MCO timely reminder to be good stewards over the land – Baru

KUCHING: The Movement Control Order (MCO) period has been called ‘a timely reminder of the need to be good stewards over the land that all are blessed with’, said Selangau MP Baru Bian.

He said Covid-19 had brought alive the real meaning of ‘Our Land is Our Life’, as prior to the MCO, many might have taken this gift for granted.

Below is the full text of Baru Bian’s Gawai 2020 message: –

When Malaysians realised that Covid19 had arrived on our shores and a lockdown was anticipated, the first thought in the minds of many was to head home to their kampungs. Home is what tugs at our heartstrings. Home is where we feel safe and comfortable. Home is where we feel a connection to the land.

Covid 19 has brought alive for us the real meaning of ‘Our Land is Our Life’. There is a video (‘Stay Safe in the Forest’) circulating of an Indonesian native who narrated that his people retreated back to their homes in the forests to isolate themselves from the virus. He said that by doing so, they also lessened the burden on the government of providing food for them as they had rice from their harvests, vegetables and animals on their farms and also fish from the nearby rivers to sustain them.

During this MCO period, I have longed to be back in my mountain village to enjoy the birds, fresh air and my paddy fields. Sarawak is bestowed with plenty of lands and jungle crops which are still readily available in some areas if one cares to work hard enough. In other areas where the land is now covered with oil palm plantations and the rivers are polluted and silted by logging activities, the people are not so lucky.

This experience during the MCO is a timely reminder for us of the need to be good stewards over this gift of land that we are blessed with. We may have taken this gift for granted. Maybe some wanted badly to experience the city life and left their villages with high hopes of earning good incomes and living comfortable modern lives. However when the world turned upside down and Covid 19 caused havoc in the food chains, we realised that even if we have money, we can still go hungry if there is no food to buy. Covid 19 reminds us of the importance of the roles of farmers who by their hard work on their land are rewarded with good harvests. They are the ones who can still feed their families when the people in the cities are faced with empty supermarket shelves.

This Gawai, we truly have reason to celebrate the Harvest, which comes every year without fail to sustain our people. We must make a conscious decision to place more emphasis on sowing good seeds and reaping bountiful harvests each year, so that we many be better prepared when the next pandemic hits us.

At the same time, we must look out for the less fortunate among us, and share our harvests with them. Being generous in giving to those around us brings greater spiritual blessings and harvests to us. We should also be prudent in our spending as the economy is unstable with many countries certain to experience recession.

Home is where we would like to be this Gawai, but we cannot make the journey, for the safety of our loved ones there. It is a sacrifice, but one that we must make willingly. Wherever we are, our village homes and our loved ones are in our hearts. Let us celebrate in our own way this year, safe in our homes away from home.

Selamat Hari Gawai Dayak, Gayu-guru, Gerai nyamai.
Seramat Anu Gawai.
Pahlung Lunau Duman Lebau Mageh Tengau Kuman Parei Maring, Selamat Dau Gawai Dayak. Selamat Lepah Ajau, Selamat Tau Gawai Dayak
Do Aco Gawai.

Baru Bian
ADUN N81 Ba’ Kelalan / MP P214 Selangau

The post MCO timely reminder to be good stewards over the land – Baru appeared first on Borneo Post Online.

from Borneo Post Online https://bit.ly/3eAGogB
via IFTTT