While Peter John Jaban of the rights movement Saya Anak Sarawak acknowledged the unwarranted scrutiny occasionally faced by Sarawakians when accessing Bumiputera-only services, he pointed out that the “K” label on their MyKad already indicates they are legal residents of Sarawak.

He also said he found it “weird” to include labels of race or religion on government documents, claiming it is not common practice in other countries. “This is tantamount to discrimination,” he told FMT.

Peter was commenting on a proposal by Puncak Borneo MP Willie Mongin, who had said in the Dewan Rakyat that displaying Bumiputera status on MyKads may prevent confusion regarding Sarawak’s many indigenous groups.

Willie said some bank officers and private sector staff still fail to recognise Sarawak’s diverse native groups, which has led to individuals being questioned or required to provide additional documents.

He cited a case where a Sarawakian Bumiputera was “looked down upon” because a bank officer did not understand that not all of the state’s ethnic groups, including the Iban, Penan, Melanau and other native peoples, are Muslim.

Sabahan activist Johan Ariffin Samad said a Bumiputera label would be a short-term fix, and it was more important to educate private sector workers about the diversity of Sabah and Sarawak’s indigenous communities.

He said Sabahan and Sarawakian natives had been allowed to fill in their own ethnicities on government forms until the latest census in 2020, when they were all categorised as “Bumiputera”.

“The natives of Sabah and Sarawak should be given the right to be categorised according to their ethnicity, similar to the Chinese and Indians. Sabah and Sarawak should be consulted if there is any proposal for change (in native categorisation),” he told FMT.