There were stone-cold glances, uneasy smiles and silence among the 500-odd Dayak community leaders from the powerful Sarawak Dayak National Union who were in the hotel ballroom. Senior Dayak leader Dato Sri William Mawan Ikom had just treaded on raw, sensitive nerves. In his opening address at the union’s swearing-in of the new office-bearers, the state minister for Social Development had blasted certain selfish Dayak leaders for having waylaid Dayak community and social organizations and business entities.
He accused them of neglecting the people by meddling in party politics, misusing their NGOs to propel their personal political ambitions and helming top positions in these NGOs just to get close to politicians. Mawan had hit the bull-eyes, sensitive as it may be. It is an issue that had not been openly discussed in the state before, even though it was an open secret. Mawan could have scored some political mileage if he had used the function for the usual purpose of saying niceties and patting-on-the-shoulder public relation stuffs. The timing for his criticism could not have been more appropriate.
It was the 56th anniversary of the founding of the union, which was supposed to function as the umbrella body for the 1.5 million Dayaks in Sarawak. The Dayaks are still far behind other races in commerce and industry and general standard of living because the union and the Dayak organizations under its armpits had been disunited, with leaders quarrelling among themselves due to politics, unable to focus on their appointed tasks of bringing progress to the common folks. There is no denying that many leaders of these Dayak NGOs had used their posts to “angkat” and become allies with political heavyweights.
Business bodies became entangled in political wrangling among rival party leaders. Even welfare groups set up to help the needy became stepping stones for certain leaders to engage in politicking. These political aspirants used their position in NGOs to become well known among political circles, to be seen among the VIPs and to rub shoulders with those in power and to garner support for future moves. An example can be found here.
A centre that was set up to help the less fortunate fell into the iron-grip of a president who had political ambitions. He used his post in this organisation to “angkat” politicians. He spent most of his time dabbling in politics, with little time left to plan how to help the needy folk in the organisation he heads. This went on for years and as a result, the needy were left jobless and living in a dilapidated centre for more than 10 years, surviving only on RM150 welfare assistance every month. Some kind-hearted volunteers had to intervene and brought these people out of the depths of misery by finding them part-time jobs and enrolling them for handicraft-making classes.
The SDNU had welcomed Mawan’s message and during the union election over the weekend, appointed a non-politician to helm the president’s post. It is the first time in its history that the union is headed by someone who is not from any political party. New president Mengga Mikui is a businessman. “I will return SDNU to its original path of bringing social and economic progress to the Dayaks. SDNU will become non-political, as it should have been,” he said. However, he stressed that it is not possible to avoid having links with politicians or political parties as their support was needed for projects to be implemented. The 1.5 million Dayaks in Sarawak – comprising the Ibans, Bidayuhs and Orang Ulus would be eagerly waiting for Mikui to roll out his plans for the SDNU. They have waited 56 years for a good leader who can lead them up the ladder of progress.
