Ada Apa Dengan Borneo?

Anyamanthly interviewed Deborah ’13, Nancy ’17, and Ghazlina ’19 who are the TFM Alumni/Fellow leads for the East Malaysia IDEAS circle, a.k.a Ada Apa Dengan Borneo.

writer’s note:

Please go watch “Aku Mau Skola” by Putri Purnama. It’s less than 30 minutes, and is about undocumented kids who want to have an education. Prepare tissues.

Who came up with the name “Ada Apa Dengan Borneo”?

We were throwing out names and it was Vanessa Sambai ’13 and Huda ’15 who came up with it. Then it stuck!

Could you share a bit of your background, and what inspired the start of this?

Deborah : I’ve not been connected to the alumni movement for a while, and Vanessa ’13 approached me about starting an IDEAS circle related to East Malaysia. Then I got connected to Sophia Chan (TFM East Regional Associate) and Melissa Kong ’13. It was a collective idea to create awareness of East Malaysian issues, among the TFM community. It seemed there was still a huge gap between East and West Malaysia, with few stories and opportunities, plus misinformation. So, what better place to start than our own community. Those who have taught in Miri have been among our strong supporters. Some of my own friends haven’t been as keen, which makes me realize people need a reason to be interested.  It’s an uphill task but it’s still something we should do.

Nancy :  I’m a Dusun girl from Sabah, teaching English in Pasir Gudang, Johor, where I was posted since 2017. Sometimes people get confused by my name and think I’m from Sarawak 😂. I joined a little later compared to the others, so it was pretty well established already at that time.

Ghazlina : I am a 2019 Fellow currently teaching in Semporna, Sabah. I generally enjoy opportunities where I’m able to network and get to know about people. Sophia Chan approached me with the idea of having Ben Uzair as a potential IDEAS Circle guest. Since I’ve already been acquainted with him from TFM Week and participating in his morning show, I gladly agreed to take up the challenge and host my very first virtual discussion. 

How has “Ada Apa Dengan Borneo” made an impact on you?

Deborah : I gained a lot, actually, especially from the external speakers such as Kendy Mitot and Shaq Koyok who talked about struggles as indigenous artists. It was one of those times I took notes because it made me think about how different their situation is compared to us here in East Malaysia.

Nancy : I think it brings people together. I’ve gotten to meet many other people outside of my cohort. When I heard Shaq Koyok share in “Exploring My Roots”, I could see we have the same struggles as indigenous people. But I am also aware of how lucky I am compared to him. Here in Sabah, we are not the minority and there are platforms to make our voices heard. Over in Semenanjung, it’s hard for them to be proud of who they are.  

Ghazlina : This offered the social networking life I need and value. Bearing in mind that the Fellowship is ending not long from now, I didn’t want the relationships and connections I made to stop there. Ada Apa Dengan Borneo IDEAS circle gave me a sense of community not only with TFM Alumni, but also expanding to the Sabah and Sarawak social group.

Many topics like The Malaysian Act 1963, internet coverage and line connectivity in Sabah and Sarawak, how Covid -19 will impact uni students to name just a few. What were some moments which stood out for you?

Nancy : Shaq Koyok, who is a Temuan artist, caught my attention. People see art as the 2^nd or 3^rd option, but art is actually not just about “melukis”. Rizo from Pangrok Sulap said it best, that a good art is art that helps the community. There is meaning in that. I believe art should be made equal to the sciences, but our school system does not encourage our students to think in that way.

Ghazlina : I especially liked the watch parties that we had with Nadira Illana (The Silent Riot – election in KK) and Putri Purnama (Aku Mau Skola – undocumented kids) that covered social issues in Sabah. My time in Semporna has given me the opportunity to engage with the undocumented and stateless children that attend Sekolah Alternatif Semporna. Despite my knowledge about the undocumented community in Semporna, I was also very intrigued by how the undocumented children in Putri’s film, Aku Mau Skola were portrayed. It was something that I was familiar with, but also very different.

Could you share a bit about some of these Ada Apa Dengan Borneo IDEAS circle?

• “Bring Back the Bikes” ft Deborah ’13, her brother and 3 days of biking from Miri to Kuching. (For those who don’t know, that’s at least a 12-hour journey by car.) 

My hometown is in Kuching, and my brother had two dirt bikes which were in Miri. He always said one day we’d go get them back and a year after that, we really did it. The nice part was we didn’t use the Pan Borneo highway, we used the coastal road instead. The view was often longhouses, villages, plantations, and all kinds of animals. You could also see those huge trucks transporting palm oil. There was a kampung that had Pakatan Harapan flags flying from every roof, then further down it’s Gabungan Parti Sarawak, hahaha! Everyday life la. By the time we reached home, we were too tired to eat, just drank bubble tea. Dirt bikes aren’t easy to sit on for long hours.

• “The Deafening Silence of Forgotten Malaysian Histories ft. Nadira Ilana from Telan Bulan Productions. – Nancy

Nadira’s documentary is on the riot that happened in Kota Kinabalu in 1986. As a Sabahan, it gave me a real eye-opening lesson on history. At the time, the rakyat was punished for not voting for a certain candidate and it made me wonder about a lot of things, and how certain current events can be connected. I got to know more about my own history, and I never imagined such a thing could happen in KK.

• “Innovating the future of Sabah entrepreneurship” ft. Ben Uzair and Viviantie Sarjuni. – Ghazlina

I personally don’t have much hosting experience, so I am truly grateful to have been given the opportunity to host and moderate a supposedly Alumni event.  It was also a first in many ways because Ben, Viviantie and I are all Sabahan, and we were this trio leading the IDEAS Circle. Ben and Viviantie made awesome guests because they brought such an interesting dynamic.

Ben is a radio host at KK12fm. He is also involved in entrepreneurship and founded a kindergarten and fitness center. Viviantie had experience working with MAGIC and is immersed in the entrepreneurship and innovation scene. She is also passionate about contributing to Sabah moving forward.

I learnt that building rapport and getting to know the guests a bit more was important and helpful for me to get a sense of how the discussion should be steered. Fortunately, Ben and Viviantie happen to be good friends, hence it wasn’t difficult to get the conversation going.

Any future topics/ sessions planned for this RMCO?

There’s one on Sabah folklore happening soon. We do have more sessions planned, but nothing is confirmed yet. We’re looking to get speakers to talk about the Petroleum Development Act 1974, and also people involved with building schools and roads in rural areas.

© June 2020 – Shen Yen ‘15