I was approached by the famous Dina
Zaman for assistance on a Sarawak article she plans to run in one of the online
journals. The first of many questions
given to me sounds like this…
Question : As a Sarawakian, what
should the non-Sarawakian know about your state - from its people to politics?
I’ll start with Sarawak people
first.
Sarawakians are as passionate about
their state just as any Malaysian when it comes to sports, food, music and art,
culture and heritage, and just about anything that carries the Sarawak name and
signature. As a Sarawakian, I appreciate
non-Sarawakians who have some knowledge about any of these subjects. However, it’s not really fair to expect
everyone to know facts about Sarawak. I
too have no knowledge about some of the states in Malaysia. Only those I’ve visited and those receiving
considerable media coverage.
Having said that, I am less
forgiving towards people who are supposed to do their homework and research but
never bothered to, resulting in a messed up impression about Sarawak. There are
many instances where people mistake Sabah with Sarawak, especially the ethnic
tribes of Sarawak and Sabah. I’ve had
peninsular people ask me where I’m from and the moment I say Sarawak, their
next sentence would be ‘so you are Kadazan or Dusun?’
This probably happens because there
are more than three ethnics in Sarawak and Sabah than most people bother to
take note; having so used to the classification ‘Melayu, Cina, India Dan
Lain-lain’. I have to agree, it is damn
easy to just say ‘dan lain-lain’ as opposed to Iban, Bidayuh, Melanau, Kayan,
Kenyah, Kelabit, Bisaya, Berawan, Lakiput ‘dan lain-lain’ in Sarawak.
And talking about people,
Sarawakians are a warm and friendly bunch.
There’s no other place in Malaysia where ethnic and religious tolerance
is upheld truthfully and sincerely. How
could we not; there are so many different ethnics in Sarawak that we can’t
afford to be reckless when it comes to respecting one another’s beliefs and
traditions.
Sarawakians are also fierce in
defending each other’s dignity because for us, when one tribe in Sarawak is
subject to misinterpretation and misrepresentation, other tribes feels the
pinch just because a fellow Sarawakian is being ridiculed. Hence we unanimously raise our voice and
stand our ground to remedy the damage done by such acts. The latest uproar was caused by MyMetro immediately
after they published an article depicting Penan sibling-parent marriage. Tell me, which race wouldn’t get upset with
an article about their race, headlined ‘My mother is my wife’.
Another famous and surviving
incident for almost every Sarawakians arriving in Kuala Lumpur is being asked
the question ‘do you still live in trees?’
Haha…
Personally, I would just laugh at
this question. But some of my friends got really angry and made a big fuss
about it… I wouldn’t exactly blame them for asking such question because the
image of Sarawak is synonym with lush rainforest and indigenous tribes roaming
the jungle, running barefoot with their blow pipes aimed to the trees. Mystical exotica is both a blessing and a
curse. For me, we’ll just have to deal
with it and make the best out of it.
There’s no point in being upset with this innocent and accidental
impression. Instead, we should use it to lure tourist with the sheer curiosity of it all; the look on
their faces the moment they experience Sarawak urbanization amidst wonders of
nature…
PRICELESS.
Going back to the question… What
should the non-Sarawakians know about your state?... Well, for me, it’s not
about what others should know about our state, it’s how we explain and educate
others so they are well informed as and when required. Knowledge is best served to an eager and
willing learner. Passion makes learning
worthwhile.
Another aspect which each state
should really consider is the training of their citizens as ambassadors. In Japan, young Japanese are not only taught
about their country but how to explain to foreigners all they need to know
about Japan. The same concept could be
applied by the Sarawak government starting from elementary education through
higher education. Each state in Malaysia
should be allowed to implement a tourism education subject based on the state’s
requirement. The syllabus should include
psychological and emotional tolerance in handling ignorance and systematic ways
to deal with typical cases to ensure correct knowledge, facts and figures are
relayed effectively.
Sarawakians should not blame
non-Sarawakians for having wrong impressions or lack of knowledge about
Sarawak. They should also understand
that the limited effort that the Sarawak Government is doing in promoting the
state means that the people themselves should take up the challenge in educating
others about Sarawak; the land, the people and the heritage.
That is where Persatuan Warian
Sarawak comes into the picture. It is a
non-government organization, NGO, set up based in Kuala Lumpur to promote
Sarawak culture and heritage beyond the Sarawak borders. Our events, such as Borneo Hornbill Festival,
Borneo Culture Tour, Spirits of the harvest and Malaysia Zero Hour Countdown
creates an impactful presence of Sarawak culture and tradition in Kuala Lumpur,
brought by Sarawakians themselves, people who truly represent the celebration
of diversity amidst individuality and the good harvest of respect and unity.
I know I’ve not given facts and
figures about Sarawak population. There’s
always wiki and the encyclopaedia for that.
And to really understand the people, you’d have to visit Sarawak and
interact with the people. Not merely watching from the tour bus or your comfy
hotel room. Travel not just within the
cities but endure the back breaking journeys into the rural villages and you’ll
discover what Sarawakians are made of.
