Former deputy education minister touched by Penan’s plight
SIBU: There were no rich or poor people for the Penan. Time and age were also unimportant. Not even death.
The Penan existed as a community. That was how it used to be.
However, everything has changed now because of rapid global development.
The community is now struggling to stay relevant in modern society.
While most have opted for semipermanent stay, there are still about 500 Penan who choose to maintain their nomadic way of life.
The rainforest is their home and their culture has remained unperturbed by the changing world.
Finding them can be a daunting task as they normally shun strangers.
But former Deputy Minister of Education Datuk Hon Choon Kim has come across a group of these nomads during one of his visits to the interior of Sarawak.
“It is very difficult to find them; I came across one group by chance. We had to make extra efforts to meet them,” he recalled in a recent interview with The Borneo Post.
Hon turned full- time photographer following his retirement from politics in 2008, and has since been photographing the lives of this nomadic people and their culture.
His fascination with the tribe began in 2010 when he came across some pictures of the Penan in their traditional costumes.
Hon said he knew that Sarawak had many tribes, but did not know about the Penan then.
“I had heard of them but wasn’t interested to find out about this tribe until I saw some pictures on Facebook posts,” he said.
Finding the photos fascinating, he made a commitment to engage with the Penan.
Teaming up with some photographer friends in Miri, he made Long Seridan their base for every visit to the tribe.
During each visit inside the forest, the team stayed with the Penan people for about three nights.
“There was no problem living with them. We just need to be happy with the simple things they could offer.
“They don’t have facilities such as toilets or electricity. They were given solar systems to get light. We brought along canned food and water,” he recalled.
Apart from taking pictures of them, Hon said team members also observed their way of life and even tried to learn their language and culture.
“Not every Penan understands the Malay language, but communication with us was not a problem as some of them understand a smattering of the Malay language.
“We noted that they had a strong community spirit.
“They call it ‘molong’, meaning ‘do not take more than what you need’. And they want to share with others. Even when they hunt, they do not kill excessively. They just take whatever is enough for the day,” he observed.
Among the photographs taken by Hon, the one he is most proud of shows an assistant teacher washing the feet of a young Penan boy.
“The boy had walked for about an hour barefooted and without a shirt from his village to the school. At the school, the assistant teacher washed his feet and his body and gave him the school uniform and then sent him to class.
“When school was over, the boy took off his school uniform and walked back to his village. This was repeated day after day.”
Hon has also observed that the Penan love the jungle.
“Given the choice, they would rather stay in the jungle. But when we opened up the forest, we changed their environment and we changed their lifestyle,” Hon said.
In the olden days, the Penan had no need of money as the rainforest gave them the provisions they needed.
“But, they need money now to get provisions from sundry shops and canteens. They need money to buy sago flour, to send their children to school, get transportation and so forth.
“In this aspect, they are poor,” he said.
Hon also noted that many Penan children have problems continuing their studies because they have no proper documents.
“Surprisingly, quite a number of them are without IC ( Mykad).
“They do not have birth certificates and it is very difficult for them to continue their studies. They can’t sit for SPM ( Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia) without their identity card,” he explained.
He added the Penan are in dire need of assistance, especially with their children’s education.
“We changed their lifestyle, and we are duty-bound to assist them in this transitional period.”
Hon is not leaving things up to others. He has taken an initiative to help the Penan people get their national registration documents.
He is also renting four-wheeldrive vehicles to send the children back to their villages when the school holiday starts.
The former Deputy Minister of Education has suggested that the government build boarding schools close to the tribe.
Hon has so far made 15 visits to the Penan.
“Every time, I try to help them as much as I could. I give them pocket money and listen to their problems.”
He said the Penan people are familiar with him now.
“They are peace-loving, friendly and easy to associate with.”
The former deputy minister has produced a pictorial book titled ‘The Penan through the Lens’.