Last Saturday I was once again tasked with the sometimes difficult and fully-under-scrutiny job to judge a Kumang Gawai contest, courtesy of Taman Builder Built here in Kuching. It was held at the Christian Ecumenical Centre (CEC) in Stampin.
It was probably the umpteenth of such task thrown my way by committees doing it for a village or residential level. I had done no less than four for a state level since a decade ago and quite a number for divisional level since 1987. But last Saturday was the first time I shared the limelight – and scrutiny – with my cousin and ex sister-in-law Catherine Edward Kechendai who has worn scores of beauty titles herself including the coveted Miss Sarawak 1972. She is also a veteran to sit in front of the bevy of beauties and obligingly answers the quest by the evil step mom of Snow White ‘Mirror Mirror on The Wall, Who is Fairest of All?’ Only this time, the quest did not involve any evil intention or a poisonous apple but interestingly the fairest of all will walk home with the fattest purse.
If anyone happens to drop by the Bebangai Kiba longhouse – sometimes referred to as Bebangai Stanie – just about five-minute drive from Betong town, try the first door or bilik; you would be refreshed to see various trophies won by Catherine and her sisters. Apart from the aforesaid Miss Sarawak 1972, there are a few Miss Tourism Sarawak trophies too not to mention other lesser titles. My ex-spouse, the youngest of the Kechendai sisters, is perhaps the only one without a beauty trophy on show because her Miss Gawai Dayak Sibu of 1984 absurdly won no trophy but instead a TV set which we brought around from Saratok to Serian and ended up in Kuching many years later. However also on display there are trophies and medals won when she played hockey for the state while still being a school student in the late 70s/early 80s. There is also a silver medal with the inscription after her name 1ST PLACE IN MALAYSIA, LCCI 1984 (LCCI stands for London Chamber of Commerce & Industry).
Some years ago while judging a state level Kumang Gawai, a few people voiced dissatisfactions saying I was biased and should not be tasked to judge. Of course these came from my own relatives or people who knew my family. It so happened that one Nurin ak Edward Jelani won the coveted Kumang title, infuriating my critics saying that I gave high mark to my own niece, Edward Jelani’s daughter. Yes she was the daughter of Edward Jelani but that Edward Jelani was not my brother. It was just a coincidence that I have a brother by exactly the same name but only has a daughter who in 2012 was too old to join the pageant. Perhaps her daughter my grandniece born in 1994 would be the same age as Nurin.
In every beauty contest the judges always get the blame. That is why there must be an odd number of judges, preferably five for obvious reason.
Our rendezvous last Saturday at CEC also saw five judges with yours truly appointed as chief judge – minus the wig and Your Lordship title. Besides Catherine there were two other ladies and a male teacher. One of the other two ladies Margaret Philip Bedus, a retired teacher, had judged a divisional level beauty contest at Samarahan with me two years ago.
At a higher level contest, the judges are usually given time to scrutinise the costumes at a separate parade session and venue. Usually between 25 per cent and 30 per cent is allocated to costumes. This time, due to time constraint the usual costumes judging was scrapped off and the nine contestants for the final were judged only once, namely during the catwalk. Sadly a few had problem doing a stable and proper catwalk in their six-inch high heel shoes causing them to lose points. This was one huge mistake. In fact they could have used more comfortable footwear and not necessarily a six-inch stiletto.
There was no impromptu question and answer session too, thus saving the contestants of possibly awkward and anxious moment which is usually the case. I have seen many times in the past where some contestants who had scored well in the other sections let the judges – and audience – down with their poor show in the Q & A session.
Being humans, judges have their own soft spots. Truly, nepotism is a factor to be reckoned with and hopefully not contagious. I am glad that my record is perfect, if not for the wrongful criticism. I would have to disqualify myself first if knowing any of my relatives are in the contest.
It is certainly not easy to be a judge of beauty contest. As the saying goes, one’s man meat is another man’s poison and that beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder. Experience counts very much. We have to sharpen our sixth sense which becomes the third eye. Every time during the judging moment, always playing in my mind is the image of Pablo Picasso’s most famous cubist painting Les Demoiselles d’Avignon, painted in 1907, showing five maidens in different poses. Though painted in the style of cubism, these ladies are ageless. Whether they are by Monet, Manet or by Gauguin, ladies in paintings are ageless, remaining forever enchanting and beautiful.
Our affair at CEC last Saturday ended well. If there was any criticism on our judging, it must have missed my ears. By looking at our mark sheet as chief judge, our markings were very similar and certainly for the three top positions our choices were unanimous…I was very sure of that. It made my job easier. There were only cheers, kudos and certainly no obvious jeer when the final result was announced.
As Gawai Dayak nears, there are more Kumang Gawai contests coming but I hope to be spared of another ‘unfavourable’ appointment as ’mirror-mirror on the wall’.
