I refer to the letter Dayaks were never disloyal. The writer claims that Dayaks do not have any ministers in the Malaysian federal cabinet now. That's not true, if Dayak also refers to the Melanaus, who are of Dayak stock.

Effendi Norwawi is not only a cabinet minister but also a major one who oversees the Economic Planning Unit and is a key advisor of Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi. Before Effendi's return to the cabinet last year, Sarawak also had two Melanau Dayak ministers namely Adenan Satem (okay, he is half Malay [Brunei Malay] and half Melanau) and Leo Michael Toyad.

Both were appointed by the PM with the approval of Sarawak's Melanau Dayak chief minister Taib Mahmud.

If Dayak is taken to mean Iban and Bidayuh, then sorry to say, there has not been anyone with the charisma and experience of Leo Moggie (a former full-fledged minister in the Putrajaya administration) as yet.

Joseph Salang and Joseph Entulu are still too young in politics to become full-fledged ministers but there is no doubt one of them eventually will. The same can be said about Dr Tiki Lafe, the most prominent Bidayuh in politics.

As for Dayak parties, Parti Rakyat Sarawak is one and so is the Sarawak People's Democratic Party. The Malaysian Dayak Congress and the 'now-outside-Barisan Nasional' Snap are Dayak parties, too, but they have not been accepted by Barisan Nasional, because Taib favours the rival factions of MDC (ex-PBDS) and Snap that formed PRS and SPDP respectively.

That's politics and that's life.

Dr Mahathir Mohamad's Umno Baru beat Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah's Semangat 46 and the latter has accepted his fate.

If there are many poor Ibans, Bidayuhs, Malays (Brunei Malays), Kayans, Kenyahs, Kelabits, Bisaya (Kadazan-Dusuns really), and Muruts, Kuala Lumpur should not be blamed. Sarawak, just like Sabah, is autonomous and has always been.

It is the tendency of Iban leaders to become undisciplined and factional, which has resulted in their loss of political power in Sarawak and Putrajaya. This bad habit has greatly encouraged the Melanau chieftains and their men to maximise power in the state of Sarawak for donkey's years.

The same can be said of the Malays (Brunei Malays) of Sarawak who at least can count their blessings that they have 'leaders' in entertainment and the arts in the form of Camelia, Anita Sarawak, Dayang Nurfaizah and Tom Abang Saufi.

If the Ibans and Malays (Brunei Malays) want to achieve political power in Sarawak or Putrajaya, my advice is to work hard and persevere.

And in the meantime, non-Melanaus can count their blessings that we have brilliant Malaysian 'leaders' in the arts such as Tony Eusoff (Bidayuh actor), Hannah Tan (Kelabit host and model), Idris Jala (Kelabit MAS boss), Vernon Kedit (Iban judge of Gang Starz) and Bryan Nickson Lomas (Iban swimmer).

And for your information, Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi's late maternal grandmother Kamariah Razak who lived in Bayan Lepas, George Town, was of Malay (Brunei Malay) and Melanau ancestry from Sarawak.