With over 20 years of experience in politics, Pakan assemblyman Tan Sri William Mawan Ikom is comfortable with just serving his people while keeping a low profile and getting prepared for the coming state election.
A political veteran, a former state minister, and a former parliamentarian, he has had his share of dark days such as when he was once called a ‘political frog’ due to his past affiliations with Sarawak National Party (SNAP), Parti Tenaga Rakyat Sarawak (Teras) and Sarawak Progressive Democratic Party (SPDP) before joining Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB) where he is now. On Monday night (Nov 16) he was interviewed by Dr Jeniri Amir of TVS’ Twenty30 programme. The following is part of the interaction.
TVS: Tan Sri has been spending a lot of time in Pakan in the last two years, so what have you been up to?
Mawan: I have been observing things that actually happen from the perspectives of our people and what they actually want. I want to turn around some of the people’s perceptions of certain matters. I went to the ground twice a week.
What keeps you moving?
Well, I guess the spirit is there and I am still healthy. Going around and meeting people here and there refreshes me. There is still so much for me to learn and also to contribute. In the old days, not much went on because the resources we had were very little. The government development fund, the Minor Rural Project (MRP) fund, the allowances for the elected representatives — they weren’t enough.
For the last two and a half years, I have been trying to sort things out by taking into consideration the availability of funds and the programmes to be implemented, and I tried to rope in a few government agencies just to see what angle we can work on. At first, we must stick to the plans and government programmes; which one is to be prioritised and so on.
You have been moving actively on the ground for the last two years. Does this indicate that you are keen to contest in the next election?
Often times, people try to read what I am doing and why I am doing it. My preparation has been sustained, so I guess I am very prepared. However, the decision is not mine.
I still remember what you said in 2016: “If boss tells me to jump from the building, I will ask from which floor?” Are you prepared to do that? Do you stand by that statement?
Well, if my boss tells me, Mawan, you jump from that bangunan, I will ask him which floor? Your level of loyalty is measured by your preparedness (to obey instructions).
Based on what you have been doing on the ground for the last two years, it seems that you are not prepared to give up the seat.
You must have options for yourself. What you do and contribute is for the people, not for yourself. Again, the boss is the boss. He will have to decide what strengthens him and what ensures that the whole process, the team and the plan still work for the people. If I am standing in the way, then I should be removed. If I am still contributing to the overall team then I don’t have to ‘jump from a building’ (as instructed by my boss).
Now, I am quite confident with myself and the level of support I have. I know I have come to a point where I can gauge the level of confidence of the people, not necessarily in me but in the government and the team I represent.
In the event that you contest again, what makes you think that you can improve your performance? Do you think people still like you?
I believe a lot of people like me, but the chain of command in the party is not always clear. So sometimes they still listen to the chain of command somewhere else. Still, I can trust that they like me.
Some quarters have been saying that Pakan is one of the poorest districts in the country.
Pakan is the biggest producer of pepper. There are 17,000 hectares of pepper farms in the country and 16,000 hectares are in Sarawak while the rest are in Sabah and Johor. Pakan has 2,000 hectares of the total pepper farms in the state harvesting 3,490 metric tonnes worth RM109 million. We have only about 17,000 people. Of these, we have 5,800 people involved in pepper farming and the revenue is about RM105 million. Tell me how are we poor?
Pakan has 97 percent electricity supply, 97 percent road connectivity and 62 percent water supply with several ongoing development projects. Then there are our cash crops like palm oil, garden, plantation, rubber. Forget about subsistence farming. Nobody plants rice now. And nobody in Pakan has a longhouse on stilts anymore. All longhouses are concrete. For anybody to say that Pakan is the poorest district in Malaysia, I think it is a bit too much. All lies. I do not know what sort of indicators or methodology they used to make such conclusion.
To those critics, come to Pakan and let us compare and contrast. I’m willing to pay for their bills. Come and justify your comments. I wouldn’t benefit from it, but they should not go around and make wild accusations without seeing the truth on the ground.
Pakan is not the poorest or remotest part of Sarawak. No! Pakan is a town, just next to Sarikei with a good road. It’s a 30-minute drive from the main road.
What is your basic principle in politics, in your struggle?
Firstly, it is not about oneself; it is about others. The way I see it, politics is almost a total invasion of one’s privacy. You can’t deal with, then don’t do it.
You have been the president of Sarawak Progressive Democratic Party (SPDP) which later changed its name to PDP and president of Parti Tenaga Rakyat Sarawak (Teras), and now a member of the State Legislative Assembly (DUN). Looking back, do you regret the blunders in your political career?
They were not blunders if seen from my perspective. I was in for a political cause. I was in the Sarawak National Party (SNAP) at the time when Dayak professionals left the party for their own reasons. When this group left, I was leading a group of professional Dayaks to come in. But during that time also, things did not improve. There were some shortcomings and our voices were not exactly heard. So together with a group of professionals, we left SNAP and formed another party — Sarawak Progressive Democratic Party (SPDP). Later on, we stumbled upon the same problem and went astray from the original struggle. Even after the issues have been settled by the top leaders of the then Barisan Nasional (BN) federal government, some are still trying to stir up the waters which may lead to a disaster so I gave up.
What is the moral of the story or political lessons that you learnt from all these episodes?
Well, to strengthen ourselves or our group, you must have some all-round resilience. You must have ideas, means, teams, vision and the means to implement it. Assuming that we all have the money, if you do not align yourself with the existing major party, we shall be doomed.
Politics has its up and downs. As you go through the years, perceptions changed, political issues changed, the old will give way to the young, and then you would have to base it on what happened today and the relevant factors contributing to it.
Why did Tan Sri choose Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB) and not another party?
The choice is obvious. For those people who know me even during SNAP days and in the formation of the SPDP and Teras, they knew that would be my choice. How I conducted the affairs of the party was never away from the understanding with PBB, including guidance and advice. Otherwise, it would be dead.
Being in PBB now, I find there is solace, a lot of friends, and a home I can look forward to. Looking from that angle, I could do something for my constituency because most of it is within PBB’s reach. The moment I joined PBB, I explained it to my constituents, bringing along PBB membership forms. Now, there are almost 6,000 PBB members in my constituency with over 200 forms still left in my office. Whatever I have been doing all this while until today included recruiting members. That is done in the hope that I would be able to consolidate PBB as a party and position Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) as the government.
What are the main challenges faced by the Iban at the moment?
Things have changed because of the advances in education. In the past, we have our own social values which advocate respect, honour, and subscribing to heroism. When schools were built, people become more educated and everyone seems to be free to express their opinions and pretend to know a lot of things. In a way, it is good. But we became a bit fragmented and fractious, which is not exactly the positive side of democracy. I think we should hold back and hopefully, become more reasonable.
What is the way forward for the Iban?
Collaborate and cooperate with and support the government. The government is not asking you to contribute money, but just collaborate with us.
There are so many programmes being laid out by the government but as a single person, I can’t do everything.
I know government agencies are helping but the qualified, experienced and capable people in Pakan should return and manage them.
I will be forming my task force for the construction, development and transformation of Pakan soon. This is where the community should cooperate, not create some lies to further one’s interest.
Stand by the government of the day. That is the thing in which you can hang your hope and future on. The rest are temporary.
