The Dayaks, the largest group of Sarawak’s 2.6 million population, are also the poorest there, a plight brought about the Barisan government’s neglect over a spread of 50 years, Sarawak DAP chief Chong Chieng Jen claimed today.

“At present, after 50 years of Independence, though Dayaks are also categorised as ‘bumiputra’, they have the highest number of the poverty-stricken in Sarawak and most backward social-economically and in education,” he said.

He then cited official figures given in Parliament, that as of September last year, 55,663  families in Sarawak were under the poverty line, the racial breakdown being: 24,973 Iban, 12,727 Malays, 4,885 Bidayuhs and 4,083 Melanau.

“From these figures, it is clear that more than 65 percent of the families under the poverty line are Dayaks (37,372) including Iban, Bidayuh, Penan and lain-lain),” said Chong, who is MP for Bandar Kuching MP and Kota Sentosa assemblyperson.

He said: “We believe this figure is an under-statement of the actual number of the poverty-stricken for the Dayaks, and this is because the statistics do not include the figure for Dayaks who are staying in the inland areas.”

Chong then charged that it is clear that the BN government has neglected all this while the Dayaks’ socio-economic development and the education of their children.

“To make matter worse, the BN government uses the law to extinguish the Dayak’s Native Customary Rights over their ancestral land thereby taking their NCR land away from them,” he said in a statement elaborating the DAP’s decision to nominate a Dayak to be the state’s chief minister if Pakatan forms the government.

The Sarawak DAP committee had on March 30, had arrived at the decision to appoint a Dayak as chief minister if the Pakatan took over the state. “This is the promise and assurance that the DAP gives to the Dayak community ,” he said.

Reviving long-lost pledge

Chong pointed out that when Sarawak formed Malaysia with Malaya, Sabah and Singapore, there was an understanding that the posts of governor and chief Minister were to be held by one Malay and one Dayak, ie. if the governor is a Malay, then the chief minister shall be a Dayak, or vice versa.

“This understanding was honoured in the appointment of the first two chief minsters , but was thereafter not followed.

“After one or two generations, to the wishes of the ruling BN parties, many have forgotten about this understanding of our fore-fathers.

“Thus it is only right that we restore the social contract and understanding of the founding fathers of our State.

“As Dayaks have been and are still the most populous community in Sarawak, it is only right that the chief minister should come from among the Dayak community. This is the same logic that the prime minister of Malaysia should be Malay,” he said.

Chong then declared that until such time as when the nation’s politics transcends racial divides , the same argument that the premier should be Malay should apply equally the Sarawak’s chief minister should be a Dayak.

“All along, the BN has played the racial card in politics, accusing the DAP of being a Chinese party that oppresses the Dayaks and intimidating the Dayaks that if DAP comes to power, the Chinese will reign supreme.

“Our promise and assurance that the DAP will nominate a Dayak Chief Minister if we come to power is to dispel such baseless and vicious lies of the BN,” he said, pointing out that the state’s DAP leadership is not interested in position.

“All we want is to put right the social and economic injustice and inequality that have been created and perpetrated by the Barisan Nasional government in Sarawak,” he stressed.