ANALYSIS The exclusion of Deputy President 1  of Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Alfred Jabu Anak Numpang, from the shortlist of candidates to replace Abdul Taib Mahmud as Sarawak Chief Minister has raised not only many questions, but  has also mostly negative response  from the Dayak community.

Dayaks comprising all the non-Muslim native communities (Iban, Bidayuh, Kayan, Kenyah, Penan, Melanau, Lun Bawang, and etc) form over two-thirds of the state’s population of 2.6 million.

There was no mention of Jabu’s name (who is also deputy chief minister) let alone considered for the post even though the most senior in the party hierarchy and even in the state administration.

The outgoing Chief Minister Abdul Taib Mahmud( right ) personally picked Adenan Satem, PBB Information chief and Special Functions Minister as his successor over two others – Abang Johari Tun Openg, Deputy PBB President (11) and Awang Tengah Ali Hassan, senior vice-pesident.

By virtue of his seniority in the party and in the government, Jabu should have been selected not by one person, but also by the party’s supreme council members and caucus.

 “Jabu holding the second most senior post in the party hierarchy who happens to be a Dayak was not even mentioned, let alone considered a possible candidate for the post.

“This is a challenge to the Dayaks, if not a setback to Prime Minister Najib who strongly advocated the 1Malaysia policy,”said Sarawak Dayak Graduates Association (SDGA) President Dusit Jaul.

This is the second time that Jabu ( below ) had been by-passed.

In 1981, he was already deputy chief minister when the then chief minister Abdul Rahman Yakub chose his own nephew, Abdul Taib Mahmud, to replace him.

Perhaps at that time, Jabu at the age of 41 could be have been considered having little experience in handling the bigger tasks as chief minister.

But now after being deputy chief minister for nearly 40 years under both Rahman Yakub and Taib Mahmud, he has accumulated a wealth of experience. None can deny that.

  Question:Why was he sidelined?

Even Sarawak PKR Chief Baru Bian posed a similar question.

“This is a big question. I would have thought that being the longest serving deputy chief minister, it should have been his right, and as a natural process,  that he should have been appointed chief minister.

“A lot of people are also asking why the prerogative should be given to the out-going chief minister to determine who should replace him ,” he said.

On whether cronyism was at play, Baru said: “I don’t talk about cronyism here. But the whole system is a bit off.

“In the  BN, it does not matter whether you are deputy chief minister or deputy prime minister, someone else could take over. That appears to be so,” said the  Ba’Kelalan Assemblyperson.

 “It does not follow what position you are holding,” he said.

PBB’s angry Dayak members and Jabu’s Layar voters, especially the young and educated ones, have already started to call for a review of the Pesaka’s position in the party, judging by their Facebook and blog comments.

Some even call for Pesaka to withdraw from PBB and form a single Dayak party together with other Dayak-based political parties if they want the community  to be strong in politics.

Hugh C. Mawar said: “We will not see any Dayak leading BN/PBB in the next 30 years. If Dayaks want to lead, they must leave PBB and BN and stand alone or join other alternative organisations.

“I am not associated with any political party, but I am not in favour of the BN for what they have done to the Dayaks,” he said.

Billie Endunmadik said: “Really we have the right to be angry when we think how our elected representative from Betong is being treated.

“But what can we do, we are ‘passengers in others’ boat,” he said.

Another comment came from James Benang said that if Dayaks wanted a Dayak to lead, they should be united and form a single party and discard the ‘crab mentality’.

Another Facebook user Stewart Chagat Nyalu said: “If we form one single party, we will see a Dayak become Chief Minister in the coming election.

“Speculation is rife that Taib wanted Adenan to serve for only one term, because his health is not that good. This is the time the Dayaks must wake up, unite and stand for our rights. We are the majority why cannot we become chief minister,” he said.

A former Pesaka leader from Saratok asked: “What Adenan, Abang Johari and Awang Tengah could do that Jabu could not do.  

“In fact, Jabu could outdo them in terms of pleasing Taib. None of them ever addressed Taib as “yang disayangi, yang dikasihi’ (my beloved).

“But now Taib has betrayed him, even though Jabu had on many occasions ‘saved’ him from being toppled as Chief Minister,” he said, referring to the ‘Ming Court affair’ of 1987.

“Remember the ‘Ming Court affair’ 1987 when Taib was almost toppled  as Chief Minister when the majority of the Malay elected representatives  conspired with his uncle (Rahman) who wanted to pass a vote of no confidence on his leadership.

It was Jabu and other elected Dayak representatives in PBB who had remained loyal to him through thick and thin.

Parti Pesaka, Parti Bumiputera merger

 

Parti Bumiputera headed by Abdul Rahman Yakub and Parti Pesaka Anak Sarawak (Pesaka) by Temenggong Jugah Anak Barieng agreed to merge to form Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB) in January 1973.

PBB consists of the Bumiputera Wing and the Pesaka Wing. According to their agreement, all Malays and Melanaus would join Parti Bumiputera, and Dayaks,  Pesaka.

Considered equal partners

Each wing has its own election of office-bearers who will also sit in the PBB supreme council. If the president comes from Parti Bumiputera, then the secretary general is from Pesaka and vice-versa. There will also be two deputy presidents.

Temenggong Jugah  last PBB president

Today, the Pesaka wing has nine state assemblymen- Alfred Jabu (Layar), Robertson Chuat (Bukit Saban), Michael Manyin (Tebedu), Ben Martin (Kedup), Gramong Juna (Machan), Ambrose Blikau (Ketibas), Stephen Rundi (Kemena), Roland Sagah (Tarat), and Dennis Ngau (Telang Usan).

26 assemblypersons in Bumiputera wing

Political observers see Jabu’s exclusion having wider ramifications for Dayaks’ future and of Pesaka in PBB, and already feel betrayed and used by certain people as ‘stepping stones’.

They are also asking how much they have benefited from Taib’s politics of development, and how much the rural people have gained from this approach to development.

SDGA president said: “The state government should have to re-look and re-appraise its philosophy of politics of development. The government needs a timely reminder that the people, the Dayaks especially, are not against development.

“The core issue is: what does development mean to the rural community?

“What this means is that the economic and social impact of any development project implemented in the rural areas must not be seen to benefit rural communities but must yield positive tangible outcomes in terms of economic empowerment and social progression,” said Dusit.

Are all these grumblings and disappointments a wake-up call for the Dayak community - a challenge?