PETALING JAYA: The 15th general election (GE15) has ended and a new government has been formed. But little do people realise that GE15 was also a watershed for the Dayak community in Sarawak, thanks to the election of Datuk Seri Doris Sophia Brodie, 62, as MP for Sri Aman.
Standing on a Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) ticket, she won the seat in a four-cornered fight and garnered 14,131 votes for a 4,039 majority.
Doris said she attuned herself to politics in 1985 when she was first introduced to Parti Bansa Dayak Sarawak (PBDS), of which she became a member. She was barely 26 years old then.
After PBDS was dissolved, she continued her journey with Parti Rakyat Sarawak, an offshoot party, of which she was a founding member. However, she found it hard to rise through the ranks.
“It is tough, especially when it is a Dayak-based party. The Dayak always regard men as figureheads and superior to women, who play second fiddle. But now, that mindset is changing. However, it has taken a lot of energy to drive through and prove my point that women can be equally good, if not better, if given the chance,” she told theSun.
Where the party is concerned, she holds to its decisions although it can be difficult sometimes.
“But I learned to bite the bullet and compromise,” she added.
Doris is by no means a new face in politics, be it in Sarawak or on the national stage. She is the first Dayak to be appointed deputy speaker of the Dewan Negara.
Issues that are linked to the Sarawak community and involve their welfare, infrastructure, education and healthcare are close to her heart.
“Being a woman in a male-dominated world is challenging but that does not (stop) me from speaking up. Sometimes, my voice is drowned by their numbers and male chauvinism but I never give up. Persistence pays, and what is important is that I always make sure my delivery is concrete and of substance, and men accord respect when women speak up and prove a point.”
Doris said she intends to study the development masterplan for Sri Aman, that has been in place since the Sri Aman Development Agency was formed in 2019.
“With that, I will have a clearer picture of the way forward, bearing in mind that as we progress, there will be an emergence of new needs to be looked into and incorporated into the masterplan.
“Only then can we become a socio-economically developed division by 2030, in tandem with Sri Aman’s vision. Infrastructure and especially education and healthcare will remain close to my heart and will be among my prime focus.
“I will also strive to work hand-in-hand with our GPS assemblymen within the Sri Aman parliamentary (constituency) to make it a place to be reckoned with,” she said.
