By DayakDaily Team
KUCHING, June 2: Gawai Dayak is more than a cultural celebration—it’s becoming a powerful catalyst for political, social, and communal unity among the Bidayuh people, says political pundit Dato Peter Minos.
In a statement, he touched on the Gawai Dayak parade that took place at Kampung Taee on Sunday (June 1), in which more than one thousand participants braved the midday sun in a show of traditional and cultural pride.
He also praised the villagers of Kampung Pancor Dayak who held a ‘pesta’ in celebration of the annual harvest festival.
“Imagine if other villages had taken the initiative in gathering their villagers and holding something like this.
“Imagine if such cooperation, unity, and goodwill are harnessed for the common good—this will be something great and tremendous,” he said.
Minos said that since the 1970s, he has witnessed the Bidayuh community’s political and social cohesion growing stronger, to the extent that there are now members of Parliament (MPs) and assemblypersons in the Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) who are from the Bidayuh community.
“If this is not unity, then what is? Survival and progress for a small community are best served by unity. It is the spirit of wanting to stand tall in facing current challenges and a trying future that keeps the community going,” he said.
He also recalled how difficult things were in the 1960s due to political uncertainty, confrontation, and communist insurgency, adding that it is a chapter best remembered and learned from.
“It is with satisfaction to say that unity through Gawai Dayak has finally come to the Bidayuhs. May they continue to prop up their unity and prosper,” he said. — DayakDaily
