to seven) and surprisingly – to many urbanites – will arrive at school fresh and happy. This is a feat not many city people can easily fathom.

After placing their children safely at school, the Penan mothers walk for another hour home. Their next journey (on foot) to Bario is at 11am to pick up their children. After that, it’s another hour’s walk home. Walking long distances is part of Penan life from time immemorial.

Pre-school education in Sarawak and Malaysia in general provides a simple meal cooked by the teachers and teaching assistants. Hence, the Penan mothers do not have to bring lunch packs to their children. Most of the Penan children are underweight. Some even look just three years old – not five!

According to medical doctors serving in Sarawak, Penan children may be small due to various factors like lack of proper nutrition and good healthcare. Genetically, the Penans are small in stature and very fine-boned.

In the early mornings at the Bario Highlands, the temperatures can be as cool as 23 degrees celcius or lower. And it used to be even lower when luxuriant tall trees covered the mountains and no roads were known to the Penans.

The Penan mothers and children who walk to Bario, wear wind breakers or warm woollen clothes. And some of the children are so used to being barefooted that they don’t necessarily wear shoes (most cannot afford shoes anyway).

WAITING FOR MUM: A Penan boy waiting for his mother to pick him up from school.

The mothers I met said they were from Aral Dalan, a Kelabit village now giving them generous space and shelter. Some of these Penans are actually building their huts near the National Park of Pulong Tau. Being nomadic in the past, they cannot say exactly where their original settlement was because they were free to roam and hunt a long time ago.

So far, upon settling down, they are co-existing well with their Kelabit neighbours in Aral Dalan and Bario Asal.

The state government and its various agencies have long been finding ways to identify suitable areas for the Penans, “locate” them and “resettle” them like at Batu Bungan in the Baram.

Geographically, the Penans used to be known or classified as nomadic tribes who moved from place to place in the north eastern parts of Sarawak and the upper reaches of the Limbang and Lawas Rivers. Further south, they were found in the Kelabit Highlands and the Belaga region or the upper Rajang.

Last nomadic tribes

Today, some remnant groups are known to be the last of the nomadic tribes of Sarawak. Several groups have settled down and are receiving good education. About 100 Penans have obtained diplomas and degrees since the formation of Malaysia while one or two are already millionaires.

Bario is a special case because more than 20 Penan families have settled at Aral Dalan, a village about one hour from Bario. According to some villagers, the Penans have moved to this part because their children can attend school at neaby Bario. Besides, the environment near the National Park of Pulong Tau also seems most viable to their lifestyle.

Young Penan parents are sending their children to pre-primary and primary schools in Bario. Moreover, many are fairly comfortable with the kind Kelabits who share the same religious beliefs.

The Penan parents also like the primary school teachers from all parts of the state – Kapit and Sibu, for example. According to a little Penan boy, these teachers are not only caring but can also teach very well.

PART TIME JOB: This Penan girl is working temporarily for the primary school in Bario.

For the very first time, they are interacting and having good social life in school. Furthermore, they can broaden their outlook by participating in everyday learning in the classrooms with children from the other communities such as Malays and even Bidayuhs (children from the Army Camp at Bario).

Several children at the Bario Primary School are of mixed parentage – Kelabit-Chinese and Lun-Bawang-Kelabit.

It is from their primary school experience that the Penan children are able to have a wider world view.

One young Penan girl, now working temporarily at the primary school, said she hoped to get a permanent job with the government. This, she added, would give her and her family a steady income.
She is looking forward to the day when she either goes for further studies or gets a permanent job with the government. She is not afraid to leave Bario for other parts of the world.

THUMBS-UP: These two Penan children walk long distances everyday to attend pre-school in Bario.

According to a professional in Marudi, many of the myths about the Penans are not being debunked. He noted that with better government facilities being provided in the remote areas, more and more Penans are settling down.

Penan parents now realise the importance of keeping their children in school throughout the whole school year as opposed to the common perception that Penan parents will take their children out of school during the fruit season.

Perhaps, this is still being done by some Penan parents in the remotest parts of the state but it is very rare because of changes to their lifestyle, good advice from the community leaders and better educational facilities provided by the government in the interior.

More and more Penans want their children to be educated and get permanent jobs as teachers and government servants after leaving school.

As one Penan mother puts it: That’s why I’m willing to walk four hours everyday to send my two children to school. It’s their future. It’s also my future.

Whispering Hope

http://www.theborneopost.com/2012/10/14/whispering-hope/

by Chang Yi. Posted on October 14, 2012, Sunday


A YOUNG Kelabit girl cried for days when she could not further her education in Marudi. Elsewhere, the Bario Government Secondary School had been set up and she was to join the first Form 1 batch in the new school with the rest of her Bario Primary 6 peers.

NEW HOPE: Rokiah with the Penan children she met while they were walking to the school.

She felt as if her dream of joining older relatives in Marudi and Miri were dashed. However, three years later, upon completion of her Form 3 in Bario, she moved further afield – to study at St Teresa’s School in Kuching.

Her life from thence would be fairytale-like. And dearest to her heart, she was able to help her family in ways she never dreamed of. Instead of becoming a doctor herself, she married a doctor and not only brought up all her younger siblings but put them through college and university. Now, after bringing up her own two children it is time for her to do something for her community in the Bario Highlands.

This is the story of a Bario-born Kelabit lady, PDNR Datin Pearl Jai Mohan (PJK) and District Extension chairman (2012-2013) of Inner Wheel District 330. In West Malaysia, she is often mistaken for a North Indian lady because of her name and their unfamiliarity with the Kelabit ethnic group.

Recently, she and her friends went to Bario to carry out an Inner Wheel Whispering Hope project. They donated six large boxes of materials, including pencil cases and other items, to the Bario Primary School students.The excess luggage (for the donation) charged by MAS was RM300.

Headmistress Dora Tigang was delighted to host a special morning assembly to welcome the three Inner Wheel members – Pearl herself, Rokiah Abdul from the Kota Kinabalu branch and Florence Enau, president of Sarawak Inner Wheel. In Bario, they were joined by Inner Wheeler Joanna Joy.

CARING GESTURE: The Inner Wheel members handing over presents for the students of Bario Primary School to headmistress Dora.

The morning assembly gave the ladies the opportunity to speak from their hearts to the children.
Pearl told her own story of how she aimed high and how she has been able to give back to her beloved homeland.

Why was she giving pencils, for instance? When she was in primary school, she had to be creative in using pencils down to the last centimetre by using the stalk of ‘resam’ to extend her pencil. She had blisters in her little finger because she was writing with short pencils. Nowadays, she values pencils more than ever.

The disciplined primary school children, all sitting cross legged on the floor of the wooden Astaka (open assembly hall), were awestruck by her gracious presence and her short but effective speech.

Rokiah advised the students to study hard so that they could become pilots and doctors. She advised them to stay healthy and be active.

TEA BREAK: Having afternoon tea with Marilyn, sister of popular Kelabit doctor Dr Roland Mattu whose children are working in KL.

Florence, who spoke in English, advised them to learn English and go far, saying anyone could do this if they worked and studied hard and believed in themselves.

According to Dora, the children were very good in both Bahasa Malaysia and English because they and their parents were very enthusiastic about learning English. Tourists who come to Bario also help to open the minds of the people to the outside world.

At the end of the assembly, the students showed their appreciation in the Bario student way – clap clap clap clap … muah muah muah muah.

Still barefoot

“Many of the Penan students are still not wearing shoes,” remarked the observant Pearl.

She was already thinking of how to send school shoes to them.

The Penan students, in particular at the primary school level, are boarders. School mothers or student hostel administrators look after them and give them a good boarding programme of food and accommodation.

Food is prepared by a local Kelabit cook in the employ of the Sarawak government who has worked here for six years. By 11 o’clock, he has already prepared a balanced meal of curry chicken and a local vegetable with fragrant rice. Rice is fresh from the farm whenever parents bring extra rice to share.

Lovely children

The ladies also visited the pre-school department and met the lovely little Penan and Kelabit children – almost all of them undersized and dressed in a variety of clothing.

The favourite garb was long pants with an overly long dress and a sweat shirt on top. Pink is definitely the ‘in’ colour for the girls and blue of various shades for the boys. The pre-school teachers see to their snacks and the cleanliness of the classroom. There are 28 of them. Many of these Penan kids have walked one hour with their mothers to the school and they do that for more than 200 days a year!

In a separate project, the Miri Inner Wheel Club, headed by Florence, made a special charity drive and collected items to be donated to the Penans in the village of Arul Dalan. Home essentials like kettles and cooking pots are very much needed by the Penans who live in Arul Dalan, a newly set up Penan settlement about one hour’s walking distance from Bario Asal. Other donations include baby clothes and even a parang. A great essential is canvas which the Penan villagers appreciate.

The Penan children need more clothes and perhaps even special tuition to help them master their lessons in the primary school.

The Penan pre-schoolers have to walk one hour to school and one hour back. Their mothers walk one hour to bring them to school, then one hour back to their homes to do their chores. After that, they walk another one hour to school again, then one more hour to bring their children back home.

It is no wonder these Penan women are pencil-slim. They walk four hours a day just to make sure their children are safe in school and are back home in time to be with the family. Many modern city women don’t do so much on their treadmills!

Pearl and her friends are definitely thinking of more ways in which the Inner wheelers can help. They might see another project coming to Bario in November.

Clinic is lifeline to rural community in Marudi

http://www.theborneopost.com/2011/09/08/clinic-is-lifeline-to-rural-community-in-marudi/

Posted on September 8, 2011, Thursday

GOOD SERVICE: The Long Banga Rural Health Clinic plays a vital role in the lives of the rural folk it serves.

MARUDI: Thousands of residents from longhouses and villages in the rural areas of the Marudi District depend on the Long Banga Rural Health Clinic.

Besides Long Banga, the Kelabit, Saban and Penan communities from Long Beruang, Long Balong, Long Lamai and Long Peluan are also dependent on the clinic.

Serving the clinic is sole medical assistant Aduen Inspieng, who is originally from Julau.
For the father of one, the clinic’s remote location is not a problem.

“I like to serve the people of Long Banga and from other areas as the people here are all polite and ready to work together with the staff. Also when we need help, they will come and assist us,” said Aduen.

Assisting him are community nurse Jessica Taa from Bintangor and a clinic attendant.

Despite having just three staff, the clinic is known for being very clean, tidy and well-organised.

Long Banga is 10 hours by four-wheel drive vehicle from Miri.

Lorna raises RM1 mln in ‘Go Bald’ campaign

http://www.theborneopost.com/2011/06/26/lorna-raises-rm1-mln-in-%E2%80%98go-bald%E2%80%99-campaign/

Posted on June 26, 2011, Sunday

KUCHING: Datuk Lorna Enan Muloon, the wife of former deputy chief minister Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Dr George Chan yesterday finally managed to raise RM1 million for Sarawak Children Cancer Society’s (SCCS) ‘Go Bald’ campaign.


HELLO THERE: Lorna having a light moment with a patient at the child cancer unit of the Sarawak General Hospital yesterday. Earlier, Lorna had her head shaven. — Photo courtesy of Datuk Lorna Enan Muloon

Lorna raised around RM100,000 from her initial initiative, before eight donors comprising individuals and private companies donated RM50,000 each to the cause.

The donors included Datuk Shah Rukh Khan a popular Bollywood actor, Teo Aik King, TPR foundation, Tan Sri Ling Ching Ho, Datuk Wira Faisal of Naza Group of Companies, GLC Foundation, Andy Ang from Island Circle Development and Yong Foh Choi.

The biggest donor is Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak, who on Saturday night approved a federal government allocation of RM500,000.

Lorna had written a letter to Najib relating her desire to come to the aid of SCCS. The prime minister responded by agreeing a matching grant to the total amount raised.

SCCS president Gary Ho who related this during a press conference here yesterday said the dream to collect RM1.5 million from the Go Bald campaign finally materialised with Lorna’s effort.

“The recent Go Bald campaign in Miri collected RM143,000 while the one in Kuching collected RM480,000. It is still way from our target.

“With RM500,000 raised by Lorna and another RM500,000 from Najib, the total amount will definitely bring much cheer to SCCS. Lorna’s effort has made SCCS dream come true,” said Ho.

Ho said that Lorna, who initially targeted RM100,000 for the ‘Go Bald’ campaign, changed her target to RM250,000 before settling at RM1 million.

Lorna went bald at the Sarawak General Hospital Children’s Cancer Ward yesterday. She was accompanied by Dr Chan in a private session shortly after spending their time with children at the ward.

Both Lorna and Dr Chan, however, were not present at the press conference.

The amount collected will be used to fund SCCS’ RM2.4 million new building at Taman Desa Wira which is expected to be completed in May next year.

Lorna: I’ve touched base with humility

http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2011/6/26/sarawak/8977605&sec=sarawak

By YU JI yuji@thestar.com.my
Sunday June 26, 2011

KUCHING: Going bald for charity has been a “life-changing” experience for Datuk Lorna Enan Muloon, who has had long hair since she was two years old.

Speaking to The Star after shaving her head, the social worker was in good spirits, starting off talking about how she looked like a Shaolin monk.

“All I need is a yellow robe. But on a serious note, even after this, I can’t say I can ever fully understand what kids with cancer have to go through. But I feel so touched.


Source of courage: Lorna meeting a child in the Sarawak General Hospital before she shaved her head.

“They’ve given me courage. This experience has made me better. I’ve touched base with humility.”

Lorna said she did it because she believed understanding the plight of others was best learnt through personal experience.

“I really wanted to be with these children. I say it again and again that I cannot fully understand their emotional turbulence. I know, at the end of the day, I’m only shaving my head. I know that is a very different experience.”

Asked if she felt Malaysians were caring enough, she said she believed so.
“A lot of people do charity. I think it’s great. We must always remember to support one another.”

And how does being bald feel like?

“Good question! Well, so far people say I look younger. I’ve never had a bald head since I was a baby. But I don’t mind.”

For Naza Group chairman, Datuk Wira SM Faisal, who sponsored Lorna RM50,000, the work of cancer non-governmental organisations, like the Sarawak Children’s Cancer Society (SCCS), was especially meaningful.

His father, the founder of the company, died of lung cancer in May 2008.

“Any charity is good, but for today, I’m donating to SCCS because I truly believe in good cancer care for society’s most vulnerable,” Faisal told The Star.

“My own dad passed away at just 53 years old so I sort of understand how much cancer takes out of patients and their families.”

Children have amazing fighting spirit, Faisal said. All they need was care and love, and children would face cancer as well as any adult, he said.

“I’m really hoping to see the society’s centre when it is done. I want to see the playgrounds. My other wish is that maintenance is constantly carried out.”

Faisal was one of seven donors, who each pledged RM50,000 to Lorna’s donation drive.

Three weeks ago, Lorna announced her intention to join the wildly popular Go Bald event.

“Lorna and I are old family friends. Once we heard about her intention, there was no question we would chip in,” Faisal said.

Lorna’s other big donors include the Bollywood superstar Datuk Shah Rukh Khan, Teo Ah Khing Foundation, Tan Sri Ling Chiong Ho (Shin Yang Group executive chairman), GLC Foundation and Island Circle Development Sdn Bhd.

At a total of RM500,000, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak pledged a ringgit-to-ringgit matching grant, doubling the amount.

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.

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.

A Malaysia Day reflection

http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/fmt-english/opinion/comment/10438-a-malaysia-day-reflection

A Malaysia Day reflection

Tue, 21 Sep 2010 12:00

By Hilary Chiew

COMMENT Malaysia Day last Thursday saw considerable outpouring of sentiments of ‘oneness’ on the pages of newspapers and online portals and even on the streets.

Some were the predictable reiteration and re-examination of the 20- and 18-point agreements that applied to Sabah and Sarawak when the two states in Borneo together with the Federation of Malaya and Singapore formed Malaysia in 1963.

There were also the propagandists ‘feel-good’ stories of West Malaysians singing praises of the ‘development’ they saw happening in the two states across the South China Sea.

These stories are to be taken with a generous helping of salt. Actually, they are more like rubbing salt to the wounds. The discontent of East Malaysians is centred on being left behind in the grand scheme of national development but some of those positive stories are arguing along the line that they should be grateful for whatever they have got so far.

One army veteran shared his observation of the improvement in the road and the Kuching General Hospital’s cardiac unit. For the road, he was comparing it with the gravel ones in the 1960s when he was first posted there and later became a civilian and now residing in Kuching.

Maybe he has never travel to the interior on bumpy and dangerous timber roads and not visited the health service centres that are understaffed and poorly equipped. Many are manned by junior medical attendants where the needs for quality medical attention are most needed.

Not only that all these essential social services are rare, economic development projects promoted by the state governments (which in turn are endorsed by the federal government) are threatening the self-subsistence lifestyle of the rural populations.

Maybe like many urbanites on both sides of the sea, he chose to turn a deaf ear and be blind to this backwardness. After all, ignorance is bliss.

Poor roads have been lifelong complain of at least two generations of Sabahans and Sarawakians. For the slightly better off folks, they are unhappy that they can’t travel in a huge part of their states with a sedan car like most West Malaysians instead of a four-wheel-drive. And these 4WDs last lesser than in the peninsula, no thanks to the potholed-ridden unsealed surfaces.

Their frustrations are further compounded by their realization that they are endowed with rich resources that had been exploited all these 47 years which enriched the national coffer yet they remained the poorest states in the federation.

In his speech to mark the first Malaysia Day celebration in Kota Kinabalu, Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak promised a greater push towards ending the social and economic disparities between peninsula and the Borneo states, tacitly admitting the neglect.

The government is fully aware of the disparity and the state of inequality that are leading to further marginalisation of Sabahans and Sarawakians. In its more recent Malaysian Plans, notably the 8th and 9th plans, the problem was acknowledged with promises of rectification. But plans after plans, there are hardly any evaluation of the failures in implementation and the situation remains.

Throwing money irresponsibly

All these talks about road construction reminded me of the recent announcement of development allocation by Najib when he visited Sarawak on the heels of yet another report on sexual violations against Penan womenfolks.

But instead of addressing the issue head-on (I wonder if members of the press did and dare ask him to comment on the problem), the helicopter visit turned into a project-pledging trip.

(The trip was preceded by Women’s Affair Minister Shahrizat whirlwind visit to Batu Bungan, supposedly to get a first hand knowledge of the recurring rape issues.)

Hence, it was largely seen by many political observers as a pre-state election exercise to bolster the battered image of the state that was reeling from one expose after another of Taib’s overseas wealth accumulation which by the way, until this day, Najib’s administration has never commented.

Anyway, he pledged RM101mil to upgrade the infamous Beluru-Lapok road; a 42km largely gravel road connecting the major thoroughfare into the interior of timber-rich Baram with the coastal cities of Miri and Bintulu.

The locals have interesting names for the road – Jumping Road, Bone-breaking Road, Jalan Lobang etc. There are also stories which are the stuff of urban legend – the roughness of the road is also said to be birth-inducing; babies had been delivered prematurely in vehicles.

Locals will tell you that the handful of sealed stretches of the road were election goodies. Past pledges from the federal government to seal the entire road had mysteriously evaporated elections after elections.

As with most government allocations that are awarded to private contractors without going through open tendering, the final products are predictably substandard.

Another pledge - the RM6million allocation for a mini hydro-electric project in Long Banga, upper Baram is also questionable.

The flopped rural electrification project in the Sarawak Kelabit Highland comes to mind. In 1997, the Ministry of Rural Development awarded a RM17million contract for a hybrid micro-hydro electrification for the Bario Asal longhouse community in Bario.

In the absence of project transparency, the contractor purportedly installed a 100kW turbine which was way beyond the capacity of the Merario River. After a big launch fanfare, the electricity supply lasted a mere 15 minutes, claimed some locals.

In any case, it eventually incurred a cost of RM900 per month diesel cost for three-hour indoor lighting. This was due to wrong judgment of the hydro capacity to turn the ill-fitted big turbine. The system has since been abandoned and was partly destroyed by flash floods in 2003.

Subsequently, an indigenous peoples’ organization from Sabah – Pacos Trust (Partners in Community Organisations) provided technical assistance to the community to revive the project with less than RM500,000. The 40kW mini-hydro project is now providing 24-hour electricity for the 47 households of Bario Asal in January 2009.

Thus far, Pacos has successfully implemented community-based mini-hydro in Long Lawen, Belaga and tow other remote villages in Sabah – Kg Terian in Penampang and Kg Bantul in Pensiangan.

Hardly the solution

Micro-hydro projects that involved communities from the beginning are a proven solution to rural electrification; a sound alternative to mega dams, coal-fired power plants and even nuclear power plants that are not only costly, environmentally destructive but involved transmission across hundreds or thousands of kilometers resulting in energy losses, rendering them highly inefficient.

So, throwing huge sum of taxpayers money nilly-willy can hardly be the solution.

Furthermore, it risks being perceived as yet another way to enrich the politically-connected companies that stand to wrest the contracts.

And when it comes to mega projects like the Bakun dam, displaced communities became dispossesed in the grand scheme of development. It certainly doesn’t bode well for nation-building if these Sarawakians are deprived of electricity when they had already sacrificed so much only to have the energy earmarked for energy-wasteful peninsula. At least that was the initial plan which has since been shelved.

When people are dispossessed, can you blame them for their discontent?

Malaysia Day celebration will be meaningful only when we stopped serving the East Malaysians the crumbs from our dining tables and embrace all Malaysians as one regardless of race and religion.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hilary Chiew is a socio-environmental researcher and freelance writer based in Kuala Lumpur.

Fast-growing malaria strain found in highlands

Tuesday August 5, 2008

Fast-growing malaria strain found in highlands

By STEPHEN THEN


MIRI: A strain of the malaria virus that multiplies rapidly has been discovered in Sarawak and the health authorities are very worried.

Deputy Chief Minister Tan Sri Dr George Chan Hong Nam said teams of malaria experts from the State Health and Medical Services Department discovered this rapidly-spreading mosquito-borne disease when investigating the malaria outbreak in the Bario highlands deep in interior northern Sarawak.

"The outbreak in Bario was caused by a fast-growing strain that multiplies rapidly within 24 hours instead of the usual 48 hours or 72 hours.

"This is something that we (state health authorities) are very worried about. Because it spreads very fast, it can attack the body organs rapidly, even the brain," said Dr Chan, who is also Sarawak Disaster Relief Committee chairman.

Dr Chan said yesterday that this malaria strain was "not a normal thing in this state" and expressed worry that no one knew how many areas were infected by this strain.

"The health teams deployed in Bario are now collecting as much data as possible on the latest situation in the affected regions.

"We want to accurately identify those places infected by this fast-spreading strain," he said.

The Star last week highlighted the malaria outbreak in the Bario highlands after 21 Penans were floored by high fever and had to be flown out to hospitals in Miri and Marudi.

Initially, two Penan settlements – Urur Dalan and Semirian – were found to be infected. The outbreak then spread outside of Bario and hit Long Jikitan, a settlement located nearer to Miri.

Dr Chan said he was hopeful that the same drugs used to treat previous malaria cases could deal with this fast-spreading strain.