Sussing out Sarawak
Sunday, 19-03-2006
The Three Amigos: Sarawak DAP chairman Wong Ho Leng (right) , Dr Ting Chek Ming and I checking out a logging yard.
Sarawak DAP chairman Wong Ho Leng and Dr Ting Chek Ming took me on an eco-tour of the surrounding areas during our 3-hr drive from Bintulu to Sibu.
We stopped by a modern longhouse on the outskirts of Sibu. This was a new experience for me as I’ve never stepped into a longhouse.
There is a large corridor, each door that we saw along the corridor represents a household.
Please don’t think that all family members stay inside a small room in the longhouse. When we walked through the door, there is another longhouse with a few rooms, a kitchen, bathroom and dinning room too.
The Ibans are generally very friendly and they welcome even strangers like us to enter into their homes for a look around
I was told that only VIPs are invited to sit on the mat that’s placed in front of the door at the long house corridor. Here’s me trying to feel what’s it’s like to be a VIP.
We posed with a friendly longhouse owner.
Sarawak has always been a BN stronghold but can DAP make in roads there? I hope you can. However, I don’t think Sarawakians have suffered much under mismanagement of the BN government, right? Can someone enlighten me?
The visit will bring awareness of the people that there is a DAP but do they understand and subscribe to the ideology that DAP fights for? I don’t know and judging only from the photos, they lead a simple and contended life. Unlike here we have to put up with the brunt of the impact of mismanagement – dirty water, AP, police abuse, racial tones for every thing etc….
Comment by lee wee tak_ — Monday, 20-03-2006 @ 07: 46.23
Welcome to Sarawak! Sarawak has done well with the present set up my friend. But i won’t talk about politics here – just want to wish our lady MP a warm welcome and I hope that the visit has been enlightning. An overnight stay at the longhouse would have been very meaningful
Comment by DeeJay — Monday, 20-03-2006 @ 09: 49.09
A warm welcome!
Comment by DeeJay — Monday, 20-03-2006 @ 09: 57.28
Sarawak enthrals; Sabah in your visist it now visit will certainly captivate you, particularly the mother of all magic in the form of population exponential boom here and what it does in small shapes . Things like the Kg Maang local passive resistance / sit in movement to govt relocation move to make way for the KK a/port expansion.
Sabah is sooo captivating….come watch how the govt tries its hands yet again in conTituentional re engineering as in the Kg Maan project. For many of us locals, we are long past captivated; we r now flooded under the influx of illegals immigrants….
Perhaps timely for DAP to focus Sabah?
rgds
chin
Comment by chin — Sunday, 26-03-2006 @ 10: 58.04