Longhouse fires in the august House

ON Monday this week, the honourable member of parliament from Sibuti, YB Lukanisman Awang Sauni, had brought up for discussion in the august House several matters relating to longhouse fires in Sarawak.

One was a proposal to the federal government to produce a guidebook on building fire-resistant longhouses; another, a specific suggestion to the Finance Ministry ‘to come up with some form of fire insurance policy’ to cover fire risk to the buildings and contents. Thirdly, fire hydrants near the houses – for the Ministry of Housing and Local Government to consider.

I must say that it was very thoughtful of the member for Sibuti to bring up those matters to the federal legislature. Another platform for discussion of this subject is the State Legislative Assembly. These are the proper fora which can make or unmake public policies on a matter as important as dangerous fires. Though the problem can be discussed at any place and occasion, views of ordinary people do not carry much weight in this country.

Hopefully, the relevant federal ministries will give due consideration to the suggestions by the honourable legislator. There is a promise that “PPKT would discuss with the state government and the relevant authorities to help address the matter so as to ensure the well-being and safety of longhouse dwellers” (The Borneo Post – Aug 18, 2020). We shall see what happens.

Thank you, YB for Sibuti for your effort in highlighting in the august House the danger posed by fire to longhouses. The statistics are available for reference if there is need for proof of the seriousness of the problem. The latest that I read:  since 2018 to date, there have been 40 fires that had destroyed longhouses in the state. Another figure: since January to May this year, there have been 38 longhouses gone to ashes. Whatever it is – which statistics you believe – the problem is real.

If I may add, with the destruction of any longhouse by fire also goes the economic life of a whole community of people of a given culture, not to mention the psychological trauma of the victims. This trauma may last for years. Ask the fire victims themselves and you will get a pretty good idea of how grim life can be for them after the fire.

A different idea

I have written several articles and spoken ad nauseam about this problem for years – consistent frequency of longhouse fires. I have accumulated a pile of newspaper cuttings about and photographs of the longhouses (some I took myself) which had the misfortune of going up in flames. I have also noted down possible causes of a fire, some information from Bomba and others from one or two victims themselves. There is enough information from which the relevant authorities can draw up a plan for solution to the problem.

When I was at the Majlis Adat Istiadat, I had suggested to a number of leaders of the longhouses, to call upon their elected representatives or local government councillors and, for these officials, to call upon the government of the day to find ways and means by which a fire could be prevented from devastating a community.

I must acknowledge the fact that there have been a number of measures taken by the authorities from the district office level upwards to produce a model of a longhouse that is fire-resistant or fireproof. I know that a number of longhouses have been constructed with materials that can withstand fire, but these are an exception rather than the rule. We still hear, see, and read about longhouse fires every month, especially during the dry months.

Where do we go from here?   

What about letting a cat among the pigeons again? I have let this cat go before, without a flicker of interest among the advocates for longhouse living. From them, I am begging the honour to differ. I’m going for a separate house instead, one among many built on a well laid out and planned village site. Eventually, this village will be supplied with the basic facilities (piped water, electricity, flush toilets, fire extinguishers, fire hydrants, etc) when the authorities have the necessary funds for community development. Not an impossibility for a rich country with tapped and untapped natural resources and for a state that produces one of the main sources of the national revenue.

If, for any reason, one house in that village gets burnt down, only one family suffers the loss. One family misfortune is bad enough, but the loss of a longhouse set up would be a real economic disaster and long traumatic experience for a community of humanity!

I haven’t finished.

I am not saying, by any stretch of the imagination, that all the present longhouses be pulled down. I’m not that daft. Do not build a new longhouse. Instead, think in terms of living in a house of your own in a village-like setting, like many other people do.

For so long, I have thrown the idea of slowly phasing out the construction of a longhouse using the present model. What did I get? Either a faint smile or an ambiguous nod; occasional hits under the belt; and little firing from obscure flanks. This time around I expect some robust reactions to my ‘wild’ idea above, so that there will be a healthy debate which I greatly welcome.

I think it will not be easy to prevent fire to the longhouse in terms of these measures alone – measures such as fire hydrants, fire stations, and building SOP, notwithstanding. Unless and until the people concerned make a bold move to slowly and steadily think outside the box by their own free will or unless the state government initiates a subtle policy discouraging people to build new longhouses and simultaneously introducing the village type of housing, there will be a long wait for a change in the safety and well-being of the longhouse dwellers.

For what it is worth, that’s the long and the short of  my point.

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