A Penan chief at the Merdeka parade

ANTIDOTE "Four of us tua kampung (village chiefs) were flown over to Kuala Lumpur  for the Independence Day celebrations once," Jawa Nyipa, the wizened headman  of Long Ajeng, recalled. "That was the first time I'd ever been on an  aeroplane."

We were chatting over a cup of tea one night on the wooden floor of Jawa's house in Ulu Baram, in eastern Sarawak. The fluorescent tube was guttering like a candle, thanks to the unpredictable power supply from a small  generator, fuelled by a mixture of petrol and diesel.