A Mission for the Younger Generation of Sarawakian Bumiputera

Long Presek is a Penan village in Ulu Limbang, Sarawak and is a six-hour drive from the city. Due to poor road infrastructure and an inconsistent supply of electricity, some of the Penan children do not receive formal education.

Long Presek is not an isolated case of power scarcity.  Although Sarawak is notorious for housing large hydroelectric power plants, ironically, there are many more rural areas in Sarawak that do not have access to electricity – let alone an internet connection.

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to plague the nation, the importance of access to electricity and the internet cannot be emphasised more with virtual classes (and not physical classes) becoming the main medium of formal education.

In 2020, the Department of Statistics of Malaysia released the 2019 Household Income and Basic Amenities Survey Report by State and Administrative District (Sarawak).  According to this report, Sarawakian Bumiputera has some of the lowest income and the highest poverty line income in Malaysia.

The COVID-19 pandemic is like salt rubbed into the wounds of the Sarawakian Bumiputera.  

It is not a surprise that the number of Sarawakian Bumiputera living in poverty with the lowest income will continue to rise, if no action is taken to off-set these pre-existing conditions aggravated further by the COVID-19 pandemic.

This is not an article about racial inequality, but rather, about racial empowerment.  It is for those who believe that this nation can only improve if none of its people is left behind.

It is on this basis that the firm is launching a number of corporate social responsibility (CSR) projects in Sarawak to help diversify the socio-economics of the Sarawakian Bumiputera.  

At their core, the objectives of these CSR projects are to ensure access to education as well as basic human needs (such as internet connection and electricity).  

“Academic Evangelisation”

As Varahagiri Venkata Giri, the 4th President of India once said: 

“Education is the principal tool of socio-economic development and unless all societies are provided with the right type of education, adequate in quality and quantity, it will not be possible to satisfactorily tackle the problem of ignorance of health and poverty which afflicts the majority of human beings in the world.” 

In recognising the importance of education as a socio-economic development tool, the first CSR project is “Academic Evangelisation” in Sarawak.  

Sounds controversial?  Do not worry.  

“Academic Evangelisation” is merely a movement to foster a mindset amongst the younger generation of the Sarawakian Bumiputera to champion excellence in education. It is aimed to encourage the Sarawakian Bumiputera to not only pass exams, but to do so with flying colours.  This would hopefully open more opportunities, and accordingly, diversify the socio-economics of the younger generation of the Sarawakian Bumiputera.

This “Academic Evangelisation” is a two-stage project. 

The first stage is to launch a campaign in high schools in Sarawak, encouraging more of the younger Sarawakian Bumiputera to take up professional careers (e.g. careers in the legal, medical and accounting fields) as there seems to be a paucity of Sarawakian Bumiputera in those fields. 

In 2022, we will be going to the high schools in Sarawak to share personal experiences (from the perspective of a Sarawakian Bumiputera professional working in West Malaysia), possible routes to law school/universities & possible financial assistance/scholarship that are available to students.  This is done in hopes to inspire and motivate the students in their studies as well as to aim higher in life. 

This first stage is currently in the midst of discussion with various schools and education departments in Sarawak and is expected to commence in 2022 (as the pandemic cases in Sarawak are currently on the rise).    

The second stage concerns a paid paralegals programme for Sarawakian Bumiputera law students in West Malaysia.  

As some universities are not able to provide practical experiences (especially as classrooms are now confined to virtual forums), external industrial training becomes important to ensure that law graduates are able to transition into the workplace.  

Through this programme, we will be giving industrial training and personal mentoring to deserving Sarawakian Bumiputera law students.  

Lightup Borneo

Another CSR project is “Lightup Borneo”, a joint effort between the firm, Lightup Borneo PLT (a charity foundation) and Estranged (an award-winning Malaysian band).  

This project allows us to reach out to rural areas in Sabah and Sarawak (where consistent sources of electricity are either non-existence or scarce) to install micro hydro-generators in order to help villagers gain access to electricity. 

So far, we have successfully installed hydro generators in three villages in Sabah, i.e. Kg. Pakolon, Kg. Libagon and Kg. Tinanom in Ranau, Sabah. 

This 2022, ‘Bring Light to Borneo’ will finally be going to Sarawak– specifically, Long Presek.  

Join us on this mission to bring light to the heart of Borneo! You can help by: 

1. volunteering on the installation mission. Volunteer applications to be sent to lightupborneo2013@gmail.com; 

2. donating to Lightup Borneo PLT - CIMB Bank Account No. 8009639861; OR

3. raising awareness about this mission to others.