BETONG: The Gawai Dayak beauty contest is not demeaning to Dayak women; rather, it shows the rich culture and traditions of the Dayak community, says Deputy Premier Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah Embas.
Addressing criticisms that the contest is demeaning, Uggah argued that such views stem from a lack of understanding of the cultural significance being displayed.
“If we look at the contestants here tonight where our children, our granddaughters are taking part, then you see one of the most important things is the display of our handicrafts used as accessories in our Ngepan (traditional lady costume) from head to toe which also includes the Sugu Tinggi, the Rawai, Selampai and many more.
“To me, there are at least 10 different types merged into one to beautify our Dayak ladies. These have profound meanings to us,” he said.
He said this at the Betong Division Gawai Dayak celebration dinner held at the Dewan Sukan Tan Sri Datuk Amar Stephen Kalong Ningkan here last night (May 18).
Uggah commended the dinner gathering for continuing with the evening beauty pageant despite negative comments.
“We will give all the organisers our full support. Please continue with such a programme because we are proud of our culture and traditions,” he said.
He added the annual Gawai Dayak celebration is an opportunity to demonstrate the Dayak’s cultural heritage and traditions.
“These are also our contributions to the heritage wealth of Malaysia,” he said.
