Young people need to vote. They need to get out there. Every vote counts. Educate yourself too. Don’t just vote. Know what you’re voting for, and stand by that.
– Nikki Reed, American actress
It is interesting to note that longhouse folk now are more mature in politics as compared to the late 80s as well as in early and late 90s.
Politics nowadays does not totally break longhouses as it did in the said period that saw some longhouses literally break – divided and finally detached from each other. At least three longhouses along KJD (Kuching-Julau-Durin) Road were split into two or more each due to different political views and conviction in the late 80s. I saw with my own eyes one of the longhouses around Batu Wong area between Bintangor and Julau that started as one but after a few months split into two due to politics circa 1988. Then I was serving in Julau.
In Saratok, Mendas longhouse, the longest community dwelling consisting of 48 doors, in the late 90s became totally divided and finally split into three units comprising Mendas Asal (next to the old and demolished longhouse), Mendas Baruh (built next to the local primary school SK Mendas and Mendas Atas built by the Pan Borneo Highway roadside). Their separation from each other was due to political differences as well as other disagreements over certain matters.
Nowadays, people in longhouses are more open-minded and welcome any political campaigning as compared to the days of Dayakism of the 1986/87 and subsequent state election of April, 1987 as well as the next state election of Sept, 1991 that saw some longhouses banning certain political parties from campaigning in their premises.
However, in Krian area in Saratok as early as the 1983 state election there was no longhouse that banned any political party campaigning. I remember going campaigning to a few longhouses along the Ulu Krian route and entered freely though we knew that the bulk of voters in such longhouses would likely vote for our opponents. However, that didn’t deter us from sharing with them what our candidate had to offer and his political stand. They gave us warm welcome but not necessarily the votes. They were happy to receive food and drinks that we brought with us.
In 2014, in preparation for the state election that was finally held in 2016, I joined my lawyer cousin who was expected to compete for the state seat with PDP. We made no less than four trips together from Kuching to visit longhouses and schools in Krian. At least eight schools benefited from gifts of school uniforms and stationery, courtesy of an organisation but handed over by my cousin on its behalf. He finally contested but sadly lost.
This time around for GE15, Saratok sees a three-cornered fight between incumbent Datuk Ali Biju (BERSATU) and Giendam Jonathan Tait (GPS-PDP) and Ibil Jaya (PH-PKR). This is a fight of engineers between Ali with his civil engineering background against Giendam, a chemical engineer and has Masters in Business Administration while Ibil is a mechanical engineer.
Ali who is the incumbent and caretaker Deputy Minister of Energy and Natural Resources has the advantage as he has been on the ground since 2020 (as deputy minister) and since 2018 as MP. He is a very approachable person and is known to help lot of people in need. His visits to longhouses, especially in Kabong, Kalaka and Krian were events to remember as he always presented grants and minor rural projects.
Thus, this gives so much advantage in his re-election bid. But on the other hand, PDP’s hopeful Giendam, a new face, has been on the ground too from late last year. He has met many longhouses’ Village Development and Security Committees (JKKKs) and Malay Kampung’s committees, thus using the opportunities to liaise with them in his personal capacity as he is not a people’s representative – yet.
He usually accompanies Krian rep Friday Belik on most of his trips in Krian but with the respective reps for Kalaka and Kabong (Mohamad Duri and Mohd Chee Kadir respectively) in their areas since late last year.
For Ibil, he has been active in Saratok since mid-2019, meeting people especially menfolk, at impromptu gatherings arranged among cockers (who are you referring to? Cockfighters?) not to mention at licensed cockfights in Saratok and Roban areas. He also participates in community projects arranged for oil palm estate owners and workers as he is one of the big estate owners in the area.
Among the three, Giendam is fully assisted by the GPS machinery and is all out to win votes by covering longhouses and villages in the three state constituencies. His teams are going around, giving and distributing GPS shirts and caps to woo voters to lend help in getting their man to parliament.
I’m not backing any side and wish the three of them well and good luck and certainly glad that they are free to go around campaigning in longhouses and villages.
The views expressed here are those of the columnist and do not necessarily represent the views of New Sarawak Tribune.
