Written by Dr. John Brian Anthony

This is an individual perspective on “Can we make Dayak’s NGO to work as one?”. This idea stemmed out of an earlier challenge, that is “Can Sarawak Dayak National Union be made as the Umbrella body to all Dayak Organization?”.

Why is this an important step forward to the Dayak?
The ever changing political environment, opportunities and challenges is a fact of life that the Dayak must accept. This idea of getting all Dayak NGO to work as one is to challenge the current paradigm that Dayak ethnic group is pursuing separate and specific goals but is not driving the Dayak to a greater political progress and economic achievement.

The observation at grassroots level is their dependency on the leaders to decide for them. The Dayak will support good forward direction that the leaders will make. The Dayak crave for success like any other communities in Malaysia.

Today, Dayak are short of a clear plan and objective of which direction they would like to take to improve the future. The issues are many which make a Dayak blueprint for their development a must do. This blueprint must have participation by all Dayak groups and its NGO representing each ethnic group. For example, in the face of amendment on the land laws and the introduction of large scale plantation, what is the Dayak positive response to it? This must be in the blue print.

Cohesiveness
With such diverse ethnics group under the Dayak category, a clear holistic goal would require comprehensive working together approach by the Dayak. The cohesiveness must be multi-level to allow for effective implementation and monitoring.

W e can start we the village head and community leaders ( Temenggong, Pemancha, Penghulu) first and assign them with revised roles and responsibility that is totally accountabe to the community and not any political interest. The objective of this approach is to strengthen Dayak “adat” and “value system” as has been practice effective in the past during the days before Sarawak formed Malaysia with Malaya and Sabah.

This will help community discipline and resolution to help themselves to achieve greater progress in all field. The discipline is required to achieve the vision that the Dayak must have. The resolution will help them adhere to proper process and abide by community standard and guideline in their pursuance of a better life. In short, Dayak should go for hard work instead of shortcut to build the foundation of their future enterprise in all field.

At the political stage, the Dayak are well represented and well place. In there is any short coming, it would be their effectiveness as an individual leader. Are they visionary, committed, resourceful, good negotiator and team player to name a few.

Common Goal
Resources are limited and therefor to focus onto a common goal will make sense. This will simplify the community understanding of what the Dayak would like to achieve in the future in order to be a productive partner to any government in nation building. Example of a common goal – make agricultural activities and increase agricultural production as a mean to achieve Dayak economic well-being.

Then agricultural activities would not be frowned on as a menial occupation. Saving, appropriate efficient technology, specialize and skill human resource, knowledge, societal and governmental support and structures could be build to support such goal.

Then we will see Dayak focus in agri-business and build a niche unto themselve in nation building. All these are renewed focus on agri-business as a platform of Dayak advancement.

Leadership Training
Such goal as agri-business will produce leaders that is no lesser in quality and capacity as those that use general trading or government contract to move their community forward.

The agri-business enterprise will attract talented young Dayak with good education and research mind to excel in order to stay ahead of the competition. This will horned their management skill and organizing abilities, implementation techniques and a drive for higher productivity.

Such leadership training can then provide Dayak participation in government with high caliber thinking leaders and Cabinet Minister. Leaders who understood accountability, time line and personal knowledge improvement in order to be effective in playing a leadership role for the community. Leadership who can actually solve problems by providing effective solution through stakeholders engagement.

Platform for unity
Unity would be easier achieved through commonality of practices and activities. This activities create better understanding and oneness in focus to deliver result for the community.

The example of Gawai Dayak festival, cultural in nature would be a healthy place to start with. It has been practiced earlier that the State Gawai Dayak would be organizd by rotational basis between the various Dayak communities. It could be renewed and refresh with a new approach. The Dayak could set a commercial body to act as the facilitator and planner for such an event. The Dayak NGO would form a team of adviser and provide expertise and performing resource for different Dayak culture.

Sarawak Dayak National Union could for example lead by providing a Dayak Cultural Centre for all Dayak. The purpose of the Dayak Centre would be to record and archive Dayak cultures in all forms, act as a Centre to transfer Dayak cultural knowledge and skill to younger generation, to promote the unique Dayak culture through performance presentation within the country venue and also at international stage.

This would bring the Dayak as one in the eyes of the world while they benefited from the variety of cultural performance belonging to the various Dayak community in its original form.

Where are the Dayak Organization as it stand now?
The Dayak has actually move substantially from their usual club based organization to such focus on such dynamic platform as in commerce, education, welfare, culture, religious focus and to a certain extent sport. The Dayak should take a more active approach in creating new organization for specific purpose to close any gap on the needs of the Dayak community. This should exclude the activity of forming any organization for the purpose of gaining political power. We leave that to another discussion, another day.

Specific goals but not link to a greater goal
The various Dayak NGO now are not working together towards a common goal. The plus point is the Dayak personalities leaders who head the respective Dayak organization are known to each other. In some cases they are close personal friend to each other. We must exploit such advantage for the well being of the Dayak community.

Political hands
There is no evidence of these at play in Dayak organization but we see symptoms in the approach used in solving community problems. This should not be an issue when the Dayak have a bigger goal to aim for. Let the detractor play their game and the Dayak push forward with purpose and unity.

What do we want to be?
The Dayak should play a very constructive role in national building through a well orchestrated adaptation through being competitive professionally and with appropriate knowledge and an economic standing that would be at par with the average Malaysian.

The Dayak should be an effective leader unto its community through active participation with other races in Malaysia but not subject itself to be patronize by any political faction.

The Dayak should be proud of their heritage and bring it along with them to make Malaysia truly for Malaysian and not Malaysian with class society and bias inclination.

Conclusion
CONCEPT OF COMMONALITIES AND GOALS THAT WE MUST ACHIEVED can be carried out using the these platform. Some are already in place. We just need to accelerate and intensify our effort.

#Dayak Economic Convention

#Dayak Cultural Seminar

#Dayak Forum on Education

#Create a Greater Dayak World Convention to include all with Dayak roots.