The people in Sarawak fully realized the differences in religion, ethnicity, language and other backgrounds when the State joined the Federation of Malaysia on September 16,1963. However, over the years they together with their counterparts in Semenanjung Malaysia and Sabah have been able to forge similar interests to become the common rights. For example, the people have been able to agree on a common language that can link all communities regardless of whether the community is in Ulu Baram or Bau in Sarawak or Keningau in Sabah with the rest of the country. Besides, the frequent visits made by Federal Ministers from Semenanjung Malaysia to Sarawak or Sabah help to promote their understanding of the local situation and environment.
The people in Sarawak equate the struggle for nation building to the flow of the water, with different colors, some like chocolate, red and other colors as the clean water get mixed with muddy ones from tributaries in the Ulu to the main river. As the water flows further down to the sea, the colors become one color only.
As the process takes time, the people must be prepared to play bigger roles to accelerate its pace in the true spirit of 1Malaysia. Indisputably, the country has been transformed from the situation of poverty to a sufficiently rich one during a period of 50 years through the process of development; the country is actually emerging as one of the most successful developing countries in this region.
The implementation of the 10th Malaysia Plan, one of the initiatives of the Federal Government, is to raise the levels of income of the people from the medium income to high income economy in order to uplift the standard of living of the people. Basically, it will create more high paying jobs for the people, who have good qualification, technical skills and professional experience.
In the era of politics when people talk about democracy without having a thorough understanding of it, there is a real danger that they may use the name to fight for personal agenda. They do not care what will happen to the Rakyat as long as they can achieve their own objective.
The activities of such people can undermine the unity and solidarity of the Rakyat from time to time. Hence, it is incumbent upon political and community leaders to make conscientious efforts to safeguard the unity and solidarity of the rakyat.
Obviously, necessary steps to move in one direction must be made continuous in the true spirit of 1Malaysia and 1Nationality. More importantly, the movement must embrace the customs and traditions of various ethnic groups and all other differences.
In Sarawak, the various ethnic groups likened themselves to rivers, each with different colors, but as they flow to the mouth they become one color only. Hence, the State is motivated by the concept of where the rivers meet or the concept of confluence of culture.
For example, the Bidayuh community has successfully gone through an evolution from an isolated to a more integrated community that can take care of the welfare and interests of members.
In the early days, members of the community lived in small settlements near hills and mountains in the middle of jungles or near river side next to hills and mountains. As they could not come down to towns by boats, they had to walk on foot to the nearest towns. For example, the people in some villages in Serian at one time had to walk for two to three hours from their villages to the town. Those in Padawan, Bau and Lundu had to face the same situation.
Handed down development
Undoubtedly, the Bidayuh community has been experiencing an evolution from being an isolated community to a more progressive and successful one. Generally, their rate of development is quite high. However, most of the development is being handed down by the government to them and not those being initiated by them.
This is insufficient for a community, which must have the capacity and capability to involve actively in the socio-economic development of the State and country in order to move shoulder to shoulder with others. For this reason, the Bidayuh community must remain close with the government to develop their capability to exploit more opportunities that will come up through the process of development, which will be greatly accelerated towards the year 2020 and beyond. Obviously, there must be a growing realization among the Bidayuhs, the new generations with the benefit of having good education in particular, that it is not to their advantages as members of a minority community to move forward without a clear sense of direction and not to move in the same direction with other communities.
It is incumbent upon the leaders to continue to work together to strengthen the unity and solidarity of the community, which has the background of being isolated and the members quarrelsome among them. Now the community is united in pursuing a healthy political for the benefits of members. Its success is attributable to the politics of development as the philosophy of development. The success must not only be sustained but strengthened in order to meet bigger challenges ahead.
For this reason, political and community leaders of the community must make continuous efforts to bring the Bidayuhs in a movement to showcase their culture in order to preserve and enhance their cultural identity. Only the Bidayuhs have the strength and the power to safeguard the unity and solidarity of the community.
benuasains
*Photos Source:
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