MIRI: The Kenyah community must strengthen its unity and develop a clear roadmap for the future if it is to preserve its cultural identity while creating greater opportunities for the next generation.
Minister for Food Industry, Commodity and Regional Development Dato Sri Dr Stephen Rundi Utom said Kenyah heritage should not merely be preserved and showcased but developed into a sustainable social and economic asset through tourism, entrepreneurship, education and the use of modern technology.
Speaking at the opening of the Sarawak Kenyah Cultural Festival (SKCF) 7.0 here on Tuesday (Sept 1), he added that the community’s greatest challenge was to bring together its various groups behind one vision and one direction.
He stressed that unity was essential if the Kenyah community was to have a stronger collective voice and play a greater role in shaping its future.
“The challenge is how to get us to be together, to be fully united.”
Dr Rundi was representing Deputy Premier Datuk Amar Awang Tengah Ali Hasan, who was unable to attend the event due to other commitments.
He said the community needed to look beyond individual programmes and cultural celebrations by developing a clear master plan covering its long-term social and economic development.
“We must have a roadmap. We must have a master plan. What will the future be like for the Kenyah?”
He said culture remained the community’s identity and an important link to its ancestors but it must also remain relevant as society changes.
He said traditional music, dance, clothing, handicrafts, food and other forms of cultural heritage could become part of a wider tourism and economic ecosystem.
“We must think about how much we can make out of our culture. We must monetise it.”
He stressed that this did not mean compromising the authenticity of Kenyah traditions.
Instead, cultural assets should be developed in ways that allowed communities, particularly young people, to benefit from them.
He said visitors should not only come to see Kenyah culture but also have opportunities to experience it, purchase local products and contribute to the local economy.
“This is how we can give our young people opportunities.”
Dr Rundi said education and youth empowerment would be critical to ensuring the community remained competitive in a rapidly changing world.
He urged younger generations to understand their roots while embracing new knowledge, technology and ideas.
He also encouraged the community to adopt new approaches in agriculture, including smart farming, IoT and modern production methods, to attract younger people into the sector.
Drawing on his experience in the food and agriculture sector, he said producing agricultural commodities was only one part of the equation.
Greater emphasis, he said, should be placed on developing a complete supply chain covering production, processing and marketing so communities could capture more value from their products.
He said agriculture needed to be viewed as a modern and potentially high-income sector rather than an occupation associated only with traditional farming.
Dr Rundi also highlighted connectivity and accessibility as important requirements for rural development, particularly in ensuring communities have
access to roads, electricity, water and other basic infrastructure.
He urged community leaders to remain persistent in pursuing development while working constructively with the government and other stakeholders.
At the same time, he called for greater tolerance within the community, saying differences in opinion should not become a source of division.
He encouraged leaders and members of the community to learn to “agree to disagree”, respect majority decisions and remain focused on the broader interests of the community.
For Dr Rundi, the preservation of culture and the pursuit of development should therefore go hand in hand.
He said SKCF 7.0 provided an important platform for the community to celebrate its heritage, exchange ideas and reflect on its future direction.
In a gesture of support for the Kenyah community, Dr Rundi announced a RM10,000 contribution from Awang Tengah, followed by a further RM10,000 contribution from himself, bringing the total contribution to RM20,000.
The event was attended by several dignitaries, including Sarawak Kenyah National Association patron Datuk Anyi Ngau, Murum assemblyman and Sarawak Kenyah National Association advisor Kennedy Chukpai Ugon as well as association president Councillor Romulus Charles Agan.
