The 16th Sabah State Election: Kadazandusun Politics and the Huguan Siou Factor

This article analyses the 16th Sabah State Election, focusing on the Kadazandusun-majority seats. It is based on an ethnographic study comprising interviews with candidates and casual conversations with local people in "competitive" Kadazandusun seats such as Matunggong, Kiulu, Moyog, Tambunan, Keningau, Sook, Nabawan, Tenom and Melalap. The results of the election showed that the Kadazandusun voted for status quo. In addition, following the trend of GE14, the Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) managed to maintain its strong presence in the Kadazandusun areas. This article argues that ethnic and personality politics play an instrumental role in determining the Kadazandusun support to GRS particularly STAR (Parti Solidariti Tanah Airku Rakyat Sabah/Homeland Solidarity Party) and PBS (Parti Bersatu Sabah/Sabah United Party). While economic factors are decisive as well, the role of the Kadazandusun traditional leadership institution is pertinent in influencing the people’s decision to vote

Masyarakat Madani Dan Perpaduan Kuam Di Dunia VUCA

Bab ini membincangkan peranan dan cabaran kepada masyarakat madani dalam mengekalkan perpaduan di antara kaum yang berbagai di Sarawak pada era dunia VUCA. VUCA ialah satu akromin yang menggambarkan keadaan dunia yang tidak stabil (volatility), tidak pasti (uncertainty), rumit (complexity) dan kabur (ambiguity). Apa yang pasti ialah perpaduan menuntut semangat ingin bersatu padu yang tinggi dan mengenepikan perbezaan yang boleh membawa kepada konflik dan keadaan tidak harmoni. Apakah keadaan tersebut dapat dikekalkan pada era yang tidak menentu dan sering berubah-ubah seperti pada zaman VUCA. Ramai di kalangan penduduk di luar bandar Sarawak tidak faham akan maksud masyarakat Madani. Persoalannya ialah bagaimana masyarakat Madani boleh dilahirkan serta berkembang dengan subur sekiranya masyarakat dalam negara itu sendiri tidak jelas akan maksudnya. Bab ini membincangkan nilai-nilai umum dalam masyarakat di Sarawak yang berupaya menyokong kelestarian masyarakat Madani sepertimana yang diidamkan oleh kerajaan Malaysia pada hari ini. Sebagai sebuah negeri yang sangat majmuk, Sarawak juga menekankan kesepaduan dan keharmonian. Dengan itu intipati kepada masyarakat Madani yang terdiri daripada enam tonggak utama (KeMampanan, kesejAhteraan, Daya Cipta, HormAt, KeyakiNan dan Ihsan) sebagai paksi juga amat ditekankan serta perlu difahami dan dihayati. Bab ini membincangkan apakah langkah-langkah yang telah dilaksanakan di Sarawak untuk mempastikan konsep masyarakat Madani telah dapat diterjermahkan sebagai panduan untuk mencapai perpaduan. Apakah nilai-nilai yang telah ditanamkan di Sarawak sehinggakan perpaduan di Sarawak berada pada tahap yang tinggi. Misalnya, Bandaraya Kuching pernah diiktiraf sebagai City of Unity pada tahun 2015. Sudah tentunya perpaduan seperti inilah yang dituntut dalam masyarakat Madani

River Ambush in Sarawak: Tanjung Batu Babi (Sungai Katibas) and Kerangan Bungkang (Sungai Ngemah) in Ngingit Issue 17 (2022)

This article is part of our fieldnote while writing a book entitled Agi Idup Agi Ngelaban published by UNIMAS in 2021. It is a written and recorded account of our observations, experiences, and reflections while conducting intermittent filedworks in various parts of Sarawak for the project. During the long hours of many intervews that we conducted, we found that the war cry Agi Idup Agi Ngelaban (As Long As I Live I Shall Fight) really inspired the frontliners in the security force, igniting an unwavering determination to defend the country tirelessly, even at the cost of their very last breath. Such fighting spirit had long been synonymous with the Sarawak Rangers. The history of Sarawak Rangers can be traced back to the formation of a security force called fortmen during the Brooke’s era. This article is based on the narratives shared to us by our key informants who served as Iban Trackers, Sarawak Rangers and even Border Scouts

The Inspiring War Cry of "Agi Idup Agi Ngelaban"

A recorded account of field observations, experiences and reflection when carrying out fieldworks on various parts of Sarawak for a book on Iban Trackers and Sarawak Rangers. It is found that the battle cry of Agi Idup Agi Ngelaban (As Long As I Live, I will Fight) really inspired frontliners in the security force, igniting unwavering determination to defend the country tirelessly, even at the cost of their own lives. Such fighting spirit has long been synonymous with the Sarawak Rangers. The history of Sarawak Rangers can be traced back to the formation of a security force called the fortmen during Brooke's era. This article is based on the narratives shared by key informants who served as Iban Trackers, Sarawak rangers and even Border Scouts

Pru13 : Isu Dan Pola Pengundian Di Kawasan Luar Bandar Di Sarawak

Kertas kerja ini berdasarkan kajian yang telah dibuat di empat kawasan pilihanraya di kawasan luar bandar untuk mengetahui isu dan juga pola pengundian di kawasan-kawasan tersebut. Kawasan kajian difokuskan di luar bandar iaitu di kawasan Sri Aman, Lubok Antu, Betong dan Saratok

Implications of Covid-19 Pandemic on Household Food Security: Experinece from Sarawak, Malaysia

This paper discusses how household food security is affected by the Covid-19 pandemic, using examples from Sarawak, Malaysia. Food security in Sarawak was affected by the implementation of the Movement Control Order (MCO) that was introduced to curb the spread of the Covid-19 disease. The MCO, and the subsequent phases that followed, imposed a varying degree of restrictions on movements in the country. This measure had serious repercussions on food security as it affects the distribution of food as well as how people access food. This raises questions of how secure households are in terms of food security, how do they ensure food security for their households and what are their greatest challenge in ensuring food security. This paper seeks to address those questions by examining the experiences and perceptions on food security during the pandemic based on the responses of 235 respondents. Findings indicated that most households are food secure i.e. having similar access to food as prior to MCO and have not skipped any meals. In order to achieve this, households had to resort to various measures including switching their food sources, shopping online, and going without their preferred food. Significantly, the finding shows that food security means more than just having enough food but should also incorporate elements of variety, types and quantity of food. It also shows that the greatest challenge in achieving and maintaining household food security lies in the way household cope with the changes brought, both directly and indirectly, by the pandemic

Household Food Security and Coping Strategies During Covid 19 Pandemic

Food security is one of the crucial areas of global concerns, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. When the World Health Organisation (WHO) declared COVID-19 as a pandemic, a number of countries, including Malaysia, started to impose a generalised quarantine or lockdown as a measure to curb the spread of the disease. The key aspect of this measure is the restricted movement of people, goods and transportation. As a result, food supply and consequently, food security became embroiled in the mix. Questions such as will we be able to get the food supply during the pandemic, will there be enough food for everyone, and how will we cope in ensuring household food security were asked. Thus, the aim of this paper is to explore the issues of household food security and the short-term coping strategies during the COVID-19 pandemic, specifically focusing on the views of respondents from Sarawak, Malaysia. Findings and discussion in this paper are based on data that was collected online from 235 respondents from all over Sarawak, Malaysia. It is found that availability of food is not really an issue but the challenges of food security during the COVID-19 pandemic are more focused on access to their preferred food and the choices of food that are available. A number of coping strategies has also been identified, such as getting food from alternative sources like online shopping, home vegetable gardens and preservation and storing of surplus food to make them last longer. These measures are not considered as severe

Preliminary observations on indigenous knowledge and the uses of natural resources in Banting and Padawan

This paper discusses preliminary findings of the study on indigenous knowledge of various cultural, religious, medicinal and culinary uses of the natural resources found in two different indigenous communities in Sarawak, namely the Iban of Banting and the Bidayuh of Padawan. Structured interviews were carried out with each household head in the selected villages to determine indigenous knowledge of these communities on the usage of and reliance on natural resources. Through focus group discussions, indigenous knowledge on the various uses of identified natural resources is still available in these two communities. Their dependence on natural resources as building materials, food and, in the economic aspects still exist. However, their dependence on natural resource is diminishing. The indigenous knowledge gap between the old and younger generation of both Iban dan Bidayuh areas has also been identified. Most of the young people are no longer practicing traditional way of life because they are more comfortable with the modern way of life today. In addition, most Iban people in Banting, and the Bidayuh in Padawan have embraced Christianity and practiced modern way of life