Sesi soal jawap berkenaan "Are there any Dayak leaders in the Government?"

Satu sesi soal jawap diantara Dr. John Brian Anthony dan UMNO Sarawak berkisar dengan perihal "Are there any Dayak leaders in the Government?"

Dr. John Brian Anthony: Maybe none.
UMNO Sarawak: Lihatlah dengan minda yang luas dan bukannya sempit ... ADA.

Dr. John Brian Anthony: Are there any Dayak leaders in the government today? Maybe NONE is the answer. Many who tried to answer this question did not come out clean with their answer. Their answer is always punctuated by “but” and “if” which talk about differences and assumption. Why is it so difficult to give an outright answer? We really do not have real leaders among the political leaders.
UMNO Sarawak: Sekali lagi, lihatlah dengan minda yang luas dan bukannya sempit ... ADA. Dan tidak perlu untuk berkata "tetapi" dan "mungkin" untuk membuktikan adanya pemimpin Dayak dalam kerajaan Barisan Nasional.

Dr. John Brian Anthony: In the Government, our leader work for an agenda that even compromised our Dayak cultural values and safety. If a leader proclaimed himself as a Dayak leader like Dr. James Masing and Jabu used their position to declare themselves as Dayak leaders and they benefited economically from that position but did nothing to improve the life of those Dayak who supported them, is that real leadership or an opportunistic leadership?
UMNO Sarawak: Konsep kerajaan campuran yang diamalkan di Sarawak ialah semua bangsa tanpa mengira Melayu, Iban, Cina dan sebagainya duduk bersama untuk semua bangsa. Adalah satu pandangan yang sempit untuk berpendapat bahawa nilai budaya dan keselamatan kaum Dayak telah dikompromi oleh pemimpin Dayak dalam kerajaan.  Dan satu tuduhan yang berniat jahat bila mengatakan para pemimpin Dayak tidak membantu kaum Dayak.

Dr. John Brian Anthony: It is not right for a Dayak leader to be very rich while the people around them and supported them remain poor. The supporters never take advantage of the situation but the leader took the opportunity to make themselves rich and still did not lend a helping hand to their people. That is an opportunist leader. Do we have this type of leaders among the elected YBs and appointed ministers?
UMNO Sarawak: Perkataan 'sangat' (ataupun 'very') terlalu bersifat subjektif dan bergantung kepada penilaian individu. Mungkin pemimpin Dayak kaya tetapi untuk mengatakan mereka sangat kaya adalah satu lagi tuduhan yang berniat jahat oleh seorang pelampau kaum seperti saudara yang beranggapan bahawa hanya pandangan saudara adalah benar manakala yang lain adalah tidak benar. Satu pandangan sempit dari seorang yang tidak segan silu menggunakan gelaran "Dr." di depan nama. Seorang "Dr." hendaklah berpandangan luas dan rasional dan bukannya berpandangan sempit seperti saudara yang tidak layak untuk dihormati sebagai seorang ahli akademik.

Dayak leaders abused their supporters loyalty to them

Dr. John Brian Anthony: Many Dayak leaders say they are fighting for Dayak struggles. They are fighting for Dayak progress and development. At the same time, the same leader use their struggle to rob the Dayak of the land, create Dayak community leaders to support their personal economic scheme, they rip off the money allocated for development in Dayak areas just to make themselves rich. This leaders are “suckers” and this leader feed on the poverty of the people and also their ignorant. Can we find such leaders among our elected leaders and appointed Minister.
UMNO Sarawak: Setiap kaum di Malaysia, bahkan didunia akan berjuang untuk kepentingan kaum mereka. Dan di Malaysia, termasuk Sarawak, bukanlah satu pengecualian. Dalam ayat diatas, saudara menggunakkan perkataan 'ramai' (ataupun 'many') tetapi sebelum ini saudara menulis mungkin 'tiada' (ataupun 'none') pemimpin Dayak. Jelas sekali saudara tidak konsisten dalam memberi hujah. Patutkan saudara berbangga menggunakan gelaran 'Dr." dihadapan nama saudara memandangkan saudara tidak konsisten dalam memberi hujah? Saudara cuba untuk membangkitkan kemarahan kaum Dayak terhadap pemimpin Dayak tetapi pada masa yang sama saudara tidak konsisten dalam berhujah.

The leader who exploited and took away from the people

Dr. John Brian Anthony: These leaders who once were poor are now opening the wealth gap between themselves and the people who voted for them. Are these the type of leader we want?  This particular leader eat up what their supporter have and proclaim that they are bringing progress to the people. They expect the people to surrender their land to them and then they will develop the land with an investor and make much money for themselves and negligible to those who entrusted them with their land. Do we have this type of leaders among us?
UMNO Sarawak: Bukan semua pemimpin kaya. Ini adalah hakikat. Dan bukan semua pemimpin yang memperlekehkan sokongan yang diberikan kepada mereka oleh penyokong mereka. Dan sekali lagi, satu hujah yang tidak konsisten berhubung dengan tanggapan bahawa tiadanya pemimpin Dayak dalam kerajaan.

Leaders without any direction

Dr. John Brian Anthony: Many Ministers and elected politician have no direction for the people. In Sarawak, they depended on the Federal Government to plan for them. In sarawak, they waited for the Civil Servant to plan for them. Otherwise, why are we still seeing no difference in Sarawak after 47 years. Changes are made in where Taib served, now Mukah.
UMNO Sarawak: Perubahan berlaku dimana. Dan secara hakikinya, perubahanlah yang membolehkan saudara mendapat gelaran 'Dr.". Janganlah berpikiran sempit dan menuduh bukan-bukan.

Dr. John Brian Anthony: Jabu talk about representing the Dayak and his only rewards is the development of Betong town. Even then his vested interest in the land around Betong is substantial.
UMNO Sarawak: Bagaimana perjuangan bahasa Iban yang diperjuangkan oleh Jabu. Satu sumbangan terhadap kaum Dayak di Betong sahaja?

Dr. John Brian Anthony: We have Dayak leaders who were given oil plantation land but did they ask the Dayak or help the Dayak in any way to plant their own oil palm? The answer is NO. They discourage the Dayak from planting oil palm, they hinder those Dayak with aspiration and foresight to plant palm oil because they want the dayak land for themselves. Is this providing direction and serving the people or serving self interest?
UMNO Sarawak: Wajarkah saudara dihormati kerana membuat tuduhan yang melulu ini?

Dr. John Brian Anthony: Those that are given major government contract could not share some of the contract with budding Dayak businessmen because they cannot provide the safety net for lack of experience and knowledge for business. they prefer to give it out to established non Dayak companies and not risk any loses. But when they asked for the project, they insist that they are acting on the Dayak behalf and interest.
UMNO Sarawak: Saudara menggunakan perkataan 'besar' (ataupun 'major') untuk merujuk kontrak kerajaan. Dan saudara juga menggunakan perkataan 'established' untuk merujuk kepada syarikat. Dan saudara juga menggunakan perkataan 'safety net' untuk merujuk kepada ahli perniagaan Dayak yang kurang berpengalaman. Dan sekali lagi, saudara adalah dalam golongan yang suka menghasut tanpa mengira tempat. Adakah masuk akal untuk mana-mana pemimpin, tanpa mengira Dayak ataupun bukan Dayak, untuk memberi "major" kontrak kepada ahli perniagaan yang kurang berpengalaman?????!!!!

Conclusion

Dr. John Brian Anthony: My list can be long but as long as the leadership has NO SPINE, morally or economically when they enter politics, this is what we get. My message is, leaders must have  a strong sense and experience of success in their personal life before they decide to offer themselves as leaders. If you do not have the ingredient to be leaders, then you will practice reverse politics of progress and put the burden of your capability unto the life of your supporter. By that you cannot tolerate your people from critizing you or at least give suggestion to you because the leaders perceived that as a threat to their position in power.
DayakBaru expect leadership from those elected and no less. Dayakbaru even expect a leader to develop himself should he losses his election so that he can be a better politician next time around. Just by being a candidate in the election does not mean you are good. It is the way you handle situation and building the community for the future that will determine one standing in politics. It is not all about winning election and appointed Minister. It is all about sincerity to bring our community forward.
UMNO Sarawak: Kesimpulan ialah saudara sebenarnya hanya bercakap ataupun menulis untuk mendatangkan rasa benci kepada pemimpin Dayak tetapi sebenarnya tidak 'berisi'. Lebih kepada cuba nak bermain-main dengan emosi pembaca tetapi bukan cuba untuk memenangi fakulti logik minda pembaca.

Dr. John Brian Anthony:  Change We Must.
UMNO Sarawak: Kita mesti berubah tetapi dengan minda yang luas dan bukannya sempit.