By Lian Cheng
KUCHING, May 21: Pending assembly woman Violet Yong (PH-DAP) calls on the Sarawak government which owns 31.25 per cent of Affin Bank’s share to withdraw the latter’s current Kenyalang debit card, redesign it with the correct Burung Kenyalang image and issue a formal public apology to Sarawak for the “unacceptable” misrepresentation.
She held that the issue has been catching limelight and she was not making a mountain out of a molehill.
“No mole no hill. It is an outright distortion of Sarawak’s identity—an insult cloaked as a tribute.
“Instead of our State bird—the Rhinoceros Hornbill (Burung Kenyalang)—the card displays the Great Hornbill, a species that does not even exist in Sarawak. It hails from Peninsular Malaysia, India, and parts of Southeast Asia, but certainly not from Borneo,” she said, quoting renowned Sarawakian zoologist and bird expert Jason Teo who has clearly confirmed that the bird depicted is not the Rhinoceros Hornbill.
She claimed what was worse was that the image on the debit card was not even specially designed by Affin Bank.
“It was in fact lifted from a stock image website, Dreamstime. There was no Sarawakian input. No local artist. No cultural consideration. Yet Affin Bank has the audacity to spin this as a creative product of their own,” she said when delivering motion of appreciation on TYT’s speech at the Sarawak Legislative Assembly here today.
She expressed disappointment that not a single Sarawak GPS leader has pointed out the wrong hornbill.
To her, their silence speaks volumes of how disconnected the Sarawak GPS leaders are from the sentiments of Sarawakians who deeply value our heritage and proudly uphold Sarawak’s symbols.
“If Sarawak government cannot even correct a blatant disregard for our own State’s identity, then what credibility do we have in claiming influence over institutions we partially own? Ownership without the will to act is nothing more than symbolic.
“It is our responsibility to uphold the dignity of Sarawak, to defend the integrity of our identity, and to ensure that symbolic misrepresentations are not left unaddressed.
“We must not confuse our future generations. Just replace it with the correct Burung Kenyalang. Our state bird is very specific and it is Rhinoceros Hornbill. No compromise,” said Yong.
The Kenyalang Debit Card controversy began after Affin Bank launched its limited edition which features a stylised hornbill design, in April last month.
The design drew public criticism. On May 15, Yong argued that the illustration did not resemble the species typically associated with Sarawak’s identity. This sparked debate over cultural representation and attention to detail in corporate branding.
On May 19, Affin Bank, through a statement, clarified that the Kenyalang Card was thoughtfully created to reflect Sarawak’s identity, heritage, and strength—drawing inspiration from the Jata Negeri Sarawak (Coat of Arms of Sarawak) and the State flag.
The card’s colour palette of black, white, and yellow gold mirrors the State flag, blending modern elegance with traditional values. — DayakDaily
