PKR Wanita wants drainage system in Batu Kawa improved

Kuching, Aug 29, 2012): PKR Sarawak Wanita has called on the state government to widen and deepen the drainage system in Batu Kawa areas, especially along Jalan Kong Ping, Jalan Bayan, Jalan Dogan, Jalan Stephen Yong, Jalan Arang and RPR Batu Kawa.

PKR National Wanita vice head Voon Shiak Ni said today each that time there is a brief heavy rain, these areas are hit by flash floods.

She said the residents of Jalan Bayan have complained that the road was under two feet of water after 30 minutes of heavy rain last Monday.

Picture left: The drainage system is being widened, but still not enough

“The flash floods have something to do with the narrow drainage system at Jalan Bayan,” Voon, who is also the PKR Stampin deputy head, told reporters.

“We were told by the residents that there used to be 30 to 40 houses along Bayan in the old days, but now there are about 3,000 of them. The drainage system, however, has remained or less the same,” she said.

As a result, she said that Jalan Bayan would be hit by flash floods three to four times a year.

She said the narrow and small drains could not accommodate the huge volume of water after heavy rain, hence the road is flooded.

“The drains should be widened and deepened to ensure a smooth flow of monsoon water to the river,” she said.

Voon also said that many low lying residential areas are also often hit by flash floods because the monsoon drains are clogged due to construction of houses and other development.

Picture right: Voon talking to one of the residents of Jalan Bayan

“The planning of more housing estates and further development should come with good planning for the drainage system to ease the drainage and to contain flash floods each time heavy rain falls,” she said.

Voon said that the government should tak

e the occurrences of major floods in Kuching over the past years as a lesson for them to take the necessary steps in the flood-proned Batu Kawa areas.

Picture left: Voon listening attentively to a resident of Jalan Bayan

She said that the state government appears to have lack of detailed study and a clear masterplan on how to minimise the occurrences of flash floods.

“We are still unaware of any masterplan by the Drainage and Irrigation Department to contain the flash floods and we urge all the relevant authorities which include JKR and Lands and Surveys, to sit together and to come up with a master plan,” she said. By Sematong Express

What has happened to your promise, Simon Siah asks Adenan Satem

Kuching (Aug 25, 2012): Minister with Special Functions Tan Sri Adenan Satem has been asked on what has happened to his promise to the people of Kampung Kudei Lama located at the end of Rubber Road West and Nanas Road West here. 

About 200 people,  comprising the Ibans and Chinese, have been staying at the village since the early 1960s and were mostly from Simunjan, Sri Aman and Betong, hoping to get better life in Kuching.

Picture left: This is what Kampung Kudei Lama looks like

“In 1992, Adenan, who was then Minister of Social Development, had promised that this village will be resettled to the Batu Kawa Resettlement Scheme near Desa Wira, which was then being developed as a low cost housing scheme.

“During the State Legislative Assembly sitting on Nov 17, 2011 Adenan, now the Special Functions Minister, stated that there was now no need for the residents of this village to be resettled at the Batu Kawa Resettlement Scheme because the government has now gazetted the Kampung Kudei land as Government Reserves for village purposes.

“He even mentioned that there were plans for the village to have better drainage and irrigation system,” Siah, who is the Personal Assistant to Batu Lintang State Assemblyman See Chee How, told reporters today.

“However, until today nothing was ever done,” he said, adding that early this year PKR has collected signatures from over 200 families living in Kampung Kudei requesting from the government for proper drainage and electricity. 

He said that the petition was received by Adenan’s private secretary who gave an assurance that the matter would be dealt with.

Picture right:  PKR Stampin leaders             (squatting) Desmond Kho, Simon Siah and Voon Shiak Ni

“We waited for half a year for their      response and again nothing has been done. Not even a single reply of a letter or a phone call from Adenan’s office.

“Then on July 13. 2012, we wrote to Adenan to request for a meeting with him and his representatives to solve the problem of Kampung Kudei and again our letter was ignored.

“In fact the villagers of Kampung Kudei have also written a letter dated June 22, 2012 to him to fulfill his promise,” Siah said, adding that the promise made by Adenan since 1992 had not even been fulfilled after a span of 20 years.

He said that the slogan “Janji Ditepati” used by Barisan Nasional government this year was not only misleading and a clear attempt to lie to the Rakyat.

“With all these billboards being erected in town declaring that Barisan Nasional has fulfilled their promises to the Rakyat, the slogan is not only a mockery to the aspirations, but also the hopes of the Rakyat for a better life and a better future for their children.

“A kampung in the middle of Kuching town which has no drainage system and electricity after over 50 years of independence is indeed a great failure by the Barisan Nasional government,” he said, adding it was rather unsightedly to see the villagers living in such poor and unhygienic conditions and whenever  it rained, dirty and black water would rise up to their houses.

“Therefore, I urged and challenged Adenan to fulfill his promise to the villagers of Kampung Kudei before the Merdeka Day celebration.

“We are expecting to receive a call from him personally or from his department for us to meet him and to resolve the issue of Kampung Kudei together,” Siah said, adding that PKR had been asked by the villagers to voice their problems to Adenan.

“With our country Independence Day or Hari Kemerdekaan Negara drawing near, we are now more than certain that the governance under Barisan Nasional has created years of lies to the people of Sarawak.

“Rather than Janji Ditepati, it has been 50 years of Janji Dimungkiri especially for the villagers of Kampung Kudei who has been cheated for over 20 years,” he stated. By Sematong Express



Hydro Tasmania confirms involvement in dam constructions in Sarawak

Roy Adair, CEO of Hydro Tasmania, confirms company's involvement in controversial Malaysian rainforest dam constructions

Aug 24, 2012: (HOBART, TASMANIA) Roy Adair, the CEO of Australian state-owned energy provider Hydro Tasmania, said yesterday his company had no audits in place to prevent Hydro Tasmania’s participation in projects in Sarawak.

In an interview with the Australian ABC Radio, Adair admitted that only general “pre-bid checks” were done on Sarawak Energy, a Malaysian dam builder and business partner, prior to Hydro Tasmania’s engagement in a “100 billion dollar” energy project in Sarawak.

He said that “not so much auditing” on Sarawak Energy had been done.

Sarawak Energy is owned by the Malaysian state of Sarawak and chaired by Hamed Sepawi, a cousin and close business associate of long-term Sarawak Chief Minister, Taib Mahmud.

In an attempt to downplay Hydro Tasmania’s involvement in Sarawak’s dam building spree, Adair said his company role was “relatively minimal” as it was only earning 3 million (Australian) dollars from its Sarawak projects.

However, Adair failed to acknowledge the central role played by Hydro Tasmania engineers such as Andrew Pattle, who has been the Project Director of the 944 MW Murum dam, which is currently under construction, and has been appointed as the Senior Project Manager for another two proposed dams, Baram (1,200 MW) and Baleh (1,400 MW).

The Sarawak dam building spree has drawn heavy criticism from indigenous associations and environmental organisations.

The Baram dam alone would displace 20’000 Sarawak natives and flood over 400km2 of tropical rainforests.

Yesterday, the Tasmanian Greens called on the Tasmanian Minister for Energy “to recall all of its employees currently involved in environmentally and socially destructive dam building practices in Malaysia.“

Without the expertise of foreign consultants such as Hydro Tasmania, Sarawak Energy would not be in a position to realize its controversial dam plans.

Oil royalty: Why want to negotiate with PM in private, Baru asks Taib

Kuching, Aug 24, 2012:  Sarawak PKR chief Baru Bian said today he is curious why Chief Minister Tan Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud wanted to discuss the oil royalty for Sarawak with Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak in private.

“I am curious that Taib should think royalty negotiations are better done in private. Why is that so? The oil and gas in Sarawak is not the property of the chief minister as it belongs to all the people of Sarawak, hence we have a right to know what is being discussed,” Baru said at a press conference.

He said that a proposal to increase oil royalty payments for Sarawak is most pertinent at the moment.

“We in Pakatan Rakyat have calling for the government to review and increase the royalty from 5 % to 20 %. This is one of the issues we have put up in our election manifesto,” he said.

Baru, flanked by Sarawak PKR secretary Stanny Embat (left) and National Wanita vice head Voon Shiak Ni, at the press conference.

Nevertheless, he welcomed the announcement by Taib who stated that the royalty should be increased.

“But why is it only now that the chief minister is agreeing to pursue the matter? One can’t help but think that it is because this is an issue very close to the hearts of the people, an issue which Pakatan Rakyat has promised to address.

“Obviously there has been no political will on the BN government’s part over the last 30 or so years to seek a fairer share of the royalty until now when they are realizing there is a real possibility that the rakyat will vote them out in the coming elections,” he said.

He said that Sarawak has been lagging behind Peninsular Malaysia in every aspect “you care to name”, be it roads and infrastructure, education, healthcare, jobs, transportation, industry and development.

“One could say that Peninsular Malaysia and many individuals have prospered or benefitted via Petronas at our expense.

“Sarawakians now say ‘Kini masa balas budi’ to quote a line from the infamous BN Merdeka theme song 2012.

“We want to know what the Chief Minister intends to do about it, and we remind him that he is a servant of the people and is accountable to them.

“The former PM, in a Freudian slip, had referred to the current administration as the ‘devil’ and the opposition as the ‘angel’.  That in itself says it all,” Baru said.

“I trust that the rakyat are astute enough to judge for themselves whether to choose more of the same or to give themselves the hope of a better and brighter future with the Pakatan Rakyat,” he added. By Sematong Express

Not the people, but the corrupt BN leaders who will be in perilous position when PR comes to power, Baru says

Kuching, Aug 24, 2012: If there are people who will be in a perilous position when Pakatan Rakyat PR) comes to power after the upcoming general election, they will be the corrupt and guilty Barisan Nasional (BN) leaders.

“They will not be the people who support and vote for the PK, but those BN leaders,” Sarawak PKR chief Baru Bian told reporters today.

Baru, who is also the Ba’Kelalan State Assemblyman, was commenting on remarks made by Parti Rakyat Sarawak (PRS) and Land Development Minister Tan Sri Dr James Masing in a local newspaper yesterday.

Masing was said to have remarked that it would be a political suicide to give 0pposition PK a test mandate to govern the country while giving his support to former Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir’s statement that giving the opposition the mandate to rule would be dangerous as many things could be destroyed.

Baru said today:” Yes, it would be perilous indeed when the Opposition takes over from the BN. Exceedingly perilous for those who have the most to lose, those who have taken advantage of their positions of authority to enrich themselves at the expense of the people, who have remained poor and stagnant for the past 50 years.

“Perilous for the BN elite who done nothing of substance to advance the lot of the common people but who resort to giving away insubstantial sums of money nearing election time in the guise of the ‘caring’ government.

“It is perilous for the corrupt politicians and their families who have their greedy hands in every project and contract even though they do not know the first thing about the business concerned.

“(It will be) imminently catastrophic for the selfish leaders and their cronies who have taken away the lands of the natives, cut down their trees for profit of billions of ringgit and drowned the lands in their insatiable quest for even more wealth, all in the name of ‘development’.

“These are the people who will see the destruction of their parasitic way of life and easy money as they have known it.

“Their misdeeds will be revealed just as the cowgate and Scorpene scandals were uncovered,” Baru said, adding that investigations will be carried out on these people and their leader, a man and his family members who are said to be stakeholders in more than 400 companies in 25 countries, worth several billion US dollars, robbed from the people of Sarawak.

Baru pledged that there will be no witch-hunting against BN leaders when PR comes to power.

“We will just allow the process of law to take its course. This country is governed by the rule of law so we will let the law to takes its course,” he explained, saying that PK’s policy is based on justice and that is what the people want to see.

He said that the Attorney-General has to discharge his duties in accordance with the law when investigating corrupt practices and abuse of power against those involved in such practices.

Baru said the people, therefore, have nothing to lose by giving a mandate to the Opposition.

“They have already lost their lands, their livelihood, their pride, their chance for advancement and now their patience with a government lacking accountability and transparency.

“The BN government has had 50 years to run the country and if indeed they have done such a sterling job, they should have nothing to worry about and that they should be able to let the record speak for them.

“Unfortunately for them, among their more memorable achievements are a dangerously high national debt, a soaring crime rate (and a police force that manipulates the statistics to fit the KPI), a rakyat fearful for their safety, a culture of rent seeking, cronyism and corruption, ministers mired in kickback scandals, murder allegations, bailout of family companies using public funds and many more of similar unpalatable nature.

“In contrast to that, the PR is offering the very positive track record of the Opposition-run states and the promise to put in place a Federal Government that is competent, accountable and transparent. 

“That is why are we now seeing BN politician after BN politician, day after day in the mainstream press trying to instill fear into the rakyat by giving silly warnings about what would happen if there is a new government.

“The rakyat are now mature enough to discern that the current crop of leaders does not have sound policies to sell nor any track record to back them up, hence they resort to selling fear.

“After all, fear is in plentiful supply within the BN clique, and the fearful are eager to spread the fear.

“However, in their attempt to do so, they come across as tired defenders of a government that has let the people down time and again.

“Even now, in their bid to restore some credibility, the Najib administration has nothing original to offer but instead has been implementing or promising to implement policies borrowed from the Pakatan Rakyat manifesto.

“Examples are the abolishment of the ISA, the implementation of the RCI on illegal immigrants in Sabah and ‘Project IC’ and the proposal to lower car prices,” Baru said. By Sematong Express.