My first week of experience at SMK SEDAYA (Sekolah Datuk Abdul Rahman Yakub) in Kanowit was very hectic. Besides holding various meetings with teachers, I engaged in sessions with some of the Chinese towkays in town, explaining to them the issue of racialism and how it affected the school.
Speaking in Iban, I earned their full respect and told them, as a young man of 28, that I was eager to work hard for the betterment of the school. They agreed with me that harmony and unity between the races in the school were vital.
Kapitan Lim volunteered to talk to the Chinese parents later. I saw this as the starting point towards improving the relationship between Chinese and Iban students.
On my part, I was fortunate that our food supplier, Senator Joseph Unting, had done his part to ease the tensions between the Iban and Chinese teachers by hosting a welcome dinner for me two days after I arrived at the school.
So, I thanked him, whom I knew well before coming to the school, as his son Doubleline was a colleague of my eldest brother Edward in Sesco. I had visited their Sibu bungalow a few times and had met Unting. He called me ‘anak’ (son).
After achieving some success in this matter, I turned my attention to my earlier goal of improving my sculptural perspectives. I went to Sibu and looked for books in the council library on various artists, especially sculptors.
It was time for me to focus on gathering information and knowledge about various leading sculptors such as Michelangelo (1473-1564), Constantin Brancusi (1876-1957), Gian Lorenzo Bernini (1598-1680), Auguste Rodin (1840-1917), Louise Bourgeois, Henry Moore, and a few others. Some of them were featured in the books at the Sibu library, while for some, I could not find much information.
So, in August, during the school term holiday break, I made a trip to Kuala Lumpur to purchase some books on arts and artists. I bought three books worth hundreds of ringgit and finally found all of the above in one of the books for which I paid over RM280. My trip to KL was successful, and by the end of the year, I was prepared for any opportunity to give tutorials or lectures at USM.
Reality set in, and there was no call from USM, so I let go of the idea. I then focused on the school and contacted my mentor, Michael Manyin (now Datuk Amar), at Rajang Teachers College about some matters. He gladly provided me with guidance and input that became vital for my success in some areas.
My first year at SMK SEDAYA suffered some bruises due to my political involvement in December of that year. It was the State Election, and I found myself involved due to a momentary misjudgement.
I had hoped for an opportunity to be named as a candidate for Krian, as the former Krian assemblyman and my cousin, Datuk Amar Dunstan Endawie Enchana, had promised me that I might be on their top list.
However, upon checking with Deputy SNAP President Datuk Edward Jeli, I discovered that I was ranked fourth on the list, which made me unhappy.
That was when I called a friend, a retired senior administrative officer named Solomon Buyong, and asked him to meet me in Sibu. When we met, Solomon agreed to be a candidate, and we proceeded to register at the Saratok District Office on the eve of the nomination day. I paid RM500 for his registration.
On nomination day, we went to the Saratok community hall around 9:30 am. My role as campaign director and supporter conflicted with Section 73 of Chapter D of the Government Ethics and Guidelines 1980.
This could have led to my termination from any government office, but I remained firm.
Solomon stood as an independent candidate against four others, including Datuk Seri Peter Tinggom and Datuk Seri Edmund Langgu. He later withdrew in support of Tinggom, but Langgu emerged as the winner.
I was reprimanded by the head of the School Division in Education Headquarters, Leonard Martin Uning (now Datuk), but no action was taken against me.
Someone might have tampered with my file, as there was no evidence of my political involvement. It was a great relief when I received a transfer order to SMK Saratok as principal in December 1984.
In late December, my wife and I reported to the school. We had gotten married on December 8 of that year and began happily at my former school, 13 years after leaving it. Some of the cooks and a groundsman were still around and were happy to see me.
It was at SMK Saratok that I received news from USM via a letter signed by Professor Gulam Sawar, the head of Humanities, recalling me to the university to give a tutorial in Sculpture.
However, the letter stated that I would only be paid RM700 for the tutorial fees. It would also make me a candidate for RLKA (Rancangan Latihan Kakitangan Akademik), which would lead me to go to Hawaii University for an MFA and later a PhD in Fine Arts.
By then, I had already been promoted to Acting Senior Time A11 officer with a pay of RM2025. This presented a significant difference.
Additionally, I was married to an unemployed wife, my maternal grandma, Kejuang Melling, was unwell, and my mother was also unwell. Therefore, I decided not to accept the offer and wrote a thank-you reply to them.
I saw this as a starting point where I needed to fully concentrate on improving the school that I dearly loved. It was high time for me to do something for the betterment of the school and its surroundings.
Some townspeople still remembered my political involvement in 1983, but I demonstrated to them that I had eliminated any political motives.
Appointed as the pioneer District Scout Commissioner by Scouts Headquarters in Kuching, I mobilised all efforts to demonstrate to the townspeople that our school’s scouts were active by participating in cleaning the town and its surroundings during February Scout Week.
Wearing my wood badge bead and full scout uniform, I walked around town to witness their actions in motion. This effort was seen as a way to show that scouting was about community work, unity, and harmony.
This initiative was well-received by the towkays, who sponsored drinks and cookies for the more than 50 boys and girls taking part in the community work.
Thereafter, I remained focused on school matters and received full support from teachers and non-teaching staff. It was time for me to make a significant contribution to school matters as a former student of the school that I dearly loved.
Some of my murals, painted between 1970 and 1972, were still intact. These filled me with immense pride, although only a few knew that they were done by me, as I had signed them with the word ‘Elvis’.4:13 PM
The views expressed here are those of the writer and do not necessarily represent the views of Sarawak Tribune. The writer can be reached at tawisalok@yahoo.com.
