An age old Dayak adat of choosing a Tuai Rumah
by common consensus thus ensuring harmony within the longhouse is now
severely compromised by BN's corrupt cronies.
KUCHING:
The government’s appointment of longhouse chiefs (Tuai Rumah) who are
cronies of the elected representatives is driving a wedge among native
communities who, in the past, have chosen their own leaders.
The practice goes against the established adat (customs) of the Dayak
community and has also wrecked the inherent harmony in longhouses, said
Nicholas Bawin, a Sarawak PKR division leader.
Bawin, who heads the party’s Lubuk Antu division, said that he had
received several complaints from longhouse residents regarding the
issue.
“The elected representatives failed to get the consensus of the longhouse folk in recommending someone to be their Tuai Rumah.
“This practice is against the norm or adat that has been practised in
the past by the longhouse people,” said Bawin, who was a former deputy
president of the Dayak Council of Traditions and Customs.
Bawin cited some instances in Lubok Antu where the local MP William
Nyallau Badak had replaced some Tuai Rumah who had either died or
retired with those who were ‘close’ to him.
“His (Nyallau) recommendation is not only against the wishes of the
longhouse people, but also against the Iban adat that has long been in
practice.
“We are worried about this development and in the manner the Tuai
Rumah has been appointed because it can bring disunity and disharmony to
the people of that longhouse.
“In the past if there is more than one candidate, the people will
decide who will be their chief through a process of election. This is
very much like our general election,” he said.
Abusing power
The state BN government has been using these Tuai Rumah as its chief ‘campaigners’ in their respective longhouses.
Past incidents showed that these ‘chosen’ longhouse chiefs warned
their followers that ‘action’ would be taken against them if they voted
for the opposition.
As a ‘punishment’ for supporting the opposition, longhouse chiefs and
followers would be deprived of development projects and other election
‘goodies’.
Bawin said that the Tuai Rumah has often abused his power to stop
opposition campaigners from entering the longhouse during
electioneering.
There were scores of Tuai Rumah whose appointments were terminated
after they were found allowing their longhouses to be used by the
opposition in the last election.
A couple of them have sued the government for their dismissal.
Bawin, who is likely to be the PKR candidate for Lubok Antu, believed
that the Barisan Nasional would make use of the Tuai Rumah to threaten
their followers into supporting the BN candidate.
He said that PKR is prepared for all this undemocratic practice and
is using Radio Free Sarawak (RFS) to counter allegations made by BN
against the opposition.
RFS which is broadcasting daily from 6pm to 8pm is one of the most
popular radio stations in the rural areas, said Bawin, pointing out that
the response to its broadcasts is very encouraging.
Listeners even from Peninsular Malaysia and Sabah phoned to RFS not
only pouring out their problems, but also accusing the BN government of
failing to fulfill its promises.
“That is the reason why BN is against the people listening to the
station. They don’t want the people to find the truth,” he said.
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