SUCCESSFUL FORUM: Mawan (ninth left) with members of the organising committee, moderators and speakers at ‘Forum Jaku Iban’.
KUCHING: Iban language experts have been urged to brainstorm and come up with ways to elevate and promote the language beyond the Iban community.
Speaking at ‘Forum Jaku Iban’ at Four Points hotel here yesterday, Minister of Social Development and Urbanisation Tan Sri William Mawan said concerted effort was also needed to protect the only known Iban alphabet `Urup Iban Dunging’.
“We must ensure that the Iban language will be continuouslly developed, used and learned systematically not only by the Iban community but by society at large,” he said.
Mawan said steps to cast the net wider was now more urgent than ever as the social and cultural landscape was rapidly changing due to the advent of online technologies.
“With the new media technology, let us not let the Iban language slipped into a time warp,” said Mawan, who is also the forum’s patron.
On the forum, which carried the theme ‘Iban Language Towards Transformation’, Mawan said he was proud that his Ministry and
Utusan Borneo had recognised the vast opportunities and challenges facing the language.
“It (forum) is certainly a commendable move that augurs well for the development and promotion of Iban culture,” he told the 300 participants present.
He also hoped that all Iban language experts would support efforts to set up an independent research institute in the near future.
Among those present were Assistant Minister of Heritage and Tourism Mong Dagang, Forum advisor Dato Sri Edmund Langgau Saga, president of Majlis Adat Istiadat Sarawak Datu Nillie Tanggai, Forum organising chairman Edwin Jemat and executive editor of The Borneo Post Francis Chan.