A New Sarawak Tribune Exclusive
KUCHING : The future of at least 200 nomadic and semi-settled Baram Penan children living in the remote jungles along the Magoh-Tutoh watershed looks bleak because at least one of their parents is “stateless”.
There are about 300 nomads from seven communities, namely, the Ba Magoh (80), Ba Puak (100), Ba Bareh (30), Ba Taha (30), Ba Ubung (50) and Ba Tepen (20) and Long Ragam (30).
The New Sarawak Tribune recently visited the nomadic Penan hinterland and discovered that the IC problem is rife and maybe “hundreds” more of the estimated 12,000 Penans in the Baram may not have this most important document.
The irony is that almost all the Penan have birth certificates but becauseone of their parents does not have an IC, they are deemed “stateless”.
According Gerawat Megud, the chief of a small nomadic community of about 15 living in the forests adjacent to Long Seridan, because his wife Rina,44, does not have an IC, his three oldest children – Jamit,22, Margaret, 21, and Johari19 – were not eligible to be bonafide citizens.
Gerawat, 50, said: “I left my original home in Ba Magoh to settle in the forests next toLong Seridan about 10 years ago to enable my children to attend school.
“Margaret and Johani completed their primary six, but when the discovered they were not eligible for ICs, they dropped out of school.
But through a good samaritan, my son, Jonathan (14) and daughter, Eliana (12) received a sponsorship to study at the Marudi Secondary school.
“However, I worry that when the time comes for them to sit for their Form Three exams, they will be disqualified because they, too, don’t have ICs.”
Gerawat, who has an eight-year-olddaughter, Ira, at the Long Seridan primary school said 90 per cent of the Magoh Penan under his older brother Sayak Megut,52, also do not have ICs.
“Even though both Sayak and I have ICs, our wivesdon’t. Sayak and his wife, Idi Buki, have eight children, Piyun, Apui, Timah, Limau, Luna, Lujan, Ranau and Diana who are without ICs.
“Apui’s wife, Alice does not have an IC and so their children, Bobby, Daud James, Alinda, Bryan and Cecelia will suffer a similar fate.”
The last major Penan registration exercise was carried out 23 years ago at 12 centres, namely, Long Itam (Sungei Patah), Long Beku (Sungei Akah), Long Sait (Sungei Selungo), Long Makaba (Sungei Silat), Long Luteng (Suungei Patah), Long Kevok Service Centre, Long Lamai, Bario, Long Lellang, Ulu Akah, Batu Bungan and Long Seridan.
During the month-long registration exercise by the National Registration Department, an estimated 5,500 Penan, from 37 villages and longhouse communities in the Baram, were invited to register themselves.
Described as the biggest Penan registration drive, the first batch of about1,000 Penan came from Long Kevok, Long Latei, Long Leng, Long Tepen, Long Sait and Long Lamai.
At least 11 National Registration officers with four assistants were stationed at various centres, even using helicopters to cover the Baram District which is larger than Perak but only slightly smaller than Pahang.
Penan from 37 villages and longhouse communities came from Long Itam, Long Kawi, Long Beku,Long Sait, Long Krong, Long Sepigen, Long Jekitan, Long Tekan, Long Bee, Ba Purau, Long Makaba, Long Luteng, Long Dilo, Long Lilim, Long Bangan, Long Win, Long Latei, Long Belok, Long Sayan, Long Kawa, Long Live, Long Nen, Long Buang, Long Lamai, Long Peluan, Long Beruang, Long Lai, Ba Tik, Ba Berang, Ba Keramau, Ba Benali, Long Kepang, Ba Pengarang Batu Bungan,Ba alau, Long Melamun and Ba Lesuan.
At that time, nine of the state’s11 nomadic Penan groups were also invited to take part in the exercise.
They included the group from Long Melamun (leader: Kurau Kusin), Long Kidah (Asik Nyalit), Ba Lesuan(Kurau Kusin), Batu Lulau Moyong Usai), Ba Puak (Boi Buki), Ulu Tutoh (Tabran Agut), Ba Magoh (Agan Polisi Jeluan), Kubaan (Bala Tinggang).
Birth certificates were issued to the Penan who found it difficult to secure jobs in timber camps or urban areas because they did not possess such documents.
