Sarawak has been in Malaysia for over 47 years, and we look set to be part of Malaysia for years to come, living in peace and harmony. Notably, most of us Sarawakians will put ourselves as a Sarawakian first, before saying we are Malaysian. As Sarawakians, we take huge pride of every city in Sarawak be it Kuching, Miri, Sibu, Bintulu or even Betong. Everyone talks about every single bit of Sarawak, no place or location is specified. This is much unlike some places where people tend to talk only about the state capital.
Like it or not, this is a fact not many Sarawakians see themselves. The balanced development in Sarawak stems pride to the every Sarawakian to be proud of their hometown, and talk about it in huge pride. It’s not hard to spot where someone is from because they will be very boastful of their very own city. Mirians will talks loads about how Miri is greater than Kuching (photo above shows Miri City: taken from VirtualTourist), while those from Betong will say that Betong is fast developing into a gem. Lets not forget those from Bintulu, Kapit, Kuching, Sri Aman and other divisions. All people, from all walks of life claiming their place to be the better side of Sarawak, and yet every city/town is actually benefiting from equal balance in terms of development. Such equality is clearly a reflection of good governance by the Sarawak Government.
Politics plays a vital role in Sarawak’s stability. A good political climate would evolve into a healthy place for investment. With that said, it is not actually weird, nor is it funny to see Sarawak retaining the crown of ‘Biggest Foreign Direct Investment (FDI)’ for the past 3 years, beating more advance states such as Penang and Selangor. A report by The Star proves this, and we are proud that the trend is set to continue for 2010. If you are a Sarawakian, and you hear about your beloved state ranked No.1 in FDI, wouldn’t you feel proud? Also good to note is how Sarawak is always referred to as a backward state by many, which of course is something all Sarawakians tend to answer in full throttle.
The racial harmony and tolerance in Sarawak is yet another pride of Sarawakians. Despite numerous attempts by foreigners and outsiders to quash this tolerance and make Sarawakians more ’self-centered’, it seems that Sarawakians remain steadfast and united as one, hence always reminded of being the true example of 1Malaysia. Differentiate as you may, but Sarawakians are a collection of so many different races that it would be easier to claim one as a Sarawakian than a particular race. The best part of it all is the State Government’s is very supportive of all races and religion regardless of what it is. A good example is how the State Government donated thousands to help build St. Theresa’s Church in Serian. Mosque, temples and other worship centers also receive similar aid, and this is a clear example on how the State Government is leading by example in fostering border-less unity, hence making every race and religion respecting each other. We are also proud to say that Sarawak is the only state in Malaysia which allows live broadcast of church services every Sunday.
So why are we suddenly writing about “Pride of Being A Sarawakian?“
Well, truth to be told, we are saddened by reports and allegations made by ‘un-reliable sources’ over the internet about Sarawak, in particular the state government headed by Pehin Sri Haji Abdul Taib Mahmud. Reports on corruption, and miss-interpreted data and information has lead to many to believe negative news and hence making Sarawak look very bad in the eye of foreign investors, particularly visitors. Some reports continue to be very personal, attacking our Chief Minister himself. We are not sure about who is behind all these reports and post, but we feel that this is not the Sarawakian style, making personal attacks. (photo on the right is taken somewhere in Sarawak and it’s courtesy of Willie). In fact, you could try writing something negative yourself, you’d find it to be very much easier if compared to writing something based on facts.
In reality, bad news always seems to be more believable if compared to good news, and so we’d like all of you to ponder on the following questions before you trust to judge reports and news which you find online or offline:
1. After 47 years of independence, how great is Sarawak if compared to other states in Malaysia?
2. Under the present state government, how far has Sarawak moved?
3. Aren’t you proud of where Sarawak stands if compared to other states in Malaysia?
4. Has there been any racial disharmony among Sarawakians?
5. These reports on Sarawak claim to have facts, but where’s the solid proof? Self made graphics are not proof.
6. Do you personally know all the facts before making your decision to believe news/reports you read?
7. Those whom make reports on Sarawak, are they pure Sarawakian or from Sarawak?
Try thinking deep and hard about where Sarawak stands, and how you feel about being a Sarawakian right now. Do you feel proud of being a Sarawakian? Do you mind the fact that some people which are not even Sarawakian are trying to meddle in Sarawakian affairs, hence indirectly painting the bad picture of our beloved state, hence discouraging investors to invest in Sarawak?
It’s not about us giving our support to any parties, but we would like all Sarawakians, in particular bloggers to be more mindful of what you do and who you claim to support to avoid us (as Sarawakians) to be used as a donkey for someone else’s political gains.
With that said,
Sarawak, Engkaulah tanah pusaka ku, Tanah tumpah darahku, Ibu Pertiwiku…
