Journalists hold World Press Freedom Day gathering at the Kuching Waterfront today

Press statement issued by the Federation of the Sarawak Journalists Associations (FSJA) in conjunction with the World Press Freedom Day gathering held at the Old Court House, Kuching, on May 5, 2012.

We must commend the efforts of some journalists in organising this historic gathering, in conjunction with the World Press Freedom Day, and at the same time, to show our displeasure at the physical attacks on our fellow colleagues while covering the Bersih rally on April 28, 2012 in Kuala Lumpur.

It is important that we must show our solidarity when faced with a certain situation that affects the media fraternity, not only in Kuching, but also in other parts of Sarawak, in particular, and Malaysia, in general.

We call upon the authorities, non-governmental organisations, political parties and individuals to respect journalists who are discharging their professional duties.

We consider any attempt to prevent them from discharging their duties, by whatever means, as a show of disrespect.

We do not expect them to be beaten up nor verbally assaulted when they are on their assignments on the field.

We expect them to be respected, and if needs be, to be assisted by providing them with information that they seek for a full and comprehensive reports.

We abhor any attempt to prevent them or to issue threats when they are seeking information or possessing information that may not be favourable to the authorities or parties or individuals.

The journalists should be given some space in discharging their duties, in the interest of the public.

However, we are mindful of the national interest and public security when the journalists are discharging their professional responsibilities.

We are very much aware of avoiding writing on sensitive issues, which, if published, could spark racial or religious disharmony or strife.

 FSJA wants journalists to respect the laws of the country. We cannot go beyond what are allowed by the laws.

If we do, we will find ourselves being sued for libel by the aggrieved parties or charged in court for false reporting.

Kenyah Radio DJ victimised without basis, says NGO

Letter from Peter Kalang, chairman of Save Rivers Sarawak Network.

I am sad and disgusted to learn that Mr. Jude Juda Anye (JJ) a Kenyah Discs Jockey (DJ) at Radio Television Malaysia (RTM) Miri is being unjustly accused and penalized. I think that it is an unwarranted penalty which is made in a haste; it is a coldhearted and reckless reaction spurred by a simple, one minute phone call which I made to the RTM Kenyah telephone called-in radio programme. From that call JJ was accused of collaborating with my campaign which is against the construction of mega dams in Sarawak. JJ is never a part of my campaign team nor has he ever collaborated with my team in our campaign in any way. We in the SAVE Rivers network respect the position and role of the civil service and thus never invite any civil servant to work with us.

JJ was on duty on the the 20^th of March 2012. He was taking phone calls for the programme as usual, when I made my call. Like all others that day, I asked permission while on the air to be allowed to give my message. JJ allowed me to do so. My message on the radio was simple and short, inviting all those from the Baram District to an open discussion. Since I did not give any details of the discussion, there was no way that the DJ could tell what the discussion was about. The invitation was very short, just three sentences. JJ did not have an interview with me as claimed by those who made the accusation. I can get listeners to testify to all what I said on the air that day.

Even though it is very clear from the above mentioned, the administrative authority of the RTM in Kuching and Miri were pressured to take disciplinary action against JJ. The pressure came from politicians joining forces with a senior officer from the State Secretariat.  Knowing the nature of the broadcast and to avoid drastic and permanently damaging action the RTM authority took some measures, which are as follows:

(1)   Taking JJ off the air from the Kenyah section while he could still serve as DJ in the Malay section in RTM Miri.

(2)   Direct phone call-in broadcast on the air for Kenyah section in Miri is now stopped. Messages are now given to and read out by a Kenyah DJ. (Take note that this service is critical for the communities who live in areas without other means of communication.)

However, these measures which are already taken do not seem to be enough to satisfy the rage of one politician and the senior officer from the State Secretariat. Now they pressured the RTM administration to transfer JJ to another town, Bintulu, where there is no Kenyah radio service. He is told to report for duty in Bintulu almost immediately.

JJ is a very popular DJ and much talked about by those who listen to him on the air in the Kenayh broadcast and the Malay service. He is also a popular Master of Ceremony and announcer at functions in and around Miri. He was the pioneer who started the Kenyah Radio Program for RTM. RTM Miri is the first to have a scheduled Kenyah language broadcast ever and anywhere. At the moment RTM has only one other permanent staff serving in the Kenyah section. JJ’s transfer will be a lost for the Kenyah community as a whole, particularly those in the rural areas. JJ’s signature slogan now popular throughout the Miri Division is “Bichem Bichem”.

It is so sad that the politicians and the officer from the State Secretariat who put the pressure on the RTM administration are of Orang Ulu ethnics. The Kenyahs who with JJ are losing out due to this are also of the Orang Ulu group. The zeal of the people concerned for the so called disciplinary action is a clear case of abuse of power; it is done without the required procedure. On behalf of JJ and our Kenyah community I would like to request the politicians and civil servants to act with caution and be more humanely in their work. Above all, politicians should not interfere with the administration of government just like the government servants should not be involved with active politics. If the politicians have the wellbeing of the people in their hearts they should withdraw all the actions taken against JJ, which affect the Kenyah community as a whole and Miri RTM radio listeners in general.

Villagers put up barricades to protest against encroachment by oil palm plantation

The villagers of Kampung Stenggang with a huge banner denouncing the encroachment by the company.

Bau, May 3, 2012: Over 300 villagers from Kampung Stenggang in Lundu district have erected barricade against an oil palm company for what they considered as encroaching into their native customary rights (NCR) land.

They erected the barricade yesterday afternoon after failing to get the help of the Lands and Survey to stop the Peninsular Malaysia-based company from pulling back their machineries.

Speaking to reporters today, the village’s assistant head Carolus Jeim Langie said he and other village elders had approached the Lands and Surveys director Julaihi Abdullah about the encroachment three weeks ago.

“He agreed to look into the matter and to stop the company from further encroaching into our NCR land, but sad to say, the company’s workers are still damaging our land,” he said.

He also showed to reporters a letter signed by a former director of the Lands and Surveys, Datuk Sudarsono Osman, that the government recognised the existence of their NCR land within the area issued under Privisional Leases (PLs) to the oil palm company.

He said the letter stated that the department would investigate and demarcate the NCR land with a view to exclude from the PLs issued.

The letter, dated April 12, 2011, stated that the PL holders would not be allowed to carry out any development within the PL until the matter on NCR land had been resolved.

“Despite the letter, the company is still carrying out development work in our NCR land.,” Carolus said. By Sematong Express

Sit-in protest in Kuching on April 28, PKR Wanita says the EC has failed

Kuching, April 24, 2012: Besides Dataran Merdeka in Kuala Lumpur, sit-in rally organised by a Coalition of Non-Govermental Organisations (Bersih 3.0) is going to be held at the Kuching Waterfront and the Old Court House carpark this Saturday.

It is scheduled to start at 2pm on April 28, 2012.

PKR Wanita vice head Voon Shiak Ni told reporters today that a lot of people are unaware that the sit-in protest to demand for electoral reforms is going to be held in Kuching.

"When we distributed the yellow pamphlets, they (people) asked us about the sit-in protest at Dataran Mederka," she said.

Voon urged more people to come to the protest at the Waterfront and the Old Court House compound.

"We expect 1,000 to turn up at the sit-in protest," she said.

She said the democratic-minded people who want fair and clean election have every right to voice their concern at the electoral rolls.

She said it is a sham efforts to set up the Parliamentary Select Committee (PSC) to get the feedback from the people on electoral reforms when the electoral rolls are tainted with dubious and suspicious voters.

Voon said out of the 22 proposals submitted by PSC for approval by Parliament last week, the Election Commission has failed to live up to its promise.

"The EC recommended five out of the 22 proposals to be implemented for the upcoming general election.

"The five are: (a) tempat mengundi changed to pusat mengundi, (b) membuang undi changed to mengundi, (c) political parties barred from setting up canopies near the polling centres, (d) the schedules of the polling agents and counting agents to be decided by presiding officers of the polling centres, and that the political parties need to submit the names of the polling agents and counting agents, and (e) agents of political parties are not allowed to sit or be near to the commission desk at the polling centres," Voon said.

As to the barring of political parties from setting up canopies near the polling centres and stations, Voon said the Opposition objected strongly to this ruling.

"After some argument, the commission relented but the canopies must be 100 metres away from the polling centres," she said.

Voon said the five proposals to be implemented by the commission for the upcoming elections have nothing to do with electoral reforms or clean electoral rolls.

"We are very disappointed with the commission and it is very clear that the whole exercise about pushing for electoral reforms by the commission or the BN government had deviated from the demands made by Bersih 2.0 in 2011," she said.

Voon said nothing was done to clean the electoral rolls and in fact, she observed that more had been done to add to the numbers of dubious voters and postal votes.

"For example, there are more than 240,000 postal voters created by the commission classified as the so-called volunteers of SPR.

"These numbers far exceeded the numbers of the existng postal voters from the army, and that the commission is very firm about having these 240,000 volunteers," she said.

"From the staitistics obtained from the past elections, up to 90 per cent of the ballots cast through the postal voting system were grossly in favour of the BN," she said.

Voon said that the Opposition also questioned the presence of about 400,000 dubious voters in the electoral rolls.

"These 400,000 voters, in our belief, are enough to swing 35 federal seats in favour of the Barisan Nasional," she pointed out.

Voon said the irony was that over one million Malaysians residing overseas are denied their democratic and constitutional rights to vote by the commission.

"PKR Women Wing, therefore, calls on all registered voters to come out in full force to cast their votes in the upcoming election," she said.

She said the Opposition needed al the votes if there is going to be a change in the government. By Sematong Express.

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