Confusing Celebration

The Invisibility of the World Rainforest Music Festival.

Confusing Event

The whole world is waiting for the 11^th Rainforest world Music Festival to be held on the 11 of July 2008 in Kuching, Sarawak. Borneo is well known because of it world oldest rainforest and the beauty of it multi-cultural aborigines. In fact, UNESCO has recognized Mulu National Park as the World Heritage Centre. It is a pride for me as an aborigine to see Rainforest world Music Festival to be organize once again in Kuching. The whole world is now looking at Sarawak as the oldest forest and place of interest. As a result, The Sarawak Tourism Board has put their target to increase the tourist arrival to 15% this year.

"She added that other attractions planned for this year were the Jazz Festival to be held in Miri on May 9 to 10 and the Rainforest World Music Festival (RWMF) at Sarawak Cultural Village on July 11-13.

This year, we hope to target 25,000 visitors to RWMF as compared to last year’s 21,000. The price of the ticket is RM200 per person for three nights while loose tickets are priced at RM90 per night per person.” – STB website.

What is the best about RWMF is that the whole world is only entertained by many different kind of music performed. They can have their Punjab’ pipers, Highlanders flutes, Chinese violin, Dayak gongs and sape and so much more. These 3 days even will boost the Kuching city once more time as the RWMF in on the show. But then, there is one thing that the whole world does not know about the world oldest rainforest. The RWMF is used to blind them on the illegal logging made by Taib and his cronies in the aborigine’s area. Sooner or later, the world will celebrate the Rainforest’s Extinct Music Festival for there will be no rainforest anymore. In 5 years to come, RWMF will be held in Congo or Madagascar.

It takes me few days to think what it this RWMF for when there is nobody dares to fight with the Rimbunan Hijau and Samling (brothers of destruction) on the rainforest damage made by them. These brothers of destruction were protected by the “law” of Taib Mahmud. Though there are many report in the foreign news regarding on the Sarawak government illegal logging, there is nothing have been done by the superior. The poor Penan have made a blockade but denied by the loggers. Furthermore, Kelesau and Bruno have given their life for the sake of the rainforest breath. It is the most expensive price given by these to men to the forest while the government is making it destruction work.

Destruction of the rainforest

Shall the whole world be happy on this? Do we have to celebrate the work of the regime of the rainforest? It is up the individual to measure their thought on Sarawak rainforest. For me, it is better to celebrate before the forest is cut down by Taib, Samling and Rinbunan Hijau. Then we will celebrate World Cutest Cat Music Festival as the replacement to the abolished forest. Greenpeace is not allowed in Malaysia because the government is saved by their own made laws. SUHAKAM was formed to be silent and works as the government requirement to have at least one human right movement. Everything is under the state government control which is ordered by Taib regime and no interference needed.

Shall we celebrate this family?

Please ask ourselves before we go to Cultural Village to attend the RWMF. Is the forest untouchable or jeopardized? Is there any hornbill and Orang Utan in Sarawak? If your answer is no, then there is no point to come down to Kuching to celebrate Rainforest Music Festival because it is just an invisibility even of world oldest rainforest.