KUCHING – Entire sub-ethnic Dayak minorities can be wiped out as Covid-19 rapidly spreads to Sarawak’s interior areas, said Parti Bumi Kenyalang president Voon Lee Shan.
“Of late, Covid-19 infections have actively spread to rural areas such as Beluru, Bintulu, Matu, Selangau, Sebauh, Pakan, Dalat, Lubuk Antu, Belaga, Kanowit, Kapit, Song and Tatau. This is a gravely worrying situation,” he said in a statement today.
He added that the interiors are the heartland of sub-ethnic groups like the Penan, Bisaya, Kedayan, Melanau and Berawan, who need urgent “enhanced preventive measures” to curb the infection that is spreading to their longhouses.
“We must not forget the outbreaks that killed hundreds of the Lun Bawang people in central northern Borneo in the 1900s
“The first of these was a smallpox outbreak in 1904 which saw their population reduced from about 20,000 to a mere 5,000. Two outbreaks of cholera in the following decades further shrunk their numbers to about 3,500 people in 1930.”
He said with the current pandemic spreading to the interiors, the state has to place effective preventive measures to avoid history from repeating itself.
“The government should look into ways to fight Covid-19 in a holistic way. It should consider engaging experts from China who have been successful in fighting Covid-19. They were here to help us during the lockdown last March.”
He said since Covid-19 can spread via asymptomatics and causes deaths fast, the state must have enough frontliners, equipment, medicine and hospital beds in the interiors.
“But how prepared are we given the fact many rural areas are inaccessible by roads and many places have no landing pads for small planes and helicopters in times of emergencies.
“All flights and people from outside the state should have been banned from entering by now, but this ban is not in place yet.”
He said living in longhouses with people so close to each other is a major health hazard during epidemic situations, as infections can cause entire communities to perish.
“If Covid-19 is allowed to spread uncontrollably, we shall witness the extinction of small ethnic groups of our indigenous people in Sarawak.
“The possibility of these indigenous people, especially, the Penans, Bisaya,Kedayan, Melanau and Berawan being wiped out can be high, given the fact that most rural areas are inaccessible to medical care and communication is difficult.
“The Pasai cluster that caused nearly 50 longhouses to be locked down should be viewed seriously.
“We have yet to hear from the government of makeshift clinics and hospitals being built in the interiors.
“There is still room for improvement although the state Disaster Management Committee has been doing well so far.” – The Vibes, February 6, 2021
