11 mei 2009 03:15

Entulu: Don`t Call Us Dayak, Use The Proper Tribal Names

Sibu, Malaysia - Dayak", the term coined during the colonial period to describe the 26 non-Muslim communities of Sarawak in the 1820s, should no longer be used, said federal Rural and Regional Development Deputy Minister Datuk Joseph Entulu Belaun.

His reason? The term has negative connotations like "uncivilised, uncouth and low class".

"As a matter of fact, some years ago, some leaders of Sarawak non-Muslim communities had suggested that the government stop using the term.

"I believe the suggestion has the tacit support of the leaders and the people concerned. So, I am reviving the call for the government to consider dropping the term," Entulu said on Saturday after witnessing the installation of the new Sarawak Dayak National Union (SDNU) Rajang branch committee chaired by Maj (R) Mosses Ripai.

Entulu said the state`s native communities, despite comprising more than half of Sarawak`s 2.5 million population, were not acknowledged according to their ethnic groups.

"In the column for race, official forms or documents merely state Malay, Chinese, Indian or others.

"This is despite the fact that the so-called Dayaks are the majority in the state and they are among the country`s leading population groups.

"I believe it will be more tactful and exact if specific terminologies like `Iban`, `Bidayuh`, `Kayan`, `Kenyah`, `Kelabit` and so forth are used."

Entulu said Dayaks working in the peninsula had had the bitter experience of being turned away when they wanted to invest in Amanah Saham Nasional or when they applied for low-cost housing because some people there thought they were not Bumiputeras.

In his speech earlier, Entulu advised social or cultural organisations like the SDNU, Sarawak Dayak Iban Association and others to stay apolitical.

"Leave politics to politicians. Your association will suffer if its leaders start to behave like politicians."

Source: http://www.nst.com.my (10 May 2009)
Photo: http://hamsin.wordpress.com

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