The Iban Steadfast With BN

The article by Paul Malone entitled ‘Malaysian court’s decision sets back Indigenous land rights’ which appeared in the Sydney Morning Herald on January 29, 2017 is irresponsible and is written with the purpose of achieving specific aim in mind.

By referring to the decision of the Malaysian Federal Court – the country’s apex court – Malone says, “In a majority ruling the Federal Court of Malaysia has rejected the approach previously taken by lower courts in Malaysia and by the Australian High Court in its Mabo case, ruling that indigenous people have no title claim over foraging lands”.

As a result of this decision, Malone is basically suggesting that there is going to be “an Iban backlash to the Federal Court decision”.

“The Court’s ruling has the potential to provoke an Iban reaction in Sarawak and there is some regional feeling that people from Peninsula Malaysia simply do not understand the people of Borneo”

Broadly put, it is suffice to say that the purpose of his article is to provoke the Iban to abandon the BN government and Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak.

The Iban are not going to do this. This is for certain.

To the Iban, the BN government under Najib Razak’s leadership has always had the Ibans and other indigenous people in mind when it comes to social and economic development.

Prime Minister Najib has visited many Iban longhouses and it is impossible to believe that he has a hardened heart that he is not going to do positive things about their plights and predicaments.

Since he became Prime Minister 8 years ago, Prime Minister Najib has brought many changes to Sarawak and to the longhouse folks.

He has allocated more than RM2 billion for the rural electrification scheme and treated water supply project even though water and electricity come under the purview of the state.

He has given millions of ringgits to the Christian Mission Schools for school buildings. In the rural areas, the Christians Mission Schools are allocated in the Dayak areas.

The salaries of the teachers in the Christian Mission Schools are borne by the Malaysian government, but school buildings and other assets are the responsibility of the schools and their boards.

The Prime Minister also has donated money to Church buildings as well as to temples. The majority of the natives in Sarawak are Christians.

In order that the natives can have the titles to their lands, Prime Minister Najib has allocated millions of ringgits for perimeter survey of the NCR (Native Customary Rights) lands in Sarawak. This policy initiative benefits the Iban and other natives in the state.

Prime Minister Najib has approved the road project linking Sibu to Kapit. Kapit is the heartland of the Iban. The “Aum Besai’(conference) to discuss the formation of Malaysia and involved 51 elected Iban Chiefs (Pengarahs and Penghulus) was held in Kapit on February 15, 1962. The Iban are to benefit the most from the completion of this road project.

Prime Minister Najib has allocated RM17 billion to improve the quality of the 2,083 km Pan-Borneo or Trans Borneo Highway, a road network linking Sarawak and Sabah.

In the last three years, Sarawak also had its best Chief Minister ever. In his short tenure as the state Chief Minister, Tan Sri Adenan Satem had introduced 53 policy initiatives that have brought tremendous benefits to the people in the state.

He abolished the quit rent and the NCR land lease. The owners of the NCR lands can have their lands in perpetuity now.

The new state Chief Minister, Datuk Amar Abang Johari Tun Openg has promised to continue with the policies initiated by his predecessor.

There is a ‘setback’ on the decisions of the Federal Court, but there is not going to be any “major political ramification” (to quote Malone here) as a consequence. There is not going to be any ‘major backlash’ to the BN.

The Iban will always support the BN and this support will not waver as BN has always been able to find the ways to overcome the many problems faced by the people.

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