KUCHING: Personal greed, jealousy of each other’s success and achievements, and weak leadership are some of the main weaknesses that make Dayaks, Iban in particular, vulnerable to exploitation and manipulation by those who want to see them disunited, according to Parti Bansa Dayak Sarawak Baru (PBDSB) secretary-general Julius Enchana.
“Unfortunately, the Ibans seem to be struggling or still searching for the right formula or mechanism to move forward together with a unity of purpose,” he said.
Julius said failure to achieve unity of purpose will inevitably cause them to be unable to have a strong voice.
He said they should explore different ways to leverage on their community’s power in numbers, perhaps via their Persatuan Ketua Masyarakat or a coalition of the Iban NGOs.
The Ibans, he stressed, need to strategise in order to maximise the benefits they derive from government development projects and grants.
He said towards the same objective, the Ibans in the various political parties should continue to play their roles via their respective positions, channels and networking.
Julius also wants to see a strong watchdog body or pressure group established, to harp on issues related to the community.
He said for as long as all this is not in place, Ibans will continue to have neither the political will nor the power to accomplish any “objectives set in any agenda” despite being the biggest community in Sarawak.
According to Julius, presently Ibans do things on piece meal basis, that is, via their own individual and political channels rather than via one main organisation, say, a coalition of Iban organisations.
This, he said, made any agenda-setting meaningless.
