BY NUR FARIHAN RAZALI
A tribal chief plays a vital role in linking the people and the government. Aside from leading a village, they are also responsible for ensuring that all development agendas and assistance provided by the state government will go to the villagers in need.
They are also among one of the key individuals should a problem occur in the village. This is one of their duties and roles of a village chief as seen by residents in helping them stay safe and comfortable.
Suara Sarawak reporter, Nur Farihan Razali spoke with the tribal chief of Kampung Tellian Tengah, Mukah, Winnie Wena Dominic Lai to find out more about the position of village chief held by a woman.
SUARA SARAWAK: Can you share on how you were appointed as a tribal chief?
WINNIE WENA: The selection of tribal chief is nominated by the Penghulu and we still used a voting system by the villagers and I received the highest vote among the three candidates. I was also the sole woman contender, while one is a youth and the other is a former headmaster. At first, I couldn’t believe it because I’m a woman candidate but when the villagers supported me, it encouraged me to try. I learned to be a leader in this village. Since being appointed, I learned a lot from those experienced in managing the welfare and needs of the villagers. Eventually, I was able to adjust to my life as a tribal chief and my two-year term of service is almost over. Prior to being a tribal chief, I was active in all the activities organised in the village such as football, cycling, boat racing and so on. As long as I can participate in those activities, I will not miss the opportunity. Despite helming the position of a tribal chief, I still get involved in any activity that is organised as a sign of support for the people here.
Is your position focusing on the Melanau community only?
No. Although I am Melanau and the majority of the people here are Melanau, my position is not only for Melanau. Like other villages, which consist of a village chief, Kapitan and Penghulu, the same goes for a tribal chief who does not focus on just one race. Kampung Tellian Tengah has many races including Iban, Chinese, Malay and others after intermarriages. As a village chief, I must be fair to all people of all races here. Now, mixed marriages involving Sabahans are increasing in this village. Looking at this, I cannot be biased and must be fair to all residents here.
Each position has its own duties and roles. What about the duties and roles of tribal chief?
There are actually a lot of duties in being a tribal chief. This includes ensuring that the villagers are living in a comfortable situation. Among others, it includes to survey and check on the villagers who are undeserved and in dire need of help. The assistance provided includes improving the housing around the village which includes repairing, and ensuring infrastructure such as roads in the village are in good condition and safe to use. In regards to this, I will strive to do my best to ensure that the villagers receive the assistance. With the monitoring done, I will submit the names to be managed by Tellian assemblyman Royston Valentine and Mukah MP Datuk Hanifah Hajar Taib. If approved by them, then the aid will be delivered to the residents. The same goes for donations and assistance given to them. Royston and I will distribute the aid. Usually, those who receive such aid are from the marginalised group. All assistance, especially in terms of goods, will be provided by Royston and I will participate in the distribution.
In addition, those who have lost their parents while still in school will also be given attention. I will prepare a letter to be given to Tellian assemblyman and Mukah MP as well as the Department of Social Welfare. Touching on students dropping out, it is not included in my duty to monitor them but the school is responsible for the matter. As a tribal chief, I support the school’s actions regarding student dropping out because it must be curbed earlier. In other words, tribal chief represents the voices of the villagers to ensure their wellbeing are taken care of.
Do you have any other position besides being the tribal chief?
Yes, I was also the president of the Parents and Teachers Association (PIBG) at Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Mukah for a while.
How do you manage your time?
So far, everything can still be managed well because prior to being the PTA president, I have informed certain parties that I will prioritise the village as I’m a tribal chief first then the president. If there is an activity that involves both the school and village, I will manage the village activity first. Usually, I will attend school activities that are important and require my presence.
What is your opinion on social activities in this village?
So far, I am grateful that there are no problems involving social ills are carried out by the residents here. But, if there is, I will be in direct contact with the parties involved such as the police and the National Anti-Drug Agency (AADK) Mukah. We also provide a special line to contact the parties involved if there is a problem involving them. Rukun Tetangga and AADK also regularly monitor this village and I really appreciate the cooperation they give.
What about the youth involvement if there are activities held in the village?
Youth involvement here is very encouraging. They will participate in activities organised in this village and have their own group which is the young and the middle class. Although there are two groups, they still work together and participate in the activities organised. They are also appointed as the secretariat for activities and become participants. In terms of sports, I can see their active involvement in futsal, soccer, darts and ‘bidar lukut’. There is a club called the Tujunokala Club here, which is very active in sports. The youth here are not only active in sports but they also participate in communal work such as preparing a place for the ‘bidar lukut’ competition, cleaning the Kampung Tellian Tengah cemetery and so on. At the same time, the involvement of the elderly also goes hand in hand with the youth. They are very helpful when there is an activity held in the village.
Kampung Tellian is very famous for the customs and culture of the Melanaus. How do you maintain the customs and culture?
Kampung Tellian Tengah is not only famous for its customs and culture, but there are also cultural tourism spots here such as Sapan Puloh, Lamin Dana and ‘jerunei’. For Sapan Puloh and Lamin Dana, I believe in the ability of respective owners to manage a place that is very famous for Melanau’s cultural customs. Meanwhile for ‘jerunei’, we are currently working with the Sarawak Museum and doing our best to preserve ‘jerunei’. In order to maintain the customs and culture of the Melanaus, the customs of the Melanau are used here especially for death and marriage. Those who wish to marry someone from Tellian, usually they choose to use the Melanau custom and if they do not wish use this custom, they will inform beforehand. For marriage, custom is still used, regardless of whether they are Melanau-Muslim or Melanau-Christian. Therefore, I think that Melanau customs and culture itself is always practised here because it serves as a reminder to the younger generation that customs are important.
What challenges did you face while serving as a tribal chief?
While serving as a tribal leader, it is not certainly easy, but not difficult either. One of the challenges I face is when I receive criticism from the villagers in terms of assistance. If one has already received the said assistance, the other will dispute the matter. The assistance channelled has its own procedure and it is only best that we wait for the aid. There are still many who do not understand the procedure, which need to be reviewed and approved by the authorities, not the tribal chiefs. Asking for assistance is not as easy as it seems as there are procedures that need to be followed. However, although I received criticism from the public, I believed it did not discourage me from continuing to serve in my hometown.
What benefits did you get while serving as a tribal chief?
I get to know many people whether from this village itself or around Mukah. Not only that, I get to know the culture of other races as well. Sarawak is made up of many races and if there is a programme involving other races, I am happy to get to know their culture. After serving as a tribal chief, I get to receive more contacts than before.
What are your hopes for the residents of Kampung Tellian Tengah?
I hope that we can all work together because if there is no cooperation, it will certainly be difficult for us to develop like other villages. Not only that, if we work together, all works become easy and we can also create a comfortable atmosphere for the harmony of our village. I also hope that our village will always prosper in terms of infrastructure and that we live in a comfortable, safe and harmonious state.
