Sarawakians defined

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.