Miri Latterrain Church youths

our youths at the inaugural Miri City Christmas Parade 2008

Dinner a smashing success

The diverse minority Kenyah community in the state were told in no uncertain term to be united in order to play a significance role in the development of the country.

“We must move in unison as one united association in order to be able to do great things. We must refrain from infighting among ourselves. We must give our full support to our association because the moment we go our separate ways we create walls between ourselves,” said the deputy minister of International Trade and Industry Datuk Jacob Dungau Sagan.

He said this at the Sarawak Kenyah Cultural Festival dinner at the Eastwood Valley Golf and Country Club last night.

Present were Pujut assemblyman Andy Chia, the organising chairman Marcus Gau Lian, the association president councillor Simpson Njock Lenjau,the Miri Resident Datuk Ose Murang, the Miri District Officer Abdul Aziz Yusuf, Datin Winnie Jolly the wife of Jacob, Penan community leader Datuk Hassan Sui, several Kenyah community leaders both from Baram and Belaga like Penghulu Paul Kalang, Penghulu Theodorious Lenjau Kuleh and Penghulu Danny Ebang.

The dinner organised by the Kenyah National Association (PKKS) marked the closing of a three-day festival which saw more than 800 guests attending.

The festival itself, a combination of cultural and traditional games competition between the seven branches of the association saw a participation of nearly a thousand people taking part in the first ever Kenyah festival with the theme The Spirit, Pride and Patriotism of Usun Apau.

Jacob, himself a Kenyah from Long Anap, is the only Kenyah holding the highest political post for the community. He was appointed by the Prime Minister after the last general election after successfully defending the Baram seat,a predominantly Orang Ulu constituency for the third time for the Barisan Nasional.

The Kenyah tribe, unlike the other indigenous groups in the state is as diverse as the more than twenty ethnic groups, divided along dialectic groups. As a consequence, there is a tendency to be parochial within the community.

“United we stand, Divided we fall. We must be like a team of paddlers in a boat that must paddle the boat in unison toward a common destination. For example, if a few paddlers start to paddle against the direction of the boat, the boat will not move forward and neither will it reach its desired destination,” said Jacob.

“Then we must ask ourselves, what is the way forward for our community? That is where the association must sit down to discuss and chart the way forward for the community. We must not forget we are part of a bigger community the Malaysian society at large and we have a role to play in nation building,” he added.

During the dinner the deputy minister was given the honour to launch the PKKS Education Fun thereafter announcing a donation of RM20,000. Yesterday, another Orang Ulu politician, the Telang Usan assemblyman Lihan Jok pledged a donation of RM15,000 after launching the beachton, a fund raising effort toward the Education Fund.

Besides donating toward the Education Fund Jacob, being the patron of the festival, also announced a donation of RM8,000 to the organising committee for hosting the festival.

Other guests who were moved spontaneously to donate toward the Education Fund during the dinner were Datin Winnie, Hassan Sui, Dora Kalang, and a prominent Kelabit doctor Dr. Roland Dom Mattu who pledged RM1,000 each.

Chia pledged a donation of RM3,000 to the Education Fund.

The total donation collected during the dinner for the fund was RM29,176.

Jacob said education must continue to be the top priority of the association in its struggle to assist the community to elevate its socio-economic status in a competitive and globalised society.

“It is hoped that through this Education Fund we can take the initiative to lend a helping hand to our children without having to wait for aid from the government or other sources,” said Jacob.

Meanwhile, 22-year old Veronica Usun Jok from Long Moh was crowned the Bungan Lisu in the first ever Kenyah beauty contest beating eleven other contestants,walking away with cash prize RM800, a trophy, a beauty set and a certificate. First runner up was Serrlyn Bungan Nyurang and second runner up was Priscilla Nadin, each walking away with RM600 and RM400 respectively besides a trophy and a beauty set and a certificate each.

The overall champions for the cultural and the traditional games competitions was PKKS Asap Belaga and PKKS Bintulu respectively. Each walked away with a challenge trophy.ENDS.

Caption: WARRIOR DANCE: Jacob displaying his Ngajet Lasan-the traditional Kenyah dance-skill to the dinner guests as a way of officiating the dinner.

Kenyahs must be united to stay significance

Indigenous minority groups in the state must enhance unity among themselves in order to be able to contribute toward nation building, said Telang Usan assemblyman Lihan Jok.

“Being small, doesn't make us insignificance in the context of nation building. But what makes us irrelevant is when we, being a minority, start to quarrel among ourselves over petty issues. The moment we do that, we lose the respect of other races in the country,” said Lihan.

He said this at the official opening of the Sarawak Kenyah Cultural Festival at the city council field yesterday.

The three-day festival was organised by the Kenyah National Association (PKKS) with seven of its branches taking part.

Present were the festival organising chairman Marcus Gau Lian, association president councillor Simpson Njock Lenjau, Orang Ulu paramount chief Temenggong Pahang Ding and several Kenyah community leaders both from Belaga and Baram regions.

Lihan praised the association for hosting the festival for the first time for its people, the Kenyahs.

“This augurs well for the Kenyahs in the state for it reflects your desire to be united and progress with the other races. I respect the most this kind of festival, for it brings people together in a joyous and happy mood. I dare say this festival is a celebration of victory for the Kenyahs, for as a people you have come a long way,” said Lihan.

“This festival heralds a new spirit, can we call it the Spirit of Usun Apau, among the Kenyahs, and it is this spirit that will lead you on to play a significant role in nation building in the future,” he added.

Lihan told the Kenyah never to forget that unity is the key to their significance and relevancy in nation building.

“I cannot overemphasize the importance of unity for your progress as a people in this beloved country of ours. The moment the Kenyahs break up and quarrel among themselves, that is the road of going down the hill for them,” said Lihan.

It was believed that the Kenyahs, one of the many tribes in Borneo first settled at the Usun Apau plateau before migrating to the other parts of Borneo.

The Kenyahs as a tribe is unique among the Orang Ulu groups. The Kenyahs are divided into so many sub-tribes along dialectic lines. Probably there are as many Kenyah sub-groups as there are tribes in Sarawak.

Lihan advised the Kenyahs to support the government of the day if they want to progress with the rest of the country.

“I believe that is the right platform for you to help your people. But the moment, your Kenyah leaders are antagonistic toward the government you will find it is a hard road ahead. My advice is to support the present government,” said Lihan.

Lihan was given the honour to launch the Beachton for the PKKS Education Fund raising effort during the ceremony too.

As a gesture he fully support the association for its noble aim in putting education as a top priority for its members, Lihan donated RM15,000 to the fund through the Beachton launching.

“I am aware that we had exceeded our target of one family one graduate among our people, the Kenyahs and the Kayans. In this competitive globalised world, education is the key to our survival,” said Lihan. ENDS.

Caption: SOUND OF UNITY: Lihan officiating at the festival with Kenyah leaders.

Let the Show BeGins

The indigenous Orang Ulu of Sarawak can a constructive role in nation building by showcasing their unique cultures through their respective associations, said Miri Resident Datuk Ose Murang.
“I am glad the Kenyahs have successfully organised their own inaugural festival through their own association. The Kenyahs like the rest of the Orang Ulu groups are members of the Federation of Orang Ulu Association Malaysia (FORUM). Through this federation, the Orang Ulu can play a bigger and more meaningful role in enhancing racial harmony in the nation,”said Ose.
He said this when officiating the Cultural Competition organised the Kenyah National Association (PKKS) yesterday.
The competition among the seven branches of the association was the cultural highlight of the three-day Sarawak Kenyah Cultural Festival which saw hundreds of participants taking part,with the Kenyahs from Belaga forming the biggest contingent at about 200 participants.
Also present were an advisor to the association Datuk Joseph Balan Seling and his wife Datin Mariam, the festival organising chairman Marcus Gau Lian, the association vice presidents Alex Liau, Michael Sabang, Erang Ngang and several Kenyah community leaders both from Belaga and Baram.
Ose expressed the hope that the association continues to play its role as a association that brings people together to celebrate Sarawak's rich cultural heritage.
“I am looking forward to an even bigger festival from the Kenyahs in the future. I must congratulate Simpson and his committee for working so hard to put up this wonderful cultural festival for the people in Miri,” said Ose. ENDS.
Caption: LET THE FESTIVAL BEGINS: Ose (third from left) beating the gong, signaling the show has begun.

God loves me

My youngest son...surrounded by the love of God

Miri has public complaints bureau...

Sarawak United People's Party (SUPP) here has set up its own Bureau of Public Complaints and Services ala MCA's Datuk Michael Chong except with a difference.
"Where MCA is a one-man show, ours is a team of 31 party members led by youth chief Lawrence Lai. Our bureau is divided into three units that is the legal unit, the education unit and the public complaints unit. We have six lawyers in the bureau, " said the assistant minister of Infrastructure Development and Communication Lee Kim Shin.
He told this to reporters when he brought members of the bureau on a familiarization visit to the Miri Police District Headquarters yesterday.
Present during the visit were the Miri police chief ACP Jamaludin Ibrahim, his senior officers and Pujut assemblyman Andy Chia.
Lee said the bureau would assist the various government departments especially regarding public complaints.
"With the setting up of this bureau, we hope to facilitate public complaints in a more efficient way by disseminating the accurate information promptly. In this way, a lot of problems could be resolved and misunderstanding averted," said Lee.
In response, Jamaludin welcome the move by the bureau to work closely with the department saying effort to help the public would be more focused.
"Our department's role is to ensure security for everyone in Miri," said Jamaludin.
Lee requested a seminar be conducted for the bureau so that its members are knowledgeable on proper police procedures like making a police report and making a citizen's arrest.
Jamaludin also disclosed the department is currently looking for about 80 individuals to fill the post of police voluntary reserves.
"These police voluntary reserves would only do police work after office hours. Although the deadline have expired, we are opening it again because so far we have only received about 25 applications," said Jamaludin.
Also raised during the visit was the need for big supermarkets in the city to instal CCTV at their parking areas and if necessary at their shopping complexes to deter robberies.
Some members of the bureau also raised the need for a stronger and more visible police presence in busy shopping centres in the city because of late there had been cases of snatch thefts.
Jamaludin also advised kite flyers to take extra precaution when flying kites in residential areas.
"There had been reports of children chasing kites on the roads without regard to their safety. Altough there is no law against kite flying but action can be taken if it endangers public safety like getting in the way of aviation or get in the flight path of aeroplanes," said Jamaludin.ENDS.

Caption: 08-10bureau:COLLABORATION: Lee (seated third right). Jamaludin is second right. Chia is fourth right. Lai is at right.

Only the Greedy says Police chief

About RM128,000 was swindled from unsuspecting victims of a scam known as Court Scam carried by unidentified suspects with six cases related to the scam already reported to the police here.
In a press conference here, the Miri Police Chief ACP Jamaludin Ibrahim said police are still investigating the case.
He explained the modus operandi of those behind the scam to the reporters present.
In one case, the suspect made a telephone call to a fixed line to the victim identifying himself as a police officer from Bukit Aman telling the victim that he was required to attend a court hearing in Kuala Lumpur.
The victim was told by the suspect that his bank account had been used for illegal activities involving Along and illegal money.
The suspect was told that his bank account is now under investigation and he was instructed by the suspect to withdraw all his money from his account and to transfer the amount to an account provided by the suspect.
He was told his money would be kept in the account during the period of investigation and would be returned to him once the case is solved.
To make the scam look bona fide and believable to the victim, the first suspect had his accomplice, this time a woman who identified herself as a public prosecutor from Kuala Lumpur court called the victim advising him to transfer his money to the account provided by the first suspect otherwise the victim would have to attend court hearing in Kuala Lumpur.
The suspect promised to contact the victim once the money had been banked in. The suspect only realised he had been conned when the suspect never call back after the money was banked in.
"In view there are a lot of these cases being reported and this kind of scam had become worrisome, I would like to advise members of the public to be cautious and never to give their money to people they do not know. If you happen to receive such calls, don't entertain and the best course of action is contact the police, the court or the bank as preventive measures to avoid being swindled," said Jamaludin.
"People who are easy preys to swindlers are those who are greedy," he added speaking of those who fell victims to the sweet talks of these predators either online, phone calls and SMS.
Meanwhile, in an unrelated case, Jamaludin disclosed police had arrested four locals, three women and a man, suspected of having being involved in conducting illegal lottery.
A police team led by ASP Anthony Abell made the arrest in a police raid on the 8 October 2008. Also confiscated in the raid were 12 fax machines, several calculators and writing materials.
Based on police investigation, the amount of weekly betting collected by the suspects in their illegal operation was estimated at RM300,000.
The suspects would be charged under the Open Gaming House Act 1953 Section 4A(a) which carries a maximum fine of RM200,000 or two year imprisonment upon conviction.
This is the third of such cases, said Jamaludin. The first was in January and the second was in August. He also revealed the first and the last case was related.
Police,meanwhile, believed several house-breaking cases rampant in Lutong and Desa Senadin areas lately were solved with the arrest of two suspects, both male, age from 27 to 42 years old on 16 October 2008 at a house in Kg Pengkalan Lutong. A laptop, a watch and a remote control kite were also confiscated. The two suspects would be produced in court tomorrow.

Caption: SUCCESS STORY: Jamaludin (right) showing the fax machines that were confiscated. Also in the picture is Miri CID chief DSP Mohd Zani Che Din.