Pertanika J. Soc. Sci. & Hum. 28 (2): 1507 - 1524 (2020) SOCIAL SCIENCES & HUMANITIES Journal homepage: http://www.pertanika.upm.edu.my/ Anticipations for and Perceived Barriers of Development among the Sarawak’s Highlanders Kuok Ho Daniel Tang Department of Environmental Engineering, Curtin University Malaysia, 98009 Miri, Sarawak, Malaysia ABSTRACT There is a renewed interest of the Sarawak government to develop the highlands in the Sarawak Corridor of Renewable Energy (SCORE). However, studies on the perception of the highlanders towards development are scanty. To understand the anticipations of the highlanders and the perceived barriers of development, this study adopted a quantitative approach involving a questionnaire survey among 236 households in the Upper Baram and Mulu. The survey shows that the participants generally welcomed development but were unsure of the modes of development to adopt. In terms of the type of development, most participants preferred rice cultivation and handicraft-making. Most participants in Mulu desired to engage as entrepreneurs while those in Bario and IHAS area were keen on employment. A lack of capital and manpower was perceived as the major barrier of development at individual level. At the community level, the major barriers are remoteness of the settlements and the lack of basic infrastructure and facilities. To optimize the outcomes of development, this study calls for an in-depth understanding of the highlanders’ worldview. Keywords: Bario, development, highland, Mulu, Orang Ulu, Upper Baram INTRODUCTION gross domestic product of RM49327 in Sarawak, located on Borneo Island, is the 2017 (Department of Statistics Malaysia, largest state of Malaysia with an area of 2018). Kuching is the most populous district 124,450km2. The state had an estimated of Sarawak with approximately 684,900 population of 2.79 million and a per capita residents, followed by Miri with about 342,800 residents and Sibu with about ARTICLE INFO 277,700 residents (Department of Statistics Article history: Malaysia, 2018). The natives, known as Received: 22 April 2019 Accepted: 10 December 2019 the Bumiputera locally, comprising the Published: 26 June 2020 Malay, Iban, Bidayuh, Melanau and other E-mail address: [email protected] smaller groups, constituted approximately ISSN: 0128-7702 e-ISSN 2231-8534 © Universiti Putra Malaysia Press Kuok Ho Daniel Tang 71% of the total population in Sarawak. Development Authority (HDA) in 2017 The largest native group is the Iban with an (Recoda, 2017). The Federal Government estimated population size of 797,700 while of Malaysia has proposed five corridors Malay comes in second with a populace of economic development to bring in of approximately 639,400. The Bidayuh investment which propels rural development holds the third largest native population and SCORE is one of them. SCORE size of about 217,800 individuals and extends over an area of 70,000 km2 with an the Melanau fall in the fourth place with estimated population of 600,000 (Recoda, 142,200 individuals. The collective number 2018). The HDA has been mandated to of individuals of the other native groups expedite development in the highland areas is estimated at 179,000 (Department of via commercial agriculture production and Statistics Malaysia, 2018). These other an ongoing project under its purview is the native groups consist, among others, of construction of the Integrated Highland the Kayan, Lun Bawang, Kelabit, Kenyah, Agriculture Station (IHAS) (Recoda, Penan, Sebup, Bisaya which are collectively 2017). The focus of highland development known as the Orang Ulu. Other instances is in the SCORE zone spanning from Long of the native groups besides the Orang Ulu Lama and Upper Baram to the highlands are the Tagal and Punan Bah (Zahari et al., in Limbang and Lawas (Recoda, 2017). 2011). The HDA currently endeavours to establish The Orang Ulu is a local term meaning the necessary infrastructure and facilities people of the upriver. They make up about to spur its highland development plan 5% of Sarawak’s population and inhabit which could simultaneously promote local the interior of Sarawak, particularly the economic activities by providing jobs and upriver and uphill areas (Zahari et al., stimulating local demands (Recoda, 2017). 2011). The highlanders of Sarawak often With the highlanders of Sarawak now in the refer to the Orang Ulu that reside in the limelight of the state’s development agenda, uphill or elevated regions, particularly the studies of their aspiration for development is Kelabit of the Bario Highland and the Lun instrumental to churn up a development plan Bawang of the Ba’Kelalan. Nonetheless, the that fits the socioeconomic characteristics meaning of the term has become obscure of the communities, rather than one that as more and more of the Kelabit and Lun would create significant barriers for their Bawang migrate to the lowland and cities adoption. In doing so, understanding the in the pursuit of education and jobs. The barriers of development currently perceived highlanders now refer to the Orang Ulu that by the communities is equally important so still remain in their uphill settlements. that the barriers can be bridged (Marimuthu Development of the highlands has been et al., 2018). embedded into the agenda of the Sarawak However, as the number of Orang Corridor of Renewable Energy (SCORE), Ulu in Sarawak is significantly lower marked by the establishment of the Highland 1508 Pertanika J. Soc. Sci. & Hum. 28 (2): 1507 - 1524 (2020) Development among Sarawak’s Highlanders than the Dayak comprising the Iban and among the Dayak but it revolved around the Bidayuh, research among the Orang Ulu correlation between personality traits, social is unsurprisingly less (Weinlein, 2017). learning and the emergence of such intention Besides, the geographical distribution of without delving into the development model the Orang Ulu in the remote parts of the they desired which could further spark state could also deter research attempts. their entrepreneurial intention (Tateh et al., Much research among them is disease- 2014). The implementation of hydropower related for instance the investigation of projects in Sarawak has drawn interest to the rickettsial infection, prevalence of anemia social sustainability of such projects mainly and intestinal parasite infection in their due to the impacts of resettlement with the remote villages (Sagin et al., 2000, 2001, Bakun dam alone resettling nearly 10,000 2002). Few research is political in nature indigenous people (Ahsan & Ahmad, 2016; examining the voting pattern among the Tang, 2020). The article of Aiken and Leigh Lun Bawang in the Ba’kelalan constituency (2015) on displacement and resettlement (Puyok, 2006). Religious research among of the Malaysian indigenous due to dams the highlanders also received particular warned against the lack of readiness among interest because of the wide adoption of the indigenous for cash-based economies Christianity among them, especially the which resulted in high unemployment and Kelabit and Lun Bawang, attributed to the poverty among the re-settlers. work of the early Christian missionaries Identity has been identified as a (Tan, 2008). Tan (2008) investigated the concern in the endeavour to develop the drive for and barrier of indigenous church indigenous in Sarawak. While aiming to development while discussing the mass promote development among them via conversion of the ethnic groups. modernizing their agricultural practices Researchers have also probed into the and economic activities, the indigenous adoption of information communication long for input into how this modernity technologies (ICTs) among the indigenous could weave around their ethnicity, thus, people of Sarawak, the barriers hampering cultural retention (Boulanger, 2010). It such adoption as well as the ensuing seems clear at this point that there is a need socioeconomic impacts but it was not to carefully plan the development among limited to the Orang Ulu (Walid et al., the indigenous, particularly the highlanders 2015). A study concentrating on bringing which are already on the agenda of the state the ICT to the Kelabit highlanders was government. Development is not forcing conducted by Bala et al. (2004) with the what the decision-makers think is the best aim of promoting the socioeconomic and to the existing socioeconomic fabric and cultural development of the community via demanding adaptation to such plans. There technologies. A study has been conducted have been cases of failure from such doings to investigate the entrepreneurial intention due to displacement and resettlement. This Pertanika J. Soc. Sci. & Hum. 28 (2): 1507 - 1524 (2020) 1509 Kuok Ho Daniel Tang study, therefore, aims to examine what the participation in development as well as the highlanders anticipate in the development factors obstructing economic expansion plan the state government is drawing up for at household and community levels. The them and the factors that can potentially questionnaire required the respondents to hold them back from development. answer both open-ended questions such as the utilization of land and the types METHODS of development desired as well as close- The study adopted a quantitative method ended questions such as the willingness which involved the use of questionnaire in to participate in a specific model of collecting data related to the anticipations development and the form of participation for and barriers against development among preferred.