A request by Deputy Chief Minister Alfred Jabu for a private meeting with Dayak lecturers in Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (Unimas) on campus has raised some questions on his 'motives'.

"It's something that even politicians in power (ministers) in this country rarely do (to meet privately with university lecturers on campus), except when it's on official matters," one senior lecturer told malaysiakini today.

The message via e-mail from the office of the acting vice-chancellor Professor Abdul Rashid Abdullah to the lecturers individually has made no mention of the purpose of the meeting. It only said this will be held on Oct 14 at 2pm.

When contacted, Jabu's political aide Isik Utau said the meeting was "private".

"There will be no media publicity, no press conference," he said.

Unimas has about 500 full and part-time lecturers, of whom about 100 are Dayaks (Iban/Bidayuh/Orang Ulu).

'Strange and ethnocentric'

The meeting is said to have been arranged by a member of the university's council Peter Minos, a former Dayak Bidayuh National Association (DBNA) president and newspaper columnist, through the office of Abdul Rashid.

Commenting on the meeting, a source said: "This (the meeting) sounds strange and ethnocentric. If it's private, don't use the university's facilities...the university should not even allow the meeting to be held on campus.

"(Otherwise), the next thing could be that Dr George Chan (another deputy chief minister) wants a private meeting with the Chinese lecturers on campus. What then?'

Jabu, who is regarded as 'the' Dayak leader in the state government, is known to be unhappy with certain recent activities of some Dayak lecturers and graduates, including their initiative in highlighting research findings on the poverty rates among Sarawak's rural communities.

He has apparently taken offence at not having been consulted on some of their activities, especially in holding seminars to discuss poverty eradication and related issues.

Jabu singled out in particular the Sarawak Dayak Graduates Association, which is headed by a senior Unimas lecturer Professor Dimbab Ngidang, an Iban.

It is thought that Jabu may want to drive his and the state government's message that far from neglecting the Dayak communities, the Sarawak government is doing everything possible to eradicate pockets of poverty in particular.

He is expected to make a plea for their support and co-operation through their research work to help the state Barisan Nasional government to implement Chief Minister Abdul Taib Mahmud's policies especially in rural Sarawak.

Another lecturer who asked not to be identified said: "A university is where there is freedom in pursuit of knowledge through research and dialogue. Traditionally, it does not like being told what it should and should not do."

He was concerned that the meeting called by Jabu might be interpreted as politicians trying to interfere in the affairs of the university.