By Yee Mei
BINTULU, Sept 26: It is possible to preserve a community’s culture while involving them in the process of development as shown by the Penan in Sarawak, says Premier Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg.
He said this during the officiation ceremony of the 3rd International Conference on Science, Social Sciences, and Humanities (ICOSSH) 2023 at Parkcity Everly Hotel in Bintulu today, jointly organised by Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM) Bintulu Campus and the Ministry of Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts Sarawak (MTCP).
Abang Johari said that before he helmed the position of Sarawak Premier, he was previously entrusted by the then-Chief Minister, Tun Pehin Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud, to assist the Penan community on whatever issues they were having.
Abang Johari elaborated that to transform the Penan’s livelihood, a school was opened at Long Jekitan.
“Over a period, the culture of the Penan is still preserved, but they have also been brought together in development. Now, we have one Resident from the Penan community, and I understand there is one (from the Penan community) going to be awarded (a) PhD degree by your university (UPM).
“This is a great achievement for us that the community is together with others, but there are also more sub-(ethnic) groups that we have to bring together in our pursuit to upgrade our standard of living,” he said.
Abang Johari also reminded that cultures, like the environment, can be polluted due to the influence of other cultures.
“If that happens, we will (eventually) not know or understand the original culture. In Sarawak, we want to preserve that,” he said.
The event also saw the exchange of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) between UPM and Universitas Diponegoro of Indonesia to bolster cooperation in curriculum, research, and staff-student exchanges.
Deputy vice chancellor for Academic and International Prof Dr Ismi Arif Ismail represented UPM, while Universitas Diponegoro was represented by its Dean of the Faculty of Humanities, Dr Nurhayati; Abang Johari witnessed the exchange of the documents.
Additionally, there was also the presentation of Tok Nan Chair Scholarships to nine students in the master’s and bachelor’s degree and diploma programmes.
Minister of Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts Sarawak Dato Sri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah was also present. — DayakDaily
