Cin chai lah! All are abang adik in Batang Ai what!

(The Borneo Post) DATUK Joseph Salang was in fine spirits — ha, literally that is. Holding a glass of red wine, he was chatting happily among a group of friends at a dinner in Kuala Lumpur last Friday night.

I have not met Salang for quite a while. So it was nice to catch up with him at the private function — a housewarming party of a mutual friend who is a former minister.

At the table were several Sarawakians — so naturally, our conversation moved into the forthcoming Batang Ai by-election.

I actually like what Salang, the deputy Energy, Water and Communications minister, blurted out when I asked him about Batang Ai.

“Oh, cin chai lah! Liaw liaw ka kee nang” (‘It’s okay lah — all are our own people’ in Hokkien). His light banter fitted in well as the rest of us on the same table were Chinese.

I took note of his comments in Hokkien and complemented him for being able to hold a spattering of the dialect. No, it’s not the wine doing the talking, I’m sure.

Salang is an Iban and the MP for Julau. His constituency, he told me, shares the same border with eight other parliamentary constituencies, one of which is Lubok Antu. Batang Ai is, of course, one of two state seats within the Lubok Antu parliamentary area — the other being Engkilili. So Salang should know the people of Lubok Antu pretty well too.

I must say it’s good to hear a Dayak politician declaring that “all are our own people”. Whether Salang truly meant it or not is another story but I really wish more of our Dayak brethren would think and feel the same way — particularly those involved in politics.

So much have been written and said about the forthcoming Batang Ai by-election. That’s nothing unusual. An electoral contest undoubtedly brings great excitement to many and I have been told that there is much festivity in the air too in Batang Ai. If the locals want to turn a by-election into a festival, why not? At least, that will make them forget they are in different political camps with different allegiances, even for a day.

Political commentators have added much to the hype on Batang Ai, as always. The by-election has been described as a ‘do-or-die battle’, a watershed, crossroads for Sarawak politics, an endorsement for some parties, a waterloo for some Dayak politicians, etc etc.

But do we realise that the same things have been said over and over again. What is new that can be written or said anyway about a by-election. The political animal in many enjoys and even craves for such hype and excitement during an election. After all, elections do not come often — only once in four or five years plus the irregular and unforeseen by-elections.

I have been quite cynical in my views about politics and elections in recent times. I make no apology for that. For Batang Ai, the cynic in me would not batter an eyelid on the going-on there. It’s not that I don’t care about political development in our state and country. It’s just that I don’t see why a small by-election could make any difference to the political equation in Sarawak.

Sarawak BN is comfortable even if they lose Batang Ai. If they win, it’s status quo for the ruling coalition. If PKR wins, it’s just another seat to warm till the next state election. If the opposition party loses, they can always contest again in two years’ time. By then, all the political theories expounded during this by-election would have been forgotten. So what ‘do-or-die battle’, what watershed, what waterloo are we talking about? It’s always a whole new ball game at every election.

BN has chosen its candidate in Malcolm Mussen Lamoh. Well and good. At least, he’s a new face — untested and untried. He may or may not be a good politician but give him a year down the road if he’s elected on April 7 and Batang Ai folks will be able to decide whether he’s worth supporting again in the next round.

Over at the PKR end, I’m surprised why Jawah Gerang is still being considered as a potential candidate. Why? Jawah has been an MP for several terms — that’s enough lah! Give others a chance. It’s politically unhealthy to always consider that former elected representatives make better candidates. True, some may be but if you do not give others a chance to prove themselves (like you were given the chance earlier) you could even be classified a political obstacle and burden later.

To Jawah, let me implore you to help and guide the younger aspiring politicians in your community to serve more effectively. With your long experience as a legislator, you could instil more dynamism into Dayak politics and help Sarawak PKR in your own humble way.

I am somewhat disturbed to hear of the attempt by a Chinese businessman/politician with a penchant for meddling in Dayak politics to push Jawah forward as the PKR candidate. I believe that Dayak politicians and Dayak politics will be better off if they do not get entangled in this negative politics of patronage. Dayak political awakening and reform are too important and must be spared of this attempt at another round of gutter politics perpetuated all too often by some people with vested interests. Sarawak PKR is too raw and too small to be embroiled in a fight for an electoral candidacy. It can do without that, everyone can agree, I’m sure.

Personally, I am quite familiar about Batang Ai. I have been in the area many times, although it must have been more than 10 years now since I last stepped into Lubok Antu. I am sad that nothing has changed much if what I read in the media these days is any indication. The town is still with only two rows of shophouses and the people are still waiting for a proper district hospital and a bank. The Lubok Antu folks have my sympathy.

I remember the late Sylvester Langit well. He was the incumbent state rep for the area when he was tragically killed in a road accident. I went up to the bridge and down the river where his vehicle took that fatal plunge two days after the mishap. In the early eighties, he was only in his 30s. That was tragic. May God bless his young soul.

As our Dayak friends and others (with nothing better to do perhaps) descended upon Batang Ai in the days ahead, do remember one thing. “Cin chai lah, liaw liaw ka kee nang” in the friendly tone of Joseph Salang.

I would add, “Cin chai lah! All are abang adik in Batang Ai what!”

Let me conclude by humbly saying that I genuinely care and feel for my Dayak brethren in my good old Sarawak. I do wish them well and want to see that they are better taken care of by sincere, forthright leaders from their own community.

As for the fight in Batang Ai, just go out and have fun. Forget about it and move on by April 8.

(Comments can reach the writer at [email protected])