COMPROMISE: RESETTLEMENT, 1952 ONWARDS “MENCARI PENCARIAN KEHIDUPAN YANG LEBIH BAIK”

4.2 COMPROMISE: RESETTLEMENT, 1952 ONWARDS “MENCARI PENCARIAN KEHIDUPAN YANG LEBIH BAIK”

Out-migration can be motivated by plenty of factors, while some are drastic like wars but what motivated the Belait ethnic to move out from their villages are economic and social in nature. Economically from what I have gathered the ethnic Belait saw different opportunities and pursued it at full force, possibly they got tired of the life their parents had and decided to pursue in higher education and leading to searching for employment under the government. The resettlement scheme 1952 onwards was one of the events that had made it possible for the ease of mobilisation of all citizens in Brunei to resettle in growing towns where they are closer to economic opportunities since the minimum age for eligible applicants were 18 years of age.

“In the year of 29, oil was discovered in Seria so people from Kuala Balai went

down to Belait. People from Labi went down as well to find work that has proper wages, which is more rewarding.”

“It is not because we want to move but it was because the difficult life that we

had whether it be in Labi or Kuala Balai. In Labi there was padi farming probably once a year, Kuala Balai was producing ambulong who’s going to buy?”

“That is because to find a source of income. From Belait, bandar to Seria,

because of the need to find income it is seen as something rewarding compared to the year 29, 70 years ago they already knew how to extract and find oil with the

white men”

“Looking for a better job to lead a better life, because in the city you can get a

better job and wages right? If in Kuala Balai we were to produce ambulung only, who would buy?”

The data above shows us the choices made based on the motivation of economic deprivation and living standards, people started to change their ways of thinking other groups were advancing and so did they. Of course as they decided to move out from their villages with the help from the government resettlement scheme in 1952 onwards meant leaving behind their villages and their community as described by my respondent below;

“ Sudah atu berpindah ke pecan ani semuanya istimewa lah kalau urang terdapat kerita kitani terdapat jua atu bezanya, dari segi bermasyarakat nda lagi ada bah, masyarakat atu maksudnya kelompknya sendiri haji bucu. ”

“After the migration to the towns everything is special, if others can afford cars so can we, but the difference there is no community. Community means as a grouping. ”

The above text is taken from another respondent who is a retired government officer and they are currently living in the house provided under the resettlement scheme by the government, they had previously lived in Kuala Balai. A similar perspective with the first respondent towards the harsh living conditions in their villages but differences in choice, and they are also twenty decades apart in terms of age. When asked about the reasons why they moved out from the village was how their previously way of life did not yield any future, such

example would be “producing ambulong who’s going to buy?” as he said it with a stern voice. It was a trade that they had to make if they were to escape from their agricultural lives,

living conditions under wooden houses did not seem fit;

“sebabnya tu, masa dulu nda atap zinc; atap daun rumbia. Tahun 31, pakai atap daun rumbia. Cina pun semua pakai atap daun”

“That is because before we did not have zinc roofs; they were made out of rumbia leaves. In the year 31, we used rumbia leaves for roofs. The Chinese also

used rumbia leaves.”

However it can be deduced that their motivation to move out was to search of a better living conditions and living standards in towns where they are closer to shops rather than having to travel and this is driven by the opportunity by the government under the resettlement housing scheme. There is a wider picture to be seen when I mention the government’s attempt at resettlement, because areas of resettlement were closer to towns and central business district meaning urbanization of certain areas of each district. The Belait district saw a movement of its administration from Kuala Balai to the current Belait Town near the river; development was concentrated there where schools and government offices were built to accommodate the new housing areas. From casual conversations with the whereabouts of the Belait ethnic group during my field work, a lot of them have resettled in the Mumong housing area and this is true for my respondent above.