Kimberley Ang reports from a UndiMsia! GameShop held recently in rural Sarawak.
UndiMsia! I’m sure we all know this very important and very 100% fiercely non-partisan movement. Recently, we’ve just had our #IdolaDemokrasi GameShop in Kuching on the 28th of July, 2012 in a village called Annah Rais. It’s a Bidayuh kampung running on awesome hydro-power!
The GameShop participants were mostly village committee members, who are senior Bidayuh citizens. Don’t be fooled. Half of them were once (some still are) very active campaigners, fighting for the rights of their people. Participating with them were a few engineering students from Swinburne University of Technology (Sarawak Campus), a law student from SeGi College, MMU and a fellow UndiMsia community mover who will be studying in Brickfields Asia College soon (soon-to-be law student *grins*).
It took us 45 minutes to reach the village from town (no problem, beautiful mesmerizing scenery throughout).
Once we got everyone settled down, we began with introductions and mixed around with the villagers. We had to use a few languages such as Bahasa Sarawak, Bidayuh, English and Malay to communicate. However the experience was all good, interesting and a definite tongue-twister.
The youths joined the village folks by forming groups and helped those who were illiterate.
The main issue was often on matters of the land. Especially with the recent ‘perimeter survey’, the natives in Sarawak who have been harvesting on those lands for decades ever since before 1958 have lost claim as they do not have official documents as proof that the lands belong to them. As for Annah Rais, there are no such issues so far. Yet this struggle over land claim is happening in a few nearby villages as we were told.
“Government of the people, by the people, for the people.” Abraham Lincoln
That was the answer given by the uncle, photographed above, to the question, “What is the meaning of democracy?” *jaw drops*
This is my second IdolaDemokrasi GameShop, only this time, I was not one of the participants. However, I have learned much from those who have participated. They have shown me that age and change were not barriers keeping them from doing what’s best for their Bidayuh community. *Lost in awe*
An awesome meal prepared by the Bidayuh folks of Annah Rais for the tired community movers! Thank you!
Who says hard work doesn’t pay? *Winks*
NIIICEEE Kimeyh :)))
Nice!