Who wants to be a tuai rumah?

LAST week, I read about the federal government allocating RM100 million for the living allowances of community leaders in the country. The taxpayers do not mind sharing the burden of this expenditure if it is for a good cause – good governance of the country.

As community leaders are operating at the grassroots level, their link with the highest level of government is vital for maintaining and sustaining the democratic system of government. A country where there’s constant conversation between the rulers and the people is a sustainable nation. Many countries are in trouble because the rulers do not connect well with the people.

In carrying out their daily tasks among the people at that level, the behavior of these leaders is bound to influence the thinking of the other members of the community. Their influence can either be good or bad, depending on how they wield it or allow it to be manipulated by someone else.

Seeing the importance of the role of community leaders, the authorities must not ignore these seemingly humble cogs in the political machine. Political rivals compete for the hearts and minds of the same people. Competition can be intense, and all sorts of means, fair or foul, are used. And that’s when the trouble starts in many societies, including ours. However, we will have to live with it, for better or for worse.

When two or more groups vie for the political support of a particular community, that community is placed in an embarrassing position. Worst of all for the chief! Will he please his party leader whom he has known for years, or accept the offer of ‘friendship’ from an ‘enemy’ because many of his community support the latter? He is placed between a rock and a hard place.

For many years now, I have noticed the tug of war between politicians canvassing for political support among many longhouses and villages in the Iban community in Sarawak. Party politics has undermined the cohesiveness of many such groups. I have known of cases where too much politicking has caused disharmony and loss of confidence in the leadership of the tuai rumah. One longhouse was physically partitioned off in the middle, and in another a timber wall was erected. Needless to say of the consequences. I hope the walls have been dismantled and, with them, the political divide.

Two other scenarios based on real situations will illustrate how politics has caused damage to the Iban community.

Scenario 1 – During the last election campaign, the tuai rumah, member and supporter of a political party, was at a loss to act sensibly. Would he welcome to his longhouse any vote canvassers working for the candidate of another party or would he not? One option was to forbid ‘enemies’ from entering the house, for fear of internal disharmony. The other was to leave the house with an excuse – ‘gone fishing or hunting’. In fact, he sped downriver and stayed with his relative in town for the duration of the campaign.

Scenario 2 – Come Gawai Dayak the following month, another TR was in a dilemma. During Gawai, the longhouse is open to the public. Would he welcome a minister who indicated he would go and wish ‘Happy Gawai’ to his party members in that longhouse? He decided to spend the Gawai with his daughter in Kuching.

I would have thought that these were isolated cases. Why the fuss?

However, early this week, one tuai rumah held a press conference in Kuching. He had refused to allow the use of his longhouse as a venue to welcome a visit from a federal minister during the forthcoming Gawai Dayak.

Sad. Very sad. It would be a good chance for rival politicians to meet on a festive day, free from partisan politics. Does Gawai really have to be politicised?

The sad truth is, yes. Gawai Dayak has been politicised left right and centre. The Sarawak government used to finance what was called State Gawai. Dayaks in the opposition camp were not encouraged to participate in street processions or dinners. This year, the Gawai will be celebrated in Bintulu by members and supporters of the federal government. It looks like a federalised Gawai.

I don’t know how many more community leaders at the level of village head or tuai rumah/tuai kampung who are in dilemma when visitors from rival parties wish to use their longhouses as venues for meetings. Whatever it is, they should welcome everybody with a Begeliga (‘Riots Act’), the violation of which carries a penalty. They should leave the decision to their anembiak/anakbiak (other members of the community) to make their individual choices as to which political party to support or which candidates to vote for. Smart TR they are.

Politics has sadly divided the Iban community. There’s, however, just one silver lining in the clouds: at funeral times or the nights of the vigil (rabat), politics is set aside. A whole community comes together, when custom rules. People also come together during weddings. But we shouldn’t have to wait for deaths and weddings to unite us. In fact, the fewer untimely deaths the better, and the more frequent the weddings the merrier.

If they do not wish to be manipulated by the politicians, I suggest that the community leaders organise themselves into an association. There are already in existence some associations but most of them are electoral constituency-based and are being organised by the politicians in those areas for their own purposes; as such, they are not strictly neutral politically.

Community leaders are the custodians of the adat. For the Ibans, there is the Adat Iban 1993. It contains various written personal laws covering situations ranging from the cradle to the grave, and the parameters of responsibility and authority of the TR. Their new association is to be used as the vehicle for the administration of these customs. Their neutral stance in terms of partisan politics ensures their freedom to administer the adat law without fear or favour.

Once you mix party politics with the adat, your community will continue to be saddled with dilemmas and disharmony. There is a way out.

Any TR who is an active party member should not be preferred for the post of TR or else anyone who is an active party member should not offer to lead the longhouse. That way he will do a great service to his community. Be bold. Choose the adat first, party politics second.

I hope they will consider forming one statewide organisation and leave politics to the local councillors, state, and federal legislators. If local government elections are restored, the politically active TR can stand for election to the district councils. He will get my vote.

In future, the leadership profile of any Administrative Division would look something like this: elected councillors, elected Adun and members of parliament.

Let the TR/TK be apolitical. They will be chosen by popular acclaim of the inhabitants of each longhouse/village, and their selection should be endorsed and recognised by the government of the day.

The current competition to win the hearts and minds of the community leaders should not be prolonged. Instead, there should be cooperation. Contending political parties should not make use of the service of the leaders of longhouse/village communities in Sarawak for their own purposes, if they are seriously concerned about the adverse impact on these communities.

The living allowances that the community leaders are getting must be regarded as a financial token for their public service similar to the service rendered by the apolitical civil servants in Sarawak. In fact, this was the original intention of the state government until the 2000s, when there was a policy change. In an election campaign in my hometown, a federal minister campaigning for the late Datuk Adenan Satem, announced this federal government’s assistance to the local community leaders gathered in a community hall. Several among them whom I met afterwards were in two minds: yes and no. Two TK said it would be fair for Prentah (government) to help the ketua kampong with saguhati (ex-gratia payment); two others were opposed – ‘Tu meli kitai tu (this is buying).’

The conflict of authority over the appointment and payment of allowances to the community leaders has caused embarrassment to the leaders, giving the impression that they are easy pawns in the political game between the two governments. Some are willing pawns, others are unwitting pawns, naïve and trusting, I have to say.

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