As a young Kelabit, Franky Jangin felt sorry for the disadvantaged Penan community and dreamed of helping to up-lift the standard of living.
Even though his community at Long Napir lived on the fringes of the village, they were very poor and depended on the goodwill of their neighbours.
However, Franky realised that without a spiritual awakening and education, the Penan would continue to lag behind the other races in Sarawak.
Franky who completed his form five examination was an odd-job man seeking employment in various parts of Malaysia and Singapore until he realised that this was not his calling in life.
Looking back at the 80-year-old history of his village which was the first Kelabit village to become Christians in the early 1930s, Franky said his people have come a long way.
It was Australians Charles Hudson Southwell, Carrey Tolley and Frank Davidson from the Borneo Evangelical Mission (BEM) who introduced Christianity to the Kelabits of Upper Limbang.
In 1933, Frank Davidson and his wife Enid set up their home at the Medihit River in Upper Limbang and preached among the people for three years.
Pastor Davidson was so influential that retired Sarawak agriculture officer Peter Racha from Long Napir named his eldest child Davidson; Franky’s father Long Napir headman Jangin Taibilong also named his son “Franky”.
However, the peace at Long Seridan in Upper Limbang was shattered after a series of anti-logging demonstrations. In 1986, Franky’s uncle Anderson Mutang Urud Seridan was allegedly accused of masterminding the blockades that was publicised through the world.
It was a disturbing time for Franky because another uncle Assistance Commissioner of Police Frederick Liso was tasked to arrest the anti-logging instigators and protestors.
However, the environmental issues subsided in the 2000s after much of the forests in the Penan Limbang hinterland had been logged.
It was a difficult time for Franky because it stirred his conscience; on one hand Mutang who was sworn to save the forests while Liso—now an ordained BEM Pastor with a Masters of Divinity– had to uphold the law and arrest his cousin.
Franky, 45, said: “It was a time for soul-searching. I finally decided it was more meaningful serving God and so become a pastor and dedicate myself to working for the community.
“I realised that old ways of our people and especially the nomadic Penan who wandered in the jungle without a purpose and living a hand-to-mouth existence was hampering our progress,” said Franky, 45 who graduated from the Lawas several Bible College several years ago.
Over the last decade Franky was able to reach out to the nomads who had little or no education.
“When I was posted to the Long Seridan church two years ago, my wife and I spoke to the loyal Christians of nomads of Long Meraan and asked if they would allow us to start a school for the young ones.
“They were responsive and agreed to provide a place for them to start the school,” said Franky.
He added: “We raised funds from well-wishers and generous individuals who contributed to the BEM church fund.
“It took several months to persuade the parents of the Penan who had studied at Long Seridan school and knew there were benefits.”
Franky then introduced a simple curriculum which included learning the alphabet and arithmetic, some history and geography. Books and writing material were also donated to the “private” school. .
They school also provide food, drinks and tit bits as well as meals for the children using the same formula of the Long Seridan primary school.
Initially the children—between four and six– found it hard to follow the teachers. But over time, three of the schools’ teachers won their confidence and soon the pupils were enjoying school.
“For extra-curricular activities we had games and some sports which children loved. Soon Penan from the other villages heard about our school and they too wanted to join,” said Franky who has a pre-school daughter.
By 2019 some of the older ones who have spent two years will graduate and join the other Penan who have learnt how to be independent like the Long Seridan primary school students.
Under headmaster Roland Sakai and nine teach, the school has a well-organised system where the 65 student boarders, the majority of whom are Penan from Long Meraan, Long Ludin, Ba Balau, Ba Lesuan and Ba Magoh, have learnt to wash their own clothes, tidy their rooms and arrange their school shoes in an orderly manner outside their hostel.
A trained teacher, Jonathan Baru,27, who has spent four years at Long Seridan is happy that Franky has taken upon starting his own school.
“It’s not easy coaxing the Penan children to stay committed to schooling and like at Long Seridan we have to come up with all sports of sporting and social activities to get them involved in school life.
Even though Franky’s “private” school does not have any grant from the Education department, his novel idea of starting the children young, maybe the answer to the restless Penan children.
If there were more pre-school premises in the Penan hinterland, it will a matter of time before this underprivileged community catches up with the rest of the rural Dayak community which is at least 10 years ahead of them in terms of education facilities.
Despite the lack of funds to maintain the Long Meraan pre-school for 2019, it is hoped that more well-wishers would come forward.
The help coming from the BEM and Churches from peninsular is appreciated, but what about the logging companies and beneficiaries from logging which has partially destroyed the Penan heartland and disrupted the life of the nomads of the Bukit Kida watershed?
Yes, we must thank Franky and his teachers of Long Meraan for encouraging the Penan to that quantum leap.
Now it is the role role of government and rest of society to continue with the good work!
