This sixth volume, No.1  of Journal of Borneo -Kalimantan (JBK) presents five papers from the island of Borneo. The first paper titled One Orthography, Four Lects: The Unified Berawan Orthography is co-authored by Jurgen Martin Burkhardt, Jey Lingam Burkhardt and Ang Lay Hoon. It alludes to why and how the Berawan community, who desire to write their lects consistently and reflecting the way they speak, attempts a unified orthography to the Berawan language. Written by Irfan Setiawan, Muh Ilham and M. Nawawi, the second paper on Smart Governance Implementation in Balikpapan in East Kalimantan is a descriptive assessment of the application of smart city concept in the running of Balikpapan city. It proposes for the strengthening of local government resources for the mechanism to be effective. The third paper by Jayl Langub titled Masyarakat Melayu di Belaga: Sejarah, Perdagangan, Penempatan dan Adaptasian (translated by Shahren Ahmad Zaidi Adruce) is a detailed ethnographic and historical account of the Malay in Belaga, focusing on their involvement in trade, their settlement and adaptation in the region. Here we would like to acknowledge Borneo Research Bulletin for granting us permission to republish this paper in Bahasa Malaysia, which has been translated from the original appearance as "The Malay of Belaga: History, Trade, Settlement and Adaptation" in the Borneo Research Bulletin 49 (2018): 64-101. The fourth paper by Valerie Mashman brings into the spotlight a local chief named Penghulu Tama Bulan Wang, who played a crucial and critical role in the pacification of Baram. Her account provides nuances to existing historical accounts of peace-making as a means to the formation of the modern state of Sarawak . Last but not least is, Revisiting early Political History of Modern Sarawak through the making of Stephen Kalong Ningkan as Sarawak’s first Chief Minister. Authored by Stanley Bye Kadam and Dick Lembang, the article narrates a political story of modern Sarawak from 1961 to 1974. The historical account throws light on the political struggles of Stephen Kalong Ningkan, who was the State’s first Chief Minister of Sarawak, and the issues affecting his political leadership. They argue that without revisiting his ideas and political struggles, accounts of early history of modern Sarawak is not complete.

Happy Reading!

Poline Bala, PhD (Camb.)
Chief Editor
Journal of Borneo-Kalimantan