comment PKR president Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail has said the party has identified a number of Sarawakians who can provide the “unifying element” in bringing about political change in the state.

Is Daniel Tajem, the Dayak firebrand of Sarawak politics, one of them?

daniel tajem 170609 It appears that PKR is trying to court him, going by the way one leader has been heaping praise on Tajem (right) recently. His attempts have obviously been endorsed by the top leadership, since Tajem is deemed to be a controversial figure in Sarawak politics.

Former judge and head of the Sarawak PKR’s land and human rights bureau, Augustine Liom, invited Tajem to be the Tuai Gawai (festival chief) and addressed him personally during the event.

Liom said: “Daniel Tajem, you must be wondering why I have not addressed you or have addressed you last when after all you are our Tuai Gawai . It is not that I give you the least respect. On the contrary, I do this deliberately because we find this a fitting occasion to pay a tribute to you in our own little way.

“You epitomise the Dayak political struggle. You have been down, you have been up and you have been down. But even when the odds are stacked high against you, you have stood up fighting for the Dayak cause. Not many can stand in comparison.

‘We must develop a culture to appreciate honour and give credit where credit is due and not give credit where credit is not due. Otherwise the result is an unfortunate irony because we then make heroes, villains and villains, heroes. Those not deserving are honoured and glorified and those deserving, despised.”

Liom noted that, to Dayaks generally, Tajem is the actual hero.

“And if those in power do not honour and even hold him in disdain, it is only because they find him a very formidable and challenging adversary and he stands as an obstacle to them. Lesser mortals are put or elevated to high office only because they are mortals of lesser qualities more easily handled or even easily manipulated.

“That seems to be the tendency and it becomes for us a serious predicament. It is so because people now in power are not favourably disposed towards the Dayak political struggle that you epitomise. The most effective prescription to cure that ill is to change the people in power.”

Liom said an individual should be better judged, not by the wealth he has accumulated, or by the office he as ascended to, but by the principles he upholds and how steadfast he adheres to those principles.

anwar ibrahim nizar jamaluddin lim kit siang perak ceramah in pj 130509 04 He also drew a parallel between Tajem and PKR de facto leader Anwar Ibrahim.

“Anwar’s fight for justice for the people and against corruption, nepotism and cronyism and all the unjust policies of the BN government is common to the political struggle of the Dayaks.

“And this is where there is a convergence. The Dayaks, Anwar and PKR now begin a journey on a common course, for a common cause. We accept all the principles that PKR stands for.”

Strong support for Tajem

A number of professionals may have the right qualifications to lead Sarawak PKR , but PKR requires the individual who can fulfil the criteria of being the “unifying element”.

pkr congress 2005 wan azizah Wan Azizah recently admitted that, without a good leader, it would be hard for PKR to become a formidable force in the state.

Tajem nicely fits the bill because of his credentials, political struggle and the principles that he stands for, according to Liom.

But Tajem is not a member of PKR. He is, in his words, “a friend of PKR and they come to me for advice”.

Another disadvantages is his age. At 73, he may not have the stamina to travel throughout Sarawak, which is noted for its rigorous and dangerous terrain.

Furthermore, such travel will require funds. He has exhausted his means in helping to build PBDS before it was struck off the registry of societies.

Tajem is certainly aptly credited for his fighting spirit, which has become a symbol of the Dayak political struggle. While he is a crusader for Dayak rights, justice and equality, he has also been labelled a “Dayak racist”.

His response: “I am not ashamed to be called as such. At least they recognise that there is such a thing as Dayaks. And if I were to be born again in this world, I would not regret born again as a Dayak.”

PKR leaders know that Tajem has tremendous support from the Dayak community and former PBDS members who have remained partyless until today or who have joined PKR.

Political observers do not find it unusual to see Tajem in the company of PKR leaders - he attended the PKR national convention last year, helped with Batang Ai by-election campaign in April, participated in a seminar in Sibu early this year and was at the Gawai Dayak dinner last Sunday.

Some PKR national leaders - including secretary-general Salahuddin Hashim - have sought meetings with Tajem.

Wan Azizah revealed that PKR has been meeting with some past and present BN leaders who are likely to join PKR at the end of the year, to lead Sarawak to the next state election.