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MIRI – Branches of two parties from the state’s ruling Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) coalition have admitted to staging a sexy dance show at a Gawai Dayak event in Sibu town in central Sarawak.
Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu’s (PBB) Central Zone branch and Progressive Democratic Party’s (PDP) Bawang Assan branch made the admissions in separate statements.
The two parties however defended the use of sexy girls to perform the controversial dances, saying that it was merely for entertainment for the guests.
PDP president Datuk Seri Tiong King Sing said the show became a public controversy as it was “taken out of context”.
“During the Gawai Dayak gathering, there were proper ceremonies involving the miring (Iban offering ritual) and other traditional dances,” he said.
“The other dances were added in to enhance the entertainment. The matter became controversial when a video was spread around and then the whole thing was taken out of context.”
Tiong, who is Dudong assemblyman and also Bintulu MP, said the Dayak National Congress also took things out of context in their condemnation of the performance.
He insisted that the sexy dance had not desecrated Gawai Dayak in any way.
PBB Central Zone chairman Christopher Tegong said the PDP and PBB branches in Sibu had organised the event and invited the girls to add flavour to the event.
He stressed that before the show, the traditional Iban prayer rites were followed with due respect.
“The extra shows were slotted in by the organisers to spice up the festive mood.
“The controversies over the show are instigated by people with political notices who are trying to get political mileage,” he claimed.
Yesterday, Dayak community leaders condemned the organisers of the Gawai Dayak event in Sibu for allegedly using ladies who performed raunchy shows on stage.
The Dayak National Congress (DNC) and Dayak Think-Tank Association Sarawak (DTTAS) said the event had “desecrated” the Gawai Dayak image.
DNC president Paul Raja said getting scantily clad women to perform erotic dances is inappropriate for the image of the community.
“We demand an apology from the organisers for using a Gawai Dayak gathering to entertain guests using sexually explicit performances.”
DTTAS adviser Willie Henry Majang said his group was in agreement that Gawai Dayak celebrations must be staged respectfully and appropriately.
Raja and Majang in their criticism had not pointed out that PBB and PDP were the organisers. – The Vibes, June 17, 2022
