SUPP Secretary General, Dato’ Sebastian Ting expressed his delight that the natives of Sarawak, which included Ibans, Bidayus and Orang Ulu were given a long over due recognition after the Chief Minister, Datuk Patinggi Tan Sir Adenan Satem recently announced that the government official forms “lain-lain” used to label the Dayaks would be replaced with Bumiputra.
Ting said many Dayak leaders had spoken out that they would wanted to be termed as “dayak” instead of ‘lain-lain”.
Dayaks was used to categorized indigenous people in both Sarawak and Sabah.
The Dayaks, said Ting, comprises one of the largest populations in Sarawak and Sabah and had contributed a lot to nation building. There are over two million dayaks in Sabah and Sarawak.
He said to give them their specific name would ensure them a sense of belonging and pride as they have a rich history and culture. “This is a good move from the government, it is better late than never”, he added.
“Lain-Lain” meaning ‘other’ have been used on official government forms for the past 50 years and had been opposed by the different indigenous groups.
The Land Development Minister had also pointed out that it is high time the indigenous people of Sarawak were correctly labeled and not be termed as ‘lain-lain’. He said the indigenous people were not alien or from outer space to be term as such.
