Campaigning for the April 7 Batang Ai by-election has taken on a new dimension as far as politics in rural Sarawak are concerned.

Party leaders and campaign workers have turned to the blogsphere to reach out to educated and urban-based voters and - through them - to relatives living in longhouses

dublin unting batang air prs rep The bloggers had begun the ‘Battle of the Dayak Blogsphere’ even before the Election Commission set the date for nomination (March 29) and polling. The seat was vacated by the death of Dublin Unting Ingkot (left) .

There are also at least four Dayak community portals, among which are Ruai Apai, Rumah Panjai and Rumah Dayak .

Of the 20 bloggers, about six have the most active blog-spots. These include Dayak Nation , operated by Sri Aman PKR branch leader John Cobbold Losoi whose site also features a video section.

Losoi, who is also a activist on native customary rights (NCR) to land and an oil palm smallholder, had unsuccessfully contested the parliamentary elections in the state last March.

internet media and print media Another Iban blogger is KL-based management consultant John Brian Anthony who, through DayakBaru , has started a fund-raising drive in support of PKR in Batang Ai.

Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu Youth chief Fadillah Yusof, a federal deputy minister, has advised the public to be extra cautious “in dealing with such play-acting (by bloggers)”, according to a report in The Borneo Post today.

Anthony, responding to this, said his initiative in helping to raise funds is in the name of democracy.

“I want to educate the public on the real meaning of democracy. Elections should not be the time for the people to ask for money from political parties,” he was quoted as saying.

“If we like a political party and if it needs money to achieve certain objectives, then the public should be allowed to donate.”

Also active in articulating NCR and social issues affecting Dayaks is Joseph Tawie, a retired government officer, whose blogspot thebrokenshield gets between 500 and 1,000 hits daily.

taib mahmud alfred jabu pbb prs 011108 Chief Minister Abdul Taib Mahmud and his deputy Alfred Jabu have been the main targets of criticism in the many blog postings.

Taib has been largely blamed for policies encouraging large-scale commercial cultivation of oil palm, logging and tree planting on land to which NCR have been exerted, while Jabu is seen as doing little or nothing to defend NCR.

Barisan Nasional (BN) politicians, including Lubok Antu MP William Nyallau, have repeatedly said that NCR are not an issue in Batang Ai and that all existing problems are being addressed by the state government.

Another blog-spot, Teropong Dunya Aki Andan run by Iban lawyer Henry Joseph, posts well-researched articles to highlight social and economic issues affecting his community.

Pro-BN blog-spots

The state BN has its own supporters among the Dayak bloggers. Among them is Tedewin Ngumbang ( Borneo Warrior ), who is closely associated with Parti Rakyat Sarawak (PRS) president and state Land Development Minister James Masing.

batang air state seat 240209 Once quite critical of the state BN, his postings are now in support of whoever the BN-PRS fields for the Batang Ai seat. Ironically, there is no love lost between him and Jabu.

A former police officer, Tedewin has apparently told friends and associates that he wants to contest against Jabu in Layar in the next state election.

Another pro-BN blog is Uchu Keling run by Miri-based blogger James Guang, who is fiercely supportive of Jabu and his policies and projects for the Dayak community.

In his latest posting, Guang talks about Jabu’s ‘immense’ contributions to the community through the establishment of the Sarawak Land Consolidation and Rehabilitation Authority (Salcra), which is tasked with developing NCR land of the Dayaks.

He claimed that many Dayaks have reaped benefits and dividends from oil palm cultivation through Salcra.