Hold elections for Sarawak community chiefs, says group

RURAL communities in remote Sarawak have complained of being victimised by community chiefs in social welfare matters if the villagers are not politically aligned to these community chiefs, said Sahabat Alam Malaysia (SAM).

The environment cum human rights body, which claimed to have received reports of victimisation, said political oppression, especially in rural areas, often go undetected as the grassroot folk are powerless against the politically appointed community chiefs.

SAM coordinator for Sarawak Jok Jau Evong said since the state government holds the monopoly on appointing community chiefs, politics often become their top agenda.

“The current policies give the lawmakers the authority to recommend who they want as tuai rumah panjang (longhouse chiefs), ketua kampung (Malay village chiefs) and kapitans, penghulus and pemancas (in mixed-race communities).

“Without a doubt, these people will nominate those who are from their own political parties to become community chiefs.

“We often hear from rural folk that if they have a different political stance from the government-appointed chiefs, they often get sidelined when it comes to community social programmes.

“This is actually a form of political victimisation and oppression,” Jok said.

To stop this, he said the ruling state government must end its practice of appointing community chiefs based on recommendations from lawmakers.

“Return the power to the people to elect their community chiefs via public elections similar to the process of parliamentary and state polls,” said Jok, a native of interior Baram district in northern Sarawak.

He has been an active activist for SAM for more than 30 years fighting for environmental preservation in Sarawak and defending the land rights of rural natives.

Yesterday, Sarawak PKR had said that politicians from the ruling state government have been meddling in the selection of community chiefs for decades.

The Community Chiefs and Headmen Ordinance 2004 is full of loopholes that had allowed politicians such as state assemblymen to dictate who they want as community chiefs, said Sarawak PKR chairman Roland Engan.

Sarawak has some 6,000 longhouses in the rural districts as well as tens of thousands of villages and residential estates in semi-rural and urban districts.

These local chieftains have titles such as tuai rumah (in the longhouses), ketua kampung in the Malay villages and pemanca and penghulu for the urban residents.

These local chieftains preside over community welfare matters and they have the authority to sign supporting documents and official letters to government agencies and political offices. – June 7, 2024.