Sarawak Regatta, a showcase of boat race with active participation by teams from various government agencies, the private sectors and neighbouring countries of Kalimantan and Brunei, can be traced back to the year 1872 during the era of James Brooke. It started with the intention to stop tribal wars among the ethnics groups, which still practiced headhunting.
James Brooke called all tribes to challenge each other not in violence but instead in sportsmanship by having boat races to prove their power, strength and speed; a call that has since continued to bring peaceful competitiveness between tribes along Baram River and Batang Rajang.
The call to challenge each other through the boat race rather than headhunting was successful in bringing peace among the warring tribes. Gradually, villages from surrounding areas send their teams to compete in the event.
More so, they want to compete in the blue ribbon race for longboats, each with 30 paddlers to win the coveted title of “Raja Sungei” or King of the River. The blue ribbon race, a major crow puller makes the Regatta a grand occasion of comradely, teamwork and healthy rivalry. Generally, Regatta is a popular event but not being held regularly. Even Sarawak Regatta, previously referred to the Regatta being held at Sarawak River in Kuching in the 70s, had experienced a lapse for more than 10 years.
The Baram Regatta, a more renowned one, which depicts the colourful culture of the Orang Ulu community, was not held regularly. The Governor of Sarawak, Tun Pehin Sri Haji Abdul Taib Mahmud, has proposed that it is right time for the people of Sarawak to think how to make the Regatta a permanent feature of the State under a permanent organisation, primarily to facilitate and organise the event on a regular basis.
Tun Abdul Taib, in his speech during a luncheon organised by Yayasan Perpaduan Sarawak (YPS) or Sarawak Unity Foundation, says Regatta has been organised in a circle from one town to another and has become a very well known event, not as a sport any more but is an event in Sarawak. Therefore the people should think what they ought to do next year to mark the 30th year of existence of Yayasan Perpaduan Sarawak (YPS) or Sarawak Unity Foundation.
It will be right time for us to think how to make the Regatta to become a permanent form under a permanent organisation so that the event can be planned three or four years ahead. He believes there is no doubt now that Regatta can attract crowd well beyond the town where it is being hosted.
Therefore, efforts ought to be made to make Regatta a state event without necessarily making it the burden to the State to carry out. The people ought to make sure that the regatta be put under a permanent organisation so that it can be planned at least three years ahead. Tun Abdul Taib believes the regatta, if properly planned and organised, can become a platform where policies of sports, oasis of culture and policies that require popular support, can be supported.
Therefore, members of the Regatta committee must think of ways the event can be developed to become a better platform and forum to promote tourism for the host town and other places. The regatta can also help to popularise other exercises to promote sports, cultural events and others that can get popular support from the people.
He nominates Alfred Jabu (former Deputy Chief Minister, Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Alfred Jabu anak Numpang) to be involved actively in the efforts to upgrade Regatta in the state. Datuk Patinggi Alfred Jabu used to work in places like Baram or Miri and other places should not be allowed to do less work with his vast knowledge and experience in the public service. He should be asked to help and make the regatta as a platform for the people to strengthen their unity and solidarity.
Besides, the regatta can also serve as a platform to promote cultural identity and get young people to get used to the idea that Regatta is a future that will make Sarawak quite well known, if not famous. Tun Abdul Taib says at this stage, he has great faith that the Regatta can fulfil such roles.
Therefore, without thinking much, he would like to recommend that efforts must be made to look around for people, who share the idea and have interest to organise Regatta all over Sarawak or regular basis. They must be made aware that a Regatta must be planned at least three or four years ahead. The event must have features that can accommodate other cultural and sporting activities that the state government wants to promote. He believes regattas will probably spread to Sabah next.
Even the people in Johor, at one time, thought of organising a regatta. Generally, the people show stronger interests in the event. The momentum indicates that there is a growing interest among the people of all walks of life in the regatta.
Tun Abdul Taib says it is time for the people of Sarawak as a whole to start planning for a well organised Regatta next year as an event to mark be 30th anniversary of Yayasan Perpaduan Sarawak (YPS). Tun Abdul Taib thanked organisations and individuals for their efforts and sacrifices in helping to organize the Regatta as an important event to promote Sarawak in the past.
They should continue with their good work. Undoubtedly, Regatta is a unique feature for Sarawak, which has many rivers. Besides, the State still has a lot of boats and if the regatta is not organised regularly, the boats will disappear, the paddlers and the rowers will also disappear. It is a pity that such things should happen or be allowed to disappear. Tun Abdul Taib believes the people will support whatever support is needed. He would also make a personal donation towards the Regatta fund. He says it is worth for the people to make Sarawak a state with the regatta as one of its features. It should be able to make Sarawak having an identity of sports on its own, a creation of Sarawak quite earlier on for the last 146 years.
He says it is worthwhile, with this kind of background, for the people to make conscientious efforts to make the regatta as the permanent feature of Sarawak. The Regatta should become a significant event by which Sarawak or any towns can find a platform to play bigger roles in organizing it. Tun Abdul Taib, who is also the Chairman of Yayasan Perpaduan Sarawak (YPS) or Sarawak Unity Foundation, says the foundation will make conscientious efforts to document and highlight the process that the people have gone through under its project heritage trails of unity or the journey of unity.
The Yayasan, realising the need for Sarawak to have a strong identity, is prepared to pioneer efforts towards realising the objective as a prerequisite to face the social, political and economic changes in the global, regional and national arena. Undoubtedly the journey towards integration as one Sarawak began when the State was granted an internal self – government as the first step to nationhood by the British Colonial Government on 22nd July 1963. For Sarawak it takes about two generations; the elder generation who witnessed the independence of Sarawak on July 22 1963 and the formation of Malaysia on September 16, 1963 could be considered the first generation and those after them, the second generation.
The people in the first generation grew up in an environment where there was still a strong consciousness of distinct racial identities. However, the people accepted the reality and came to a realization that they had to co-operate and work together to achieve the common goal of achieving Independence for the State and country.
The people, regardless of their ethnic origins and religious beliefs, all realized that Sarawak as a country had no majority from any particular groups of people. Therefore, they should avoid arguing that certain groups could become a majority or certain groups should dominate and there should be politics of dominance of one group over the other groups.
Admittedly, it was an attractive way of trying to wrestle power especially in the 60s and 70s but did not provide a guarantee to a smooth development of the future as development must be able to increase the size of wealth and develop good distribution machinery for the people to benefit from it. Hence, their political journey started with unity and co-operation initially through alliance, coalition of parties and mergers of political parties. They all realised that nothing else was a better alternative in the way the people should look to the future.
All political parties in Sarawak started as multi-racial parties with the intention to bring together all ethnic groups to be involved in politics. However, the experience in Semenanjung Malaysia, in implementing the concept of the Alliance and later Barisan Nasional, showed that the efforts cannot be done in a single step.
They must recognise numerous problems, which tend to divide and separate the interests of various communities. Obviously, the new generation, starting from the second generation has the advantage of being raised in an environment where they enjoyed unity and harmony in diversity through efforts of the previous generation.
However, Sarawak, with its “borderless” economy, must prepare for significant changes coming to its shores as it will not be able to stop the inflow of foreign workers and talents. There will be change in the character of the place due to the presence of outsiders. Assimilation of others from outside must be accepted rather than stopped, especially in the economic context.
Let the natural process of assimilation take place; leave things as they naturally happen. In this regards, efforts must be made to expand the concept of unity to include those who are not originally from Sarawak but have put down their roots here for example as a result of employment or business and have started to raise their families here, with their children knowing no other country but Sarawak.
However, the people comprising more than 30 ethnic and sub-ethnic groups with diverse religious beliefs are pragmatic enough to adjust and adapt to ever-changing situations, while keeping their distinctive cultural identities. The people have been embracing unity as strong foundation in order to achieve the common goals; for example, to seize opportunities to improve their economic lots. They have been willing to cooperate and work together to attain a better life for all Sarawakians. Moving forward, it is time for the people comprising more than 30 ethnics and sub ethnics and religious groups to think of themselves as one Sarawak people in the new Malaysia.
