Grow in size and voice, Mawan urges SDNU
KUCHING: Sarawak Dayak National Union ( SDNU) needs to increase its membership base for it to carry weight and have leverage in the state administration.
Its president Tan Sri William Mawan said after more than 60 years in existence, SDNU currently only has about 15,000 members spread over almost 50 branches.
“The facts and figures certainly do not do justice to the union. I urge existing branches to recruit more members to assist SDNU to grow in size and voice,” he said when officiating at the annual dinner of Sarakup Indu Dayak Sarawak ( SIDS) Siol Kandis branch here on Friday.
SIDS is the women’s wing of SDNU.
According to Mawan, part of the problem within SDNU is the presence of those – be they in the top tier or branch level – who do not want new blood to come in as they fear losing their positions.
“Leaders must allow others to come in. Leaders must create leaders. If we are serious in our mission and struggle, we should be having more than the current 15,000 members. With more members, we can widen our horizon and have the ability to create weightage and leverage,” he said.
He stressed that SDNU, as a non- political organisation, must ensure it plays a useful and effective role as a civil society, and not be sidelined from mainstream development and administration.
Our role in society must always be consistent with the struggle of the mainstream administration to provide avenues for others to help us, he added.
The Pakan assemblyman also said that gone are the days of public misperception that SDNU is dominated by the Ibans, pointing out that the top tier of its leadership comprised a multiracial and well- educated lot.
Leaders must allow others to come in. Leaders must create leaders. If we are serious in our mission and struggle, we should be having more that the current 15,000 members. With more members, we can widen our horizon and have the ability to create weightage and leverage.
He said he recently invoked the amended union constitution to appoint members to fill up four out of the six vacant senior vice- president posts, four vicepresident posts, and eight ordinary executive posts.
The appointees are from various Dayak ethnic groups and leaders of several organisations, he added.
“With such increase in size at the top tier, at least we deserve attention from the top level of the state ( Sarawak) administration, so that we can move forward as one entity in a correct direction in line with the spirit of unity,” he said.
Mawan also disclosed there will be several newly- created elective posts up for grabs during the next Triennial General Assembly ( TGA).
SDNU will hold its TGA tentatively on March 8 and 9 next year at the Christian Ecumenical Centre in Jalan Stampin here.
It was initially slated for Feb 22 and 23 but was rescheduled due the unavailability of a suitable venue.
During the dinner, Mawan told SIDS branches, particularly those without SDNU as their principal, not to send delegates to the TGA because it may contravene the union’s constitution and rules set by the Registrar of Societies
Tan Sri William Mawan, Sarawak Dayak National Union president
( RoS).
However, delegates can come to the TGA through the main SIDS division, he added.
He cited SIDS Sri Aman and SIDS Batu Niah as examples of branches without SDNU as the principal, and urged these branches to set up their respective SDNU counterpart to regularise their setup.
“SIDS members are not automatic members of SDNU. We cannot tolerate irregularity. I have to make sure that the union is in order,” he said.
Among those present during the dinner were SIDS Siol Kandis chairwoman Audrey Wilson, SDNU vice- president Churchill Edward Drem who is also SDNU Youth chief, SDNU Siol Kandis chairman Pani Linggoh, and community leader Penghulu Phillip Entawan.