Beruk Putih dan Masyarakat Sarawak: Hope for a Renaissance

The Federation of Malaya has a lot to thank the Brooke Rulers. In their hundred years of personal rule – meaning no funding from the British Government or its colonial office or a body corporate with a large resource and influence – the united the peoples of Sarawak. They carved up the largest region forming Malaysia.

On top of that, they changed – little by little in that hundred years – the mindset of the natives. In their reign, the natives were put first. No "People First" slogan. The Kingdom of Sarawak was a monarchy led by the White Rajahs, but the people participated in the rule. This was when the idea of representational and liberal democracy were alien to the region.

Proud of "Beruk Putih"? Yeah, i am. It was our first set of golden years. It gave us an identity of nationhood. It transformed our land. Without the Brookes, we would probably continue with the feudal and tribal mindset common in the rest of Southeast Asia.

We have a unique past that we hold on to. Even more important, collectively and individually, we move forward to create our next Golden Era. Our Renaissance