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The Response of the Indigenous Peoples of Sarawak

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The Response of the Indigenous Peoples of Sarawak Third WorldQuarterly, Vol21, No 6, pp 977 – 988, 2000 Globalizationand democratization: the responseo ftheindigenous peoples o f Sarawak SABIHAHOSMAN ABSTRACT Globalizationis amulti-layered anddialectical process involving two consequenttendencies— homogenizing and particularizing— at the same time. Thequestion of howand in whatways these contendingforces operatein Sarawakand in Malaysiaas awholeis therefore crucial in aneffort to capture this dynamic.This article examinesthe impactof globalizationon the democra- tization process andother domestic political activities of the indigenouspeoples (IPs)of Sarawak.It shows howthe democratizationprocess canbe anempower- ingone, thus enablingthe actors to managethe effects ofglobalization in their lives. Thecon ict betweenthe IPsandthe state againstthe depletionof the tropical rainforest is manifested in the form of blockadesand unlawful occu- pationof state landby the former as aform of resistance andprotest. Insome situations the federal andstate governmentshave treated this actionas aserious globalissue betweenthe international NGOsandthe Malaysian/Sarawakgovern- ment.In this case globalizationhas affected boththe nation-state andthe IPs in different ways.Globalization has triggered agreater awareness of self-empow- erment anddemocratization among the IPs. These are importantforces in capturingsome aspects of globalizationat the local level. Globalization is amulti-layered anddialectical process involvingboth homoge- nization andparticularization, ie the rise oflocalism in politics, economics, religion andculture. In what ways do these contendingforces operatein Sarawak andin Malaysia asawhole?This article examines howglobalization affects the democratization process andother political activities ofthe indigenouspeoples (IPs) ofSarawak, and shows how the democratization process is aforcein capturingglobalization. Impactof globalization on democratization Sarawakis oneof the states in the Federationof Malaysia. Situated in the western regionof the Island ofBorneo and with atotal area ofabout 7 24450 squaremiles, Sarawakis almost as large as the wholeof Peninsular Malaysia. Thepopulation of Sarawak consists ofseveral IPs, suchas Iban,Bidayuh, Malays, Melanau,Kayan and Kenyah. Unlike Peninsular Malaysia, wherethe SabihahOsman is atthe IKMAS Universiti KebangsaanMalaysia, 43600 UKM Bangi, Selangor DE, Malaysia. E-mail:[email protected]. ISSN0143-6597 print; 1360-2241 online/ 00/060977-12 Ó 2000 ThirdWorld Quarterly DOI: 10.1080/01436590020011981 977 SABIHAH OSMAN populationis madeup ofabout 55% Malays, 34%Chinese and11% Indians and others,no single ethnic groupin Sarawakis dominant.In 1998 the Sarawak populationnumbered 1.99 million, consisting of5.6% Melanau; 21.4%Malays; 28.6%Iban; 8% Bidayuh; 6% other indigenous people; 27% Chinese; and3 .9% others,including non-Malaysian citizens (Departmentof Statistics Malaysia, 1998).Hence, unlike Peninsular Malaysia, Sarawakpolitics andpolitical align- ments havebeen relatively uidbecause no one ethnic grouphas aclear majority; eachgroup must manoeuvreto seek the supportof others (Leigh, 1974). As in the otherstates ofMalaysia, the conceptof democracy and multiparty elections is notentirely newto Sarawak.In 1956 elections wereheld for the KuchingMunicipal Council.Subsequently in 1963the rst generalelections basedon the three-tier votingsystem wereorganized (Poritt, 1997;2 3 – 24, 27). Itwas,however, in June1970 that the rst direct elections wereconducted, and resulted in nosingle partygarnering majority support.The f ormationof a new state government,therefore, was beset with problems.As aresult, acoalition governmentbased on consociational politics was set upwhen the Sarawak UnitedPeople’ s Party ( SUPP)joinedthe coalition andestablished anewgovern- ment led byParti Bumiputera(Sanib, 1985; 124 – 125).With this coalition, Sarawakentered the 1970swith the Malay-Muslims playingan important role in the state governmentuntil the present.The Sarawak state governmenthas been basedon a ‘grandcoalition’ to ensurepolitical stability andto generate economicgrowth. However,political partyformation and elections are onlypart ofthe demo- cratic process.The popular phraseology that democracyis ‘governmentof the people,for the people,by the people’, is toof ormalistic, oftenassociated with the USform of government. Western liberal democracywithin acapitalist economyf ocuses onindividual liberties. Tothe liberals, ‘the ballot box[is] the mechanism wherebythe individualcitizens as awholeperiodically confer authorityon government to enact laws andregulate economicand social life’ (Held,1995: 17 – 18). Nevertheless, Malaysian democracyis ‘neither unambiguouslydemocratic nor authoritarian’(Crouch, 1996); it has also beendescribed as ‘asemi-democracy ora democratic – authoritarian state’(Case, 1993,1997).The government is elected throughelections heldonce every veyears at bothstate andfederal levels. Ascitizens in ademocratic state, the peopleare awareof their rights and obligations,although some tendto viewthe system assomethingimposed from above.This is evidentfrom a surveyconducted in Sarawakin September1996. 1 Theresults ofthe surveyindicate that the IPsare awareof the meaningof democracy,which is notonly about holding elections, butalso aboutallowing all views,particularly fromthe grassroots, to beheardand dissent to bevoiced. Forexample, during the 1996Sarawak state election campaigns,voters consist- ently raised issues related to land,logging, social justice andthe Bakundam project andits impact onthe IPsin the SungaiBalui Valley. Within this framework,one can pose questions aboutwhether the democratic process has enrichedsome, but disadvantaged others. To what extent havethe IPsalignedthemselves with the system? Has the tide ofglobalization exerted 978 THE RESPONSE OF THE INDIGENOUS PEOPLES OFSARAWAK pressure towardsgreater political, social andcultural democratisation in Sarawak?In addition, is democracyperceived di fferently at variouslevels of representation? Besides holdingand participating in elections, at the grassroots level, democracyrevolves around the questionof f reedomof expression, freedomof the press, andfreedom for local peopleto exercise their rights, for exampleto maintain asustainable environmentand have access to customary land. This,however, does not mean that non-Westernstates are strangers to democracy,and democracy appears in variousforms dependingon the socioeco- nomicand cultural milieu ofthe society in question(Mittelman, 1996a:8, Held, 1991: 139– 172).In Malaysia, includingSarawak, democracy as anidea and practice has beenexpressed in the formof musyawarah,ie consensusin decision making,which has longbeen a salient feature ofthe indigenouspolitical system. Theappointment of village headsand tuai rumah (longhouseheadmen) illus- trates this. 2 Althoughpolitical parties andregular elections are recent phenomena,the idea andprocess ofdemocracy are part andparcel ofthe indigenouscommunities and havebeen entrenched in their valuesystems. Amongthe IPs, democratic processes havelong been practised evenin the remote areas, eg musyawarah. The IPsfully understandtheir democratic rights in terms ofland rights and environmentalissues, andwhat they are ghtingfor. Regarding logging activi- ties andthe resistance to it, AlongSega’ a Penanfrom Ulu Limbang, af rmed his rights whenhe said: Theearth is like our mother, our father. If youfrom thegovernment give orders to thecompanies to invade our land, you might as well cut off ourheads and our parents’heads too. When the bulldozers tear open the earth, you can see her blood andher bones even though she can’ t speak… Theforest is our home, our pantry, ourdepartment store and hospital. Whether we arebitten by snake, or suffering from aheadache,a feveror an injury, our doctor has always been there for us… Wealwaysknow how to get food in our undisturbed land and we aren’t dependent onyourhand-outs … Our landis not so large … We arein trouble because our land hasbeen taken and we havebeen made poor … The shin the river die because ofthe polluted water. The game eebecauseof the companies [timber companies]. Whydoesn’ t thegovernment discuss it and educate people about it? Our Chief Minister,Taib Mahmud, should revoke the timber licenses. Why won’ t hehelp us? If we don’t blockade,who is goingto listen to us?That’ s whyI blockade.But Taib Mahmudshouldn’ t sendthe police and lay charges against us! It wouldbe good if thePrime Ministerwould come to see me for himself!(Manser, 1996: 46 – 49) Sega’’s grievanceswere shared by his fellow countryman,Saya’ Megut. In his message to Sarawak’s Chief Minister, TaibMahmud, Saya’ wrote: …Whatkind of a governmentis ours?Can this be considered a governmentwhen thepeople have no right to live on their traditional lands? The companies are pushingever further into the interior. What is behind it? The government! Does it wantto destroy the entire land so it can say ‘ That’s wherewe haveestablished a reservationfor thePenans?’ … We aretired of hearing the bulldozers penetrating ourland. Our landis no longer the black edge of a ngernail.We haveno other land.(Manser, 1996: 215). 979 SABIHAH OSMAN Subsequently,on 22 August1995, a groupof 13 Penan f romUlu Baram signed adeclaration whichstated: Althoughthe government demanded that we becomesettled, we havebeen ignored. Evenour eldshave been run over by bulldozers … We askall our ‘ relatives’, whereveryou are, for help.Speak forcefully with our government so that it stops thecompanies and places our communal areas
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