Respect our rights, Penans appeal to Sarawak Energy Berhad boss

Penan ask Norwegian manager to respect their rights 

(SARAWAK, MALAYSIA) The six Penan communities of Long Lutin, Long Pakan, Long Lilim, Ba Abang, Long Kawi and Long Item have sent letters to Torstein Dale Sjotveit, CEO of Sarawak Energy (SEB), the Malaysian power supplier in charge of the implementation of Sarawak’s dam projects, demanding that a stop be put to all further work on the proposed Baram mega-dam.

The people are against Torstein Dale Sjotveit’s plans for the dam, since the 1,200 MW Baram dam would flood their ancestral lands and villages, affecting a total of 20,000 natives and a rainforest area of over 400 km2.

“My husband, my children and my brothers and sisters, we will not survive if they build the Baram dam. It is better to kill us with a knife right away than to build the dam”, whispers an old woman at Long Lilim in despair.

Another villager asks: “They tell us that the dam will bring development. But how can drowning us be development?”

Torstein Dale Sjotveit is going ahead with his dam projects despite these concerns.

He seems to be prepared to violate international social and environmental standards: forcing such mega-projects through without the agreement of the affected communities runs counter to standards like the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and the Equator Principles, which Torstein Dale Sjotveit himself claims to comply with.

The Penan communities of Middle Baram have never been given any information about the plan to flood their lands and displace those living there, and have certainly never been consulted on the matter.

If they had had the chance to participate, Torstein Dale Sjotveit would be aware of the fact that the Penan want genuine development and not dams, as the headman of Long Pakan states:

“If they want to develop us, they should build a proper road for us, clinics and schools, this is what we want. We don’t want to be flooded.”

Ends

The Sarawak government will be held responsible for any conflict between the people of the three villages, warns DAP leader

Kuching, April 20, 2012: DAP Serian branch chairman Edward Andrew Luak today warned the government that it would be held responsible for any conflict that would arise between the people of Kampung Nangka and Kampung Entingan against the people of Kampung Pingang in Samarahan Division.

The villagers of Kampung Nangka and Kampung Entingan have accused the government of giving away their native customary rights (NCR) land to the people of Kampung Pinang.

Through a gazette notification "Swak. L. N. 49" published in the Sarawak Government Gazette Part 11 dated April 7, 2011, the NCR lands belonging to the two vllages have been declared as the Native Communal Reserve for the exclusive use by the Malay community of Kampung Pinang, Samarahan, for agriculture purposes.

The notification was signed by Permanent Secretary to the Ministry of Planning and Resource Mamagement Datu Wan Alwi Dato Sri Wan Hashim on March 26, 2011.

The villagers from the two Iban kampungs are giving the government a month, from today, to degazette the notice, failing which, they will hold a demonstration in front of the Lands and Survey Department headquarters.

"They are prepared to give this extention of one month to the government to rectify the wrong they have made," Edward said in a press conference at the DAP headquarters here.

He said taking legal action against the government would be a last resort.

He said they had, on Jan 20, 2011, submitted a memorandum to the Superintendent of Land and Survey Department, Kota Samarahan, objecting the notification on NCR land described as Lot 2152 in Block 5 in the Samarahan Land District containing 242.6ha or 599 acress.

Copies of the memorandum were sent to two relevant state ministers and six other relevant government agencies.

Edward said a police report had also been lodged on the matter.

He said that the notification only came to light on Jan 4, 2012 when a villager from Kampung Nangka, Merine anak Sakking, went to the Lands and Surveys office in Kota Samarahan to check the status of his land.

"He was shocked to learn that his land which he has planted with oil palm was within Lot 2152 which was gazetted as Communal Reserve for the Malay community of Kampung Pinang.

"What was even more shocking was that hundreds of acres of NCR land of the Iban community of Kampung Entingan and Kampung Nangka were within Lot 2152," he said.

He said the villagers had claimed their the land belonged to them under NCR tenure as their forefathers and ancestors had cultivated the land for almost a century.

"Moreover, their land boundary with the Malay as well as with the Bidayuh communities were well defined and was of common knowledge to all communities for decades," Edward said.

He said the Iban, Malay and Bidayuh communities had lived as friendly neighbours in the vicinity with honour and respect as their core principles of co-existence.

He said the people of Kampung Entingan and Kampung  Nangka were totally in the dark about any perimeter survey exercise being conducted and they were never consulted regarding their land boundary.

"They were unaware of any notice on the intention to declare their land as Communal Reserve," he said.

He said the villagers had suspected that the Land and Survey Department had overlooked the need to inform the people of the survey exercise.

"It failed to take into account that the land was NCR land of the Iban community. Serious mistake on the part of the government agency could breed serious conflict among the various ethnic groups.

"The DAP sees this slip in administrative procedure as a serious matter that need to be resolved urgently. Land is so dear to the people who own it. In most cases, especially NCR land, it is the source of their livelihood," he said.

He said he was surprised that the government  and its agtencies seemed to take the matter lightly and to take no action whatsover.

"The attitude and inaction of the government agencies go to show that the slogan "Rakyat didahulukan, Pencapaian diutamakan" remains merely a slogan. - By Sematong Express.

I would have failed Masing, says university don

Kuching, April 18, 2012: A political scientist with Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (Unimas) Associate Professor Dr Andrew Aeria said he would give a fail to Sarawak Land Development Tan Sri Dr James Masing for claiming that ordinary people are subservient to the elected representatives in a democracy.

“If he is in my class and if he gives me the same answer, I will give him 10 points and he will fail,” Aeria said at a public forum here last Sunday.

Masing, who is also Parti Rakyat Sarawak (PRS) president, had said that the elected representatives were the “towkays” or the bosses and that the people are subservient to them.

He made the remark when defending PRS Youth chief and Assistant Minister of Agriculture Datuk Mong Dagang in cancelling a welfare aid and agriculture subsidies to disabled man, Frusis Lebi.

Masing was said to have told Frusis to “Follow the rule – Jangan Lawan Towkay”.

Frusis had lodged a police report last month against Mong for ordering the cancellation of a welfare aid and agriculture subsidies.

Frusis, who was born with deformed hands and feet, had been receiving the welfare aid since 1982 and the agriculture susbsidies since five years ago.

Mong wrote a letter to the Welfare Department and the Agriculture Department to stop the aid and subsidies on allegations Frusis had supported an opposition in the April 16, 2011 state election.

The public forum, attended by over 100 people, entitled “Who’s the boss?” was to get the opinions from the public on Masing’s remarks.

Apart from Aeria, the other panel speakers were Independent State Assemblyman for Pelagus, George Lagong and PKR State Assemblyman for Batu Lintang, See Chee How.

Masing was invited to come and speak at the forum, but he declined.

Aeria said he was surprised at Masing’s remark which was widely published in the local newspapers.

“I was surprised because the cancellation of welfare aid and agriculture subsidies was in violation of  the Malaysian constitution and against the UN Charter on Human Rights.,” he added.

He said he was disappointed with Masing for rejecting the invitation to come to the forum.

“It will be good if he has come because it will enable him to explain his position with regard to who is the boss in a democratic country,” he said. By Sematong Express

Say sorry, Lagong tells James Masing

Kuching, April 15, 2012: An Independent State Assemblyman for Pelagus, George Lagong, has asked Parti Rakyat Sarawak (PRS) president Tan Sri Dr James Masing to  repent and make amends of the wrong he has made regarding the people-wakil rakyat relationship.

"I know that "sorry" is a difficult thing to say,  but as a leader, he must be mindful of the need to act humbly," he said at a public forum on "who is the boss?" here today.

Lagong said an elected assemblyman is a servant-leader.

"He does not walk alone. He must walk with the people, like what Prophet Moses did...when he walked with the Israeli people and led them out of slavery through the desert to the promised land," he said.

He said "Jangan Lawan Towkay" uttered by Masing is an arrogant statement that must certainly come from an equally arrogant man.

'Whether it is in politics or business, such a condenscending and bully attitude has no place, unless, of course, you are alone in your own world and choose to run your own affairs without the help of others," Lagong said.

He asked what does it mean in a democracy when elected representative decides to turn his back on the people and behaves in a manner that shows little regard to them?

"Simply put, it is as if he has hijacked power from the people who have elected him and chooses to exercise that power uniliterally without respecting the views and wishes of the people," he said.

He said in addressing the "Jangan Lawan Towkay" issue, the people must go back to the basics of democracy and the process of elected representation to establish their supremacy and power before they get confused.

Lagong said the first rule of democracy is that the people are the bosses and this is central to the very philosophy and the principle of democractic governance.

"Although democracy through the democratic electoral process, which provides for certain preferred candidates from among many to be voted in to positions of power, the principle of people-as-boss should always retain its authority and primacy over governance.

"Having power for the people indicates that the people have an actual say in what the government is doing, and that the government, being of the people, by the people, for the people, responds to the wishes - and hopefully educated wishes  - of the populace," Lagong said.

Unfortunately, he said, many elected representatives who claim to understand democracy either fail to understand or deliberately ignore this very sacred tenet of democratic governance.

Lagong rebuked Masing for saying that the Malaysian people were the boss for a day - on polling day - while the elected officials, who derive the power from the people, be the boss for five years.

'That makes the people-as-boss principle of democracy rather shaky, even farcical," he said, adding that this principle is scantily understood by the people, especially those from the lower income group and those with poor knowledge and understanding of politics and governnance, and often abused by some elected representatives.

Lagong said the recent simple cursory remark - Jangan Lawan Towkay -  made by Masing points to one sad phenomenon that the power of the people is being encroached and eroded by the very same people who is elected to protect and safeguard their interest.

"Time for us to wake up the rakyat, especially those in the rural areas, to their democratic consciousness and let them know their rights and civil liberties as provided for under the Malaysian Constitution and the United Nations Charter on Human Rights," Lagong said.

"If they remain passive and ignorant, they will continue to be bullied by some irresponsible elected representatives. But if the people put their act together and reaffirm their supremacy of power, the bully and arrogance of some elected representatives will soon stop," he said. By Sematong Express.

Coalition of NGOs to hold sit-in rally in Miri on April 28

Miri, April 15, 2012:  A coalition of eight social and environmental non-governmental organisations (NGOs) will hold a sit in rally in support of the Coalition for Free and Fair Elections (Bersih 3.0) and the environmental movement Himpunan Hijau 3.0 on April 28.

The rally will be held at the parking lot front of the Miri Resident/District Office, starting from 2 - 4 pm.

The Miri Bersih 3.0 Committee was formed to coordinate activities in conjunction with the massive rally being held in Kuala Lumpur on the same day by the national Bersih 3.0 body as well as Himpunan Hijau 3.0.

The Miri Bersih 3.0 Committee is inviting members of the public who are concerned about the electoral process in this country and also the state of the environment particularly in Miri Division, Sarawak to join the sit in rally which is also being held simultaneously throughout the nation by Bersih 3.0 and Himpunan Hijau 3.0.

The Miri Bersih 3.0 Committee is coordinating with the national body in Kuala Lumpur to bring the message to the people in Miri that the government needs to listen to the grouses of the people and meet the 8 demands being put forward by Bersih on electoral reforms and good governance.

The committee will also put forward issues of concern to the Government especially the State Government with regards to the planned 12 dams, industrial or plantation activities within water catchment areas, native customary rights land and dirty heavy industries within the Sarawak Corridor of Renewable Energy (SCORE) project.

Flyers will be distributed to the public prior to the event.

The NGOs are Borneo Resources Institute, Malaysia (BRIMAS), Jaringan Tanah Hak Adat Bangsa Asal Sarawak (TAHABAS), Indigenous Peoples Institute, Malaysia (IPIMAS), Persatuan Wanita Desa Sarawak (WADESA), Anak Muda Sarawak (AMS), Save Sarawak’s Rivers Network (SAVE Rivers), Baram Protection Action Committee (BPAC) and Sarawak Indigenous Lawyers Alliance (SILA).