This past Saturday on January 11, candles were lit in various parts of Sarawak in memory of the fifth chief minister, Pehin Sri Adenan Satem, more popularly known as “Tok Nan”.
It was on January 11, 2017 that the people of Sarawak received the sad news that Adenan, aged 72, had left for the heavenly abode.
The news left many people here teary-eyed for a man who had touched so many.
Although, he only held office from January 28, 2014 to January 11, 2017, during this short time in office he had given Sarawakians a sense of unity, hope, and dignity.
His strong defence of all things Sarawak made people feel fiercely proud of being Sarawakian, inspiring several generations of people old and young to stand up and get involved in the demand for autonomy as penned in the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63).
Many people miss his sense of humour. He was an excellent orator and had the ability to immediately get the attention of an audience and hold it. This was followed by driving his message home to get his point across.
Any toastmaster would be happy to have even 10 percent of Tok Nan’s oratory skills.
He was not all talk only. His many ideas and policies were translated into action.
His wide-ranging 53 principles and actions were the hallmark of his achievements. All these principles and actions were acted upon and delivered, with a few in progress when he passed on.
Those principles and actions related to Sarawak rights and oil royalties were kick-started with the federal government in the first phase of discussions in January 2017 leading to the agreement of the 13 points on the devolution of administrative power to Sarawak.
This was the beginning and the first victory in the uphill battle for autonomy. The next phase is now with our current Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari Tun Openg, and he is doing an excellent job, continuing the battle.
While having humour and the ability put an audience at ease, Adenan also had a sharp edge. He was a leader with clear principles which he espoused without hesitation.
Unlike some Malayan politicians, he took a stern stand against racists and ultras to the extent of banning some of these undesirables from entering Sarawak.
His clear and unambiguous statements in support of unity and social justice kept the undesirable elements in check.
He always made it very clear that all the communities in Sarawak that they belonged here as Anak Sarawak. This inclusive approach made a tremendous impact across Sarawak.
Tok Nan also managed to hold off a very strong challenge from the opposition during the 2016 Sarawak election, winning 72 of the 82 available seats.
In a time when the pro-opposition tide was very strong, his ability to draw back many people to vote for Team Adenan was indeed a momentous achievement.
Many assemblymen would have to agree that they owe their victory to the Adenan
factor.
Another momentous achievement was getting Sarawakians to come together to fight for their rights under MA63.
Although there had been various groups campaigning for Sarawak for several years, he managed to galvanise them and increase awareness of the issue.
This effort in itself is a worthwhile legacy which hopefully leads to us having all our rights as enshrined in MA63.
Adenan openly fought for higher petroleum royalty, Sarawak rights and autonomy although he was part of the federal ruling party.
This gave many others the courage to speak up in support, the effects of which we can still see today.
It is indeed unfortunate that PH Sarawak seems to be going back on their promises related these matters.
All Sarawakians irrespective of political affiliations should carry on fighting tooth and nail to ensure that the terms in MA63 are adhered to in law and spirit, including all the rights to our resources.
Adenan, born in Kuching, a product of mission school who worked as a journalist and teacher and later becoming a lawyer and a magistrate and beginning his political career in 1976 with his crowning achievements for Sarawakians as a chief minister needs to be memorialised as a symbol of hope, unity, and strength.
While many light candles to remember him during his death anniversary, a more permanent symbol of hope could be considered.
My suggestion would be a torch with an eternal flame. Miri would be an ideal place for such a memorial since we have a continuous supply of piped gas.
His demise had for a moment led to a sense of what’s going to happen to Sarawak.
However, we can see that that the torch has passed onto the good and capable hands of Abang Johari and is being carried high for all to see.
Let us all together keep this flame of unity and hope alive for Sarawak.
