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From JJ Jengo
The passing of Dennis Along not only marks the loss of a courageous soul, but a powerful voice for justice silenced too soon. His legacy demands action, not silence.
In honouring his memory, we must confront the ongoing injustices faced by the Indigenous communities in Sarawak. Native Customary Rights are not mere legal technicalities, they are sacred bonds between the land and its rightful stewards.
We stand with Nurul Izzah Anwar in her call for stronger protection because to ignore these rights is to erase centuries of heritage, identity, and dignity. The time for mere promises is over; what we need now is political will, legislative clarity, and unwavering moral courage to defend what is rightfully theirs.
Dennis Along was not merely an activist, he was a guardian of his people’s soul, a fierce protector of heritage, and a torchbearer for justice in the face of powerful silence.
For decades, Dennis stood tall with an unshakeable belief: that indigenous land is not a commodity to be traded, it is life itself. It holds memory, identity, and dignity. It is where ancestors rest and where children dream. It is sacred.
Native Customary Rights are not a favour extended by the state. They are a birthright. They are the cornerstone of Indigenous identity.
And yet, too often, these rights are trampled, ignored, or quietly erased. Too often, our Indigenous brothers and sisters are left to fight alone in courts, in jungles, and in the quiet desperation of forgotten promises.
In honour of Dennis, we must choose a different path. We must ensure that the rights of Indigenous communities are not only recognised in words, but enforced in law, upheld in practice, and defended with urgency.
We echo the call of Nurul Izzah, that stronger, firmer, and more just protection must be put in place for Indigenous land rights in Sarawak. This is not just political responsibility. It is a moral duty. It is national accountability. It is human decency.
Let Dennis’s death not be the end of the struggle, but the spark that ignites a wave of righteous change.
Editor’s note: Land rights activist Dennis Along died in Kuching on June 27 after a long illness. He was 57.
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JJ Jenggo is a member of PKR Baram, Sarawak, and an FMT reader.
The views expressed are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect those of FMT.
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