Sidi Munan
KUCHING: Sarawak Dayak Iban Association (Sadia) president Sidi Munan lauded the organisation of the Forum Jaku Iban 2011 sometime this year as a timely tool to address a controversy which has been in existence for years.
Sidi said the intention to use standardised Iban words in books and magazines began early in the 1960s but it was shrouded by controversy with one group wanting the words to be standardised while the other pointing out that it was unnecessary.
Sidi was the then secretary-general of Sarawak Iban Literature Society (Sails), formed in 1967, when the idea was mooted.
During that era, Sails also worked hand in hand with Borneo Literature Bureau (BLB) which was formed by the then Sarawak and Sabah government during colonial times. BLB first two directors were Edward Enggu and Leo Moggie Irok (now Tan Sri Datuk Amar).
“The controversy was unavoidable because the Iban language was rich and still is. The variants that existed in Iban language were due to the fact that Ibans live in three major regions and in terms of pronunciation and words, they are further sub-divided into various districts,” he said when meeting Forum Jaku Iban 2011 pro tem organising secretary Churchill Edward at The Borneo Post office last Friday evening.
However, the authorities must allow for variations in the usage of Iban language because this only goes to show that the language is rich and unique, said Sidi.
Sidi pointed out that even the Kadazan language faced similar problems. In fact all ethnic languages face this problem, he added.
“After the formation of Malaysia in 1963, BLB existed for while more and it then suddenly ceased printing and publishing books. I can say some of the functions of the defunct BLB is now taken over by Dewan Bahasa Dan Pustaka (DBP),” he said.
Hailing the forum as timely, Sidi said the organisers should not only invite educationists, language trainers, policy makers and tertiary students to participate in the forum but also authors of Iban books and writers of Iban magazines. This inclusion will benefit many, he added.
“The English language in comparison thrives, because the community has an English Thesaurus. There should not only be an Iban Thesaurus but also a book of Iban idioms in the near future,” Sidi said.
The forum was mooted by Social Development and Urbanisation Minister Tan Sri William Mawan Ikom following talks with Utusan Borneo (UB) Iban Section late last year and the middle of this year. UB Iban Section is the initiator of the idea and member of a pro tem organising committee.
The Ministry, Malaysian Parents Consultative Association (Mapim) Sarawak, UB and NGOs like Tun Jugah Foundation, Sarawak Dayak National Union (SDNU) and Sadia Kuching as well as UiTM and Unimas have agreed that the forum should be held.
The proposed forum plan to present four papers and a panel discussion to identify, address and resolve issues complete with the drawing of several resolutions for the benefit of the education sector and society.
Meanwhile, the Forum Jaku Iban 2011 secretariat said the forum would kick start with a fund raising campaign. They also welcome feedback, suggestions and sponsorships from the public to make the forum a success.
The forum secretariat members can be reached at 019-8279067 (Churchill); 019-8872887 (Wan Zain Syed Mohdzar); 010-5298589 (Edwin Jemat); 013-8488474 (Empawi Jabat) and; 014-8905937 (Mathias Kassap). The public may also emailed their queries to [email protected], [email protected] and/or [email protected].