Have we ( The dayaks ) been fooled all this while?

Have we been fooled all this while?

Kelantan Menteri Besar, Datuk Nik Aziz Nik Mat is one kind of a leader who dares to say a “spade is a spade” when he labels the term “Bumiputra” as a smack of racism. But to us Dayaks, bumiputra is an illusory word, the application (or non-application) of which has made us Dayaks as the losers in terms of development, business opportunities, contracts and tenders, educational opportunities, recruitment into and promotion in the civil service.

In the political terminology, Dayaks together with Malays, Kadazandusuns and other natives are grouped as Bumiputras. What it means here is that when UMNO needs our support to strengthen its policy on “ketuanan Melayu” the Dayaks are considered as Bumiputras so that bigger “Merdeka cakes” (a.k.a. economic opportunities, rights and privileges) should be accorded to reflect the larger composition of Bumiputras (Malays, Dayaks, Kadazandusun, etc) and as Bumiputras our rights are said to be included in the term.

But in actual implementation of the “Bumiputra policy” the Dayaks have been sidelined or not considered at all for all those privileges, rights and economic opportunities; in fact the Dayaks are officially known as “lain-lain” (others). And as “lain-lain” what do we get? Even Article 153 of the Federal Constitution cannot protect us. In fact, illegal immigrants have better treatment than us.

I recall a friend of mine who is now a member of Parti Rakyat Sarawak (PRS) Supreme council complained that his application for a business was rejected because he was not a bumiputra. Imagine a Dayak Iban’s application for business opportunities is not considered on ground that he is not a Bumiputra. His case is a tip of the iceberg.

The term of “Bumiputra” and “non-Bumiputra” first came into use when the government introduced New Economic Policy (NEP) following the 13 May 1969 racial riots in West Malaysia. That is about 30 years ago.

Following a special meeting with the then Prime Minister Dr. Mahathir Mohamad with Dayak leaders like Tan Sri Leo Moggie from the defunct Parti Bansa Dayak Sarawak (PBDS) and Dayak non-governmental organisations as well as Kadazandusun leaders like Tan Sri Bernard Dompok of UPKO, Sabah some time in 2000, it was agreed by the Federal government to give a special attention to Sarawak and Sabah people in terms of financial allocation and business opportunities.

And arising from that meeting it was decided to form the Dayak Chamber of Commerce and Industry (DCCI) and Kadazandusun Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) to look after the interests of the Dayak and Kadazandusun communities. Since then a new terminology, Bumiputra minorities, has been coined to refer to the Dayaks and Kadazandusuns. Legally, of course, there are no such words.

The current debate on the privileges of “Bumiputra” was brought up by an Opposition leader, Dr. Boo Cheng Hau in Johor State Assembly last week when he likened “bumiputralism” as another form of apartheid policy which was experienced by the black Africans.

Nik Aziz labeled it (bumiputralism) as racism and wanted it drop, while the Information Minister, Ahmad Shabery Cheek said the Opposition did not understand the meaning and the history of the word.

It is obvious that we have been lulled into belief that as Bumiputras we enjoy all the rights. What a fool we have been for the last 30 years for continuing to elect BN government? This issue should be one of the issues to be highlighted at the forthcoming Batang Ai by-election.