ANTIDOTE On Feb 23, Sarawak Chief Minister Abdul Taib Mahmud flew in by helicopter to make campaign promises in the small, dusty town of Long Lama in Baram. Taib and his retinue were taken by surprise by a crowd of 70 Baram dam opponents on the street, within view and earshot of Taib's hustings.

The Dayak protesters, from throughout Baram, carried banners demanding the return of their Native Customary Rights (NCR) land, enshrined under traditional law or adat , as well as under state and federal laws. These rebellious scenes would have been unthinkable before BN's poll setbacks of 2008 and 2011, when BN and Taib enforced a culture of fear in Sarawak...