In a rare show of defiance, Dayak leaders in Sarawak BN component parties are openly against chairperson Adenan Satem’s call to replace the term ‘lain-lain’ with various  Bumiputera categories in official forms.

 

Senior Bidayuh leader in Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB) and former president of Dayak Bidayuh National Association Peter Minos disagreed with Adenan that the Dayaks should be categorised as ‘Bumiputera Iban, Bumiputera Bidayuh and ‘Bumiputera Orang Ulu’.

 

He said the word ‘Dayak’ was more suitable because it gives a sense of cultural unity to the Ibans, Bidayuhs, and Orang Ulus.

 

“The word ‘Dayak’ shows that we are the very original people, truly indigenous, and originating from nowhere else except Sarawak and Borneo. There is pride in that fact and knowledge,” Minos ( right ) said in a statement yesterday.

 

Last Saturday, Adenan, who is also the chief minister, announced in Kapit that the official term ‘lain-lain’ – which the Dayaks have strongly opposed for the past 50 years – is to be replaced with immediate effect with categories such as ‘Bumiputera Iban”, “Bumiputera Bidayuh”, and “Bumiputera Orang Ulu’ in government forms.

 

Pointing out that when Dayaks celebrated Gawai Dayak, Minos said that they were reminded that they had  many things in common, not just their history and heritage but also of their past, present and future destinies in a multi-racial Malaysia.

 

“That is why we do hear of Dayak unity and Dayak solidarity,” he said, adding that all these point to a deep yearning among Dayaks for more social and political unity for a better economic future.

 

“But politics, in a way, has brought in political divergences and even divisions and so one finds Dayaks in all political parties around.

 

“People call that is democracy, but many see it as a divisive political way,” Minos said.

 

‘Accurate label for the indigenous groups’

 

Meanwhile, the president of Parti Rakyat Sarawak (PRS) and senior minister James Masing, told Malaysiakini yesterday that it was about time that the indigenous people of Sarawak were correctly labelled as ‘Dayaks’ and not ‘lain-lain’.

 

“We are human beings and not aliens or terrestrial beings from outer space. We are the original sons (bumiputera) of Sarawak and as such we must be called as such,” he said.

 

Masing ( left ), who is also the land development minister, said that the Dayaks were also bumiputera and less knowledgeable government officers from the peninsular should know this.

 

“There will be no further excuses for not giving the Dayaks their rights as sons of the soil,” he stressed.

 

It is quite rare for Dayak leaders in BN component parties to openly disagree with the chief minister on what is seen as a ‘critical and sensitive’ issue.

 

The announcement also faced strong opposition on social media, with groups stating what they think should be the correct term to be used.

 

Among the first to react was the Dayak National Congress which wanted the word ‘Bumiputera’ to be excluded.

 

It wanted the Dayaks to be known as ‘Dayak Iban’, ‘Dayak Bidayuh’, ‘Dayak Kayan’, ‘Dayak Kenyah’ and so on.

 

PRS Youth issued a strong statement against Adenan’s announcement, stating that the ‘Dayaks’ should be known as ‘Dayaks’.