I have some years ago echoed what the Rajah Order 1920 decreed about natural born Sarawakians be accorded native status. The Rajah Order 1920 which came into force from January 1, 1923 vide Sarawak Government Gazette Notification No: 143 (in Roman numerals CXLIII), 1922 dated November 16, 1922 at page 406.

The Order mentioned that “Native” means natural born subjects of His Highness the Rajah. The Rajah Order in giving native status to irrespective of race, is consistent with the legally accepted universal rule of “jus soli”.

Under the rule of “jus soli”, we all belong to the soil because the soil where we are born has right over us. Meaning that, those who are natural born in Sarawak are sons of the soils and by being sons of the soils we all who are natural born in Sarawak should therefore, all be accorded the status of bumiputera or natives.

The word “Bumiputera” or “Bumiputra” literally means “son of the soils” and this is consistent or the same with the rule of jus soli. However, it has to be noted that the word “natives” as defined in the dictionaries does not mean the first inhabitants or original people living in the country but it refers to persons born or reared in a particular place or country.

We are born here, die and shall be buried here as Sarawakians. If all are recognised as natives of this country, there will be less or no politiking about race.

We need to take the cue from what our late TS Adenan Satem said, when he said Chinese, Indians etc born and married here and also die and buried here. They are not pendatang.
We should not classify people by race because this amounts to discrimination and inequality
Politics of race divides people. Race politics was a creation of the British and is inherited by us until now. Race politics was created by the British so that they could with their small numbers in this land easily control the many races here.

We have to get rid of race politics because it is race politics had divided us and gap is bigger and bigger now.

VOON LEE SHAN
President,
Parti Bumi Kenayalang