Bidayuh Bauh what say you

Posted by Brade on September 30, 2004 at 16:41:09:

I wish to take this opportunity to thank the editors for inviting me to write the foreword of this book entitled "Creating A New Bidayuh Identity." In addition, I wish to extend my warmest gratitude to Yayasan Sarawak for allocating the grant to publish this book.

The Bidayuh community in Sarawak have entered the 21st Century. The 21st Century through globalization and the introduction of Information Communication and Technology (ICT), offers numerous opportunities as well as challenges. For those who are prepared and ready for it, who have equipped themselves with the right skills and knowledge and mental attitudes necessary for modern progress, will be able to face the challenges and benefit from the opportunities available. They will be able to compete in the open market, increase their sales of their products and eventually will prosper. But those who still cling to their traditional ways of doing work, who still lack the necessary skills and knowledge requires for modern progress will not be able to face the challenges and will become victims of globalization and ICT. They will not be able to compete in the open market-economy where only the best can survive.

With what we are, who we are and what we have, would the Bidayuh as a community be able to survive as well as to strive in the very competitive market environment in the 21st Century? The answer to this question is "it all depends," it dependent on many factors. Among them are the followings:

Firstly Bidayuh Unity - the Bidayuh must value their political unity; we must not at any time gamble with our political unity. It is through political unity that the Bidayuh will be able to continuously benefit from government policies and projects. We therefore must continuously work together to enhance the unity that we have today. But we must be mindful that our political unity can be very fragile and thus prone to political crisis. It can be fragile because our political leaders do no belong to one political party, they only subscribe to one political ideology, that is Barisan Nasional (BN). This unique political set up among the Bidayuh Community is the product of the community being in the process of a flux in the early 1960s, during the time when the political parties were extensively recruiting their members. Bidayuh being nice people and out of their politeness, welcome all of these political parties. It is because of this reason, the Bidayuh are now found in almost all political parties in the State, such as in Pesaka Bumiptera Bersatu (PBB), Sarawak United Peoples Party (SUPP), Sarawak Progressive Democratic Party (SPDP), Parti Bangsa Dayak Sarawak (PBDS) and even in other opposition parties.

To maintain this unique political unity, while at the same time enjoying our differences in our political leaning and party membership, require all Bidayuh political leaders to subscribe to one common direction and sing one song i.e. WE ARE MEMBERS OF THE BN - REPRESENTING THE INTEREST OF THE BIDAYUH COMMUNITY. It is based on this principle the UDUNG BIDAYUH was formed. We must have the interest and destiny of the community at heart. We must keep on working together through BN to maintain and enhance the unity that we have today. It is through this arrangement that Bidayuh unity could be maintained and further enhanced; it is through this arrangement that the Bidayuh will be able to stay in the mainstream of State politics and continue to benefits from the government policies and development.

Secondly, Bidayuh Culture - the Bidayuh as a community has a short history of civilization. All this while our community have never experiences that our existence necessitated a struggle. The Bidayuh take time in hunting and fishing. They take time in planting for their daily meal. They always seek self-sufficiency. There is no need for competition where one tramples upon one another for better life or for more. We are not used to compete but co-operate. We used to share whatever we have. The Bidayuh practiced not only cooperation but also communalism. For this reason the Bidayuh normally do not like to see their friends or neighbours better off than themselves. This often caused a very strong feeling of envy and jealousy if one member of a community is better off than the rest or if one is more successful than the rest.

But all these values probably will become disadvantageous to the community if we are to survive and strive in the very competitive environment in the 21st Century. Thus for this reason it is imperative to turn our communal and cooperative values into competitive and perhaps individualistic values; values that will urge us to compete with one another and be prepared to trample upon one another; values that will tell us that wanting is not enough but wanting more and more is good.

The Bidayuh must be prepared to cooperate ideals which are directed towards efficiency, persistence, determination and strenuous efforts and risk taking with their customary ideals. If in the past the Bidayuh were not determined and persistent, and let the new generation of Bidayuh who will face the brunt of challenges of the 21st century; be persistent and determined; if in the past the Bidayuh we were not risk takers, it is the new generation Bidayuh be risk-takers or probably gamblers.

The new generation of Bidayuh must be prepared to discard whatever values that might be useful in the past may not be as useful in the future when the society changes and is faced with different set of challenges. The values of the Bidayuh ought to change to accommodate the 21st Century set of challenges and the changes that it brings.

The Bidayuh must be prepared to accept that some and more capable than the others, and be prepared to support them rather than jealous of them. The Bidayuh cannot practice the egalitarian mentality. The 21st Century demands meritocracy. We must have a new mentality "if he can do it, I can also do it; if Peter Minos has a hotel chain, I too must work equally hard to own a hotel chain, rather than to find ways and means to pull Peter Minos down so that he will be as poor as all of us." Probably we begin to celebrate our friends' success together. Let the new generation of Bidayuh Bauh begin to touch and help each other that could never have imagined; celebrating each other's success together and helping the less fortunate members of the community become productive and successful; providing all the support to those members who have the ability to succeed and those who are already successful. Let this be the mentality ingrained in the Bidayuh community.

Thirdly education - the future and destiny of the Bidayuh community depends very much on their level of education. The higher their rate of literacy the brighter will be their future; the bigger their number attaining tertiary education, the more secured will be the future of their community. The Bidayuh therefore must pay special emphasis

on education; each and every Bidayuh family must place education as its top priority; each and every Bidayuh family must have an education target. This is a must. In the 21st century, it is only those with the right skills and knowledge will be able to play a meaningful role in the development of the state.

Fourthly, urbanization - the Bidayuh must be prepared to migrate to the cities and urban centres, the job opportunities are available and where they will be gradually be exposed to new values and very competitive environment. Urbanization will gradually change the values and attitude of the Bidayuh; urbanization will make them more competitive and resilient; more industrious and efficient. The urban Bidayuh will develop the keen sense of wanting to outdo one another; they will come to terms with the fact that in order to stay ahead or keep pace with competition, wealth, knowledge and the right skills as all these are essential ingredients to cope with the wave of globalization.

Fifthly, identity and sense of belonging - to a small community, the Bidayuh have diverse dialects and cultures. These are what we are born with; it is not our choice. But these differences sometimes create divisions among us and make us parochial. To avoid such divisions and being parochial, let the new generation of Bidayuh begin to create a sense of identity as a Bidayuh and a sense of belonging to the community. Let us call ourselves Bidayuh not Serian Bidayuh, not Padawan Bidayuh, not Penrissen Bidayuh, not Bau Bidayuh, or Lundu Bidayuh. But let us all call ourselves as Malaysian Bidayuh.

Lastly as a minority community, the Bidayuh must not only work and cooperate with the members of the community, but the Bidayuh must be able to work closely with the other communities. The Bidayuh must not isolate themselves from the other communities and the government of the day. To survive in the 21st Century and to be able to play a meaningful role in the overall development of the State, it is imperative for all the Bidayuh to maintain their unity, review their customary values, be resilient, competitive, risk-takers; create a sense of belonging to the community, maintain close cooperation and working relationship not only amongst themselves but with the members of other communities as well. All these characterized the a new cultural identity of the of the Bidayuh in the 21st Century.