The Sarawak government will be consistent in its unwavering support to the native communities to preserve, protect, promote, and promulgate the ‘adat’.
Minister in the Premier’s Department (Native Laws and Customs) Datuk John Sikie Tayai said the government had never failed or neglected the duties towards the native communities.
“This does not mean the other social, economic, or political matters are subservient to the preservation, protection, promotion, and promulgation of ‘adat’.
“All social, economic, and political matters of the native communities are equally important to the Sarawak government,” he said in his ministerial winding-up speech yesterday (May 24).
Sikie also highlighted the importance of ‘adat’ for the governance of native communities and the Native Legal System, where the doctrine imposed a social and moral duty on every person to conduct his or her act or omission according to the law, rules or norms as practised and accepted by the community.
Sikie also noted that ‘adat’ was once respected and looked upon as unquestionable wisdom but its importance today had seen pale insignificance.
“The social, economic, and political development during the last 40 years or so has brought about tremendous progress and modernisation to the country and its people, to a certain extent diminishing the relevance of some ‘adat’ and traditions.
“First, modern technology such as social media takes centre stage in our everyday life and brings about, among other things, new knowledge, new meanings of life, and paradigm-shifting the ways of thinking. These factors challenge and question the relevance of ‘adat’ as ancient law in modern society.
“Secondly, the rural-urban migration among many natives pushes adat and traditions to the periphery of their new socio-economic culture. Many natives who have migrated from their traditional rural settlements or were born in urban centres and live among the heterogeneous communities are no longer practising their ‘adat’ and traditions.
“Thirdly, some of the teachings of new religions conflict with ‘adat’, and ‘adat’ seems to be losing ground,” he said.
In view of these challenges, Sikie pointed out that the ‘adat’ was diminishing in relevance and some were totally irrelevant to some native communities, placing ‘adat’ at the crossroads of extinction and survival.
“The choice is between extinction and evolution. The better choice maybe evolution. To resuscitate or resurrect the ‘adat’, perhaps, the ‘adat’ needs a reinterpretation and adjustment to adapt to modernity and the flux of socio-economic changes.”
Sikie also stressed that Majlis Adat Istiadat Sarawak was duty-bound to get the younger generation interested in ‘adat’ because they were the future hope for the survival of ‘adat’.
