KUCHING, June 17: The time has come to categorise all natives in Sarawak as ‘Dayaks’, suggests Parti Bansa Dayak Sarawak Baru (PBDSB).
Its information chief, William Mangor, reckoned such a move is appropriate as the natives all shared quite similar cultures and traditions.
“We can see how the Kalimantan Dayak (in Indonesia) are united, and they are proud to be called Dayaks. We should learn from them,” he said in a statement today.
Referring to the Dayak Congress held in Sabah recently, William claimed that Borneo Dayak Forum (BDF) president Datuk Dr Jeffrey Kitingan remarked that ‘Dayak’ was indeed a known term and that Dayak means “indigenous people who are the natives of Borneo”.
In addition, Rumpun Dayak (Dayak tribe or cluster) were indigenous people who previously inhabited Borneo, which was also known as ‘Dayak Island’ or ‘Island of the Dayaks’, he said.
Hence, William said the state and federal constitutions should be amended to redefine the term ‘natives’. — DayakDaily
