Broadcast | 20 November 2019

On day two of Radio Nyawa Sarawak, we catch up with the community in Melikin. After losing their land case in a stunning blow, following the much-debated Federal Court ruling in the Tuai Rumah Sandah case, Michael Luang has been sued for a staggering sum of money. Now, they are going direct to Putrajaya, where a new Federal Government is in place, to meet up with the Law Minister to seek some redress.

Agnes Dayah from Dijih has a happier tale in that the land taken from her community has been abandoned by the plantation company, allowing the villagers to harvest for themselves.

Awang Ahmad is an activist focusing on issues of food sovereignty. He advises against a reliance on imports of staple foods, where we don’t know how these have been treated or raised, especially when we have the capacity and the know how to plant padi and raise livestock for ourselves.

Adat Rumah Panjai is our new weekly slot, hosted by Adat specialist Nicol Ragailang. This week, he looks at the stance of the Adat on leader selection – the process, the circumstances and, most importantly, the qualities that a good leader needs to aspire to. Perhaps there is a lesson in there for our modern times.

Cikgu Mabong runs Akademi Sarawak Dayak Iban Association (ASADIA), an institute which teaches and revives traditional indigenous cultural practices. He explains the significance of the Iban ngajat dance form to the longhouse people in the past and discusses why maintaining these practices remains important to Dayak identity. He suggests that this is so important, in fact, that these practices should be included in the school curriculum in Sarawak.