By Lian Cheng
KUCHING, March 8: In conjunction with International Women’s Day today, Sarawak United Peoples’ Party (SUPP) took the chance to remember the contributions of two Sarawakian icons, Barbara Mendu Bay and Ajibah Abol.
According to SUPP president Dato Sri Dr Sim Kui Hian, Barbara who was a founding member of SUPP also founded SUPP Women’s wing in 1974.
Barbara was also the first president of Sarakup Indu Dayak Sarawak.
“A courageous woman who dedicated her life to volunteer work and political activism in Sarawak, Barbara even started a school to cater to poor children living in the Sekama area where she lived,” said Dr Sim in a social media post today.
Jalan Mendu in Kuching was named after her in recognition of her significant contributions to society.
Meanwhile, Datuk Ajibah Abol who also has a road named after her, made history as the first woman in Sarawak to stand as a candidate in the 1969 Sarawak Election, where she won the seat of Semariang with a landslide victory.
Following the victory, she was the first woman to be appointed as a full Sarawak minister, and later, the first woman to be awarded the honorary title of “Datuk” in Sarawak.
Ajibah, nicknamed the “Iron Lady”, showcased her iron will and determination to make a change for women in Sarawak when she resigned as a teacher to protest against the cession of Sarawak to the British Crown in 1946.
It was after her resignation that she started to grow active in politics. In 1961, she was one of the key members in forming Barisan Rakyat Jati Sarawak (Barjasa) which merged with Parti Negara Sarawak in 1966 to form Parti Bumiputera.
In 1974, Ajibah was re-elected as a member of Council Negeri. A year later, Parti Bumiputera merged with Parti Pesaka to form Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB) where she was the founder of the party’s Women’s wing. — DayakDaily
