Sarawak’S seasoned statesman Tan Sri Dato Sri Celestine Ujang anak Jilan who was called home to be with Lord recently left everlasting legacies in the state. Other than his policies and achievements in his capacities as state assemblyman, DUN Speaker and Minister, his other important contribution is in the Dayak music industry.
It was Ujang who came up with DAMA in 2008, then known as Dayak Music Award of which the main committee was chaired by him. DAMA the event at Riverside Majestic Hotel, Kuching on Sept 27, 2008, was organised by Dayak Chamber of Commerce and Industry (DCCI) of which Ujang was then Deputy President.
It was graced by Minister of Information Datuk Seri Ahmad Shabery Cheek who came all the way from KL and hopefully not disappointed to find that, apart from Ujang and Tan Sri Leo Moggie, only Dato Sri Michael Manyin Jawong and Datuk Joseph Sallang Gandom were the only notable faces of VIPs around to give support.
Nevertheless, Ujang got the support of philantrophists who donated hundreds of thousands for the event, including prizes – main winners took home RM5000 each.
Then writing for The Borneo Post and its sister paper Utusan Borneo, I was privileged to be given the honour to cover anything DAMA at that time from the start of the award nominations (June 2008) until the grand finale (Sept 2008) and beyond.
The event was a great success despite the lack of support from Dayak, especially Iban ministers at that time. From the beginning Ujang was unperturbed by this poor support, but thanks to him and DCCI as well as the first DAMA main committee, Dayak artistes and musicians found themselves united under one roof. It was the main aim of DAMA to give recognition to Dayak musicians, including singers, composers and lyricists.
Presented after the style of the most prestigious Grammy Awards, DAMA hoped to inject quality and professionalism among the Dayak musicians.
Thanks to Ujang, since 2008, Dayak stars have the glittering Dayak music awards, hitherto known as Anugerah Muzik Dayak (AMD) to look forward to once every two years – there is a ‘carpet welcome event’ for Dayak stars to be featured for all AMDs For many decades some of the Dayak songs seemed to lack originality as they were copied from Malay, Indonesian, Hindustani, English and even Chinese songs with many of them having Malay words used in the lyrics. But thanks to Ujang and his idea of DAMA, that ‘copying’ is now history if the awards of 2010, 2012, 2014 and 2016 were anything to go by.
Prior to the 2008 episode, Ujang, while still sitting as minister had done a lot to help promote Iban music by sponsoring the likes of Pauline Linang, Gerald Linang and Esther Bayang and others, even to the extent of joining trips to the longhouses with these Iban artistes with the aim of promoting Iban songs.
Just like his aim with DAMA, these trips were meant to promote Iban music so that it could graduate into a commercial entity whereby artistes would be able to reap benefits from their music and songs.
Having seen the success of DAMA 2008, Ujang held a meeting with its committee – I was in the publicity sub-committee led by Dato Jimmy Adit – in Dec of 2008. This was where he made an announcement that he was to leave DAMA for new leadership under Snowdan Lawan (now Datuk). DAMA was later acronymed Dayak Artistes and Musician Association and was registered with Registrar of Societies (ROS) in early 2010. It was established as a non-profit organisation.
Since 2010, the Dayak Music Awards or Anugerah Muzik Dayak (AMD) had been held biennially and this year 2018 should be the fifth edition of AMD. One good thing, after having been absent in the 2008 edition, DPTS Alfred Jabu Numpang graced the 2010 edition (with a long speech and RM30k grant), while TS William Mawan Ikom came to officiate at the 2012 edition and in 2016 TSDA Dr James Jemut Masing was the guest-of-honour.
At least Ujang was happy to note that these Iban ministers were in full support of his legacy. Being the sole remnant of 2008 committee left in the main AMD committee of 2016 – this year’s committee is under formation with my goodself included – I have seen how Ujang’s Dayak music legacy has grown over a decade.
Our music counterparts in West Malaysia whose selected representatives were invited to come for the AMDs of 2010, 2012, 2014 and 2016, have given positive comments and respect to Dayak music, especially rock. Even the band members accompanying Indon sensation Cita Citata in 2016 were in awe of Dayak music portrayed during the AMD night that year where Citata made a special appearance.
I noted that in all of Snowdan’s AMDs’ speeches since 2010, he always gave to tribute to the initiator of DAMA, TSDS Celestine Ujang Jilan. I first met Ujang in the early nineties when he was Minister of Housing. It was all thanks to my uncle Musa Giri who was then Sarawak Housing Development Commission (HDC) Chairman. In 1991 Uncle Musa decided to call hold a special ritual at his house in Jalan Chawan that was entered by a cobra. He invited my father Salok to perform the appeasing and miring ceremony.
Also invited was his close friend then Dato Sri Celestine Ujang. In the small group, our conversations became very personal. I found Ujang to be friendly, approachable and unconcerned with protocol. “You should visit our primary school Nanga Assam in Saratok for this year’s School Landsport Day. After all, no minister has ever come to the school since 1962,” said an intoxicated and protocol-ignorant Apai to Ujang. The minister nodded his agreement but none believed that he would actually come.
But true to his words, Ujang came for the landsport at Nanga Assam that year and donated RM10,000 for the upgrading of the school field.
Apai was there to welcome the minister and returned to our Kedap longhouse nearby with extra five pieces of RM100 notes (an enormous amount for him), courtesy of the very generous Ujang. Four years later and still serving as Housing Minister, Ujang was guest-of-honour at our new Kedap longhouse official opening and Apai invited him to our ‘bilik’ and was again rewarded.
Then I was serving in Bau. At an appreciation dinner for artistes and committee members of DAMA 2008, I was seated next to Ujang. Our earlier plan was to adjourn to a popular music joint
in the city. As we were about to leave he held my hand and handed a few pieces of 50 ringgit notes that I later found to be 10 pieces in all.
“Please tell the boss (then Sapphire owner Dennis Hon) that I cannot make it. You guys enjoy the drink with this,” Ujang said as he handed the amount.
Only two others came to join me, namely Francis Linggie Nyuran and the late Reynolds Gregory. During a few meetings prior to the DAMA 2008 grand finale, Ujang always spoke of commercialisation pertaining to Dayak music. He was also very supportive of the fight against music piracy in the Dayak music industry which was very rampant.
“Dayak artistes should join hands against this disc and music piracy. It is killing the industry. The harder you fight, the better chance for you to get bigger profit,” Ujang said many times during our meetings. It was this persistence that led his successor Snowdan to arrange for some of Dayak music industry players to meet up with then KPDNKK Minister Dato’ Seri Ismail Sabri Yakob in Kuching pertaining to the problem of music piracy in Sarawak.
That was in the early days of Snowdan leading DAMA. Since 2008, many Dayak music production house owners have registered as members of the various professional bodies that are prerequisites enabling them music royalty claims. Again this is attributed to the late great statesman Ujang. I wish him peace in his eternal rest.
