KAPIT: Kelab Gagung Sibu Sarawak (KGS) held its annual general meeting (AGM) at Kapit District Council here at 2.30pm last Saturday.
KGS chairman Jabang Juntan said this year is not an election year for the club.
“Based on our club’s constitution we will be holding an election for new office bearers once in three years,” he said.
He also lauded the presence of KGS members from the various divisions and districts in the state namely Bintulu, Mukah, Miri, Sibu, Sarikei, Kanowit and Song who had sacrificed their time to attend the AGM.
Jabang was also glad to note that the club had organised 24 activities last year and was hopeful that the club would be more active this year in carrying out its activities as planned in the meeting.
To beef up the current strength of the club, he called upon the members to hold a membership drive and to get the younger generation to continue the struggles of the club which are to uphold the traditional culture of Iban warriors.
“If the present conditions imposed by the club on the minimal requirements to join the club are too rigid, perhaps we could relax them a little to enable those interested to join the club,” he pointed out.
The formation of Kelab Gagung Sibu Sarawak, among others, was to preserve Iban culture and traditional warrior’s costume known as “gagung” including the headgear (ketapu silong or lelanjang).
It also serves as a platform for the members to standardise the warrior’s costume and to stick to the Dayak Iban ‘gagung’ own identity without having to blend it with other communities’ accessories and headgears.
To date, KGS has 138 registered members who are mostly whole life members from the various districts and divisions throughout the state.
