Penans block second route to Murum dam, more Penans are taking part

Kuching, Oct 6, 2012: The Penans are intensifying their blockade on Murum dam construction and against the Sarawak Energy Berhad (SEB) with another linkage road to the dam site being blockaded yesterday.  

More Penans, including women and children, have joined the blockade, which entered its 10^th day today.

Picture: A young Penan mother, with two-month old baby,is also joining in the blockade.

The second blockade is mounted on an old logging track, passing through an oil palm plantation, and is narrow and only passable by four-wheel drive vehicle.

SEB is using the road as an alternative route to the dam site for the past three days.  

Since the Penans started the blockade on Sept 26, SEB and other companies have stopped using the main access road to Murum dam project site.

The major works on the construction of the dam have been paralyzed over the last one week.

The drivers have left home and let their cement tankers, lorry trucks and trailers with building materials had been hauled over and park at the road side near the blockade site.

The access to the construction site of Murum hydroelectric dam project is totally blocked on all directions with the setting-up of second road blockade by the Penans.

The number of Penans involved in the blockade has increased from 200 to 320 comprising the people from eight Penan villages and a Kenyah-Badeng village of Long Umpa near Long Malim in Danum River.

Within these few days more Penans are expected to join as most of them have completed planting their hill paddy farms.

The Penans are setting camps around the blockade site at Seping River Bridge, about 40 Km from Murum Hydroelectric dam project site.

They are making makeshift huts “sulap” covered with wild-ginger and palm leaves as well as plastic canvases.

Those families came with their babies, young children and elderly parents are occupying an old logging camp workshop nearby the site. 

Some of them made their huts using the deposed old zinc sheets that they managed to salvage at the old logging camp site.

Villageman of Long Luar, Madai Salo said that all his family members are involved in the road blockade. He came with his wife, sons and daughters together with his granddaughter of 2 months old.

Labang Paneh, a representative from Long Wat village stated that the blockade is a collective action of all the Penan villages affected by the construction of Murum dam project.

 “We will not remove the blockade or move out of here until our demands are resolved and fulfilled by the government”, he said.

Villageman of Long Wat, Pinang Bo blamed SEB for being disrespectful to the customs of the Penan community in Murum area.

He said that SEB has intentionally destroying the most important Penan’s scared and historical sites of Batu Tungun, Batu Pebin and Batu Aseu at the project site and with lots more will be destroyed in due time by the construction of the dam.

The Penans reported that the China’s Three Gorges Project Corporation and its Chinese contractor companies have told their Chinese workers not to leave their camps and the Murum dam construction site for fearing of safety and of any untoward incident with the locals.

As to maintain security, peace and order at the project area, the government has deployed some at least 20 police personnel from the General Operations Forces to the blockade site. Some of these police are stationed at the Murum dam construction site.

The blockade, which entered  entered its tenth day, involved the Penans from the villages of Long Wat, Long Luar, Long Tangau, Long Menapa, Long Singu and Long Malim, Long Peran and Long Jaik, together with a Kenyah-Badeng village of Long Umpa.

The Penans are protesting against the negligence of the government to act and respond to their issues, problems and demands with regard to the construction of Murum dam project.

They are also protesting against SEB for being disrespectful to their customs by destroying their scared and historical sites without their consent.

SEB, a Sarawak Government-owned power supplier, has awarded the contract work of the Murum dam project to China’s Three Gorges Project Corporation for an estimated cost of RM3 billion.

The progress of the construction work on the major structures of the dam is about 70% completed.

When completed, the Murum dam will flood about 24,500 hectares of native customary rights land and forest of the Penan villages.

The dam catchment area is 275,000 hectares comprising the mainly Pelieran, Danum and Usun Apau Plateau, the ancestral land of the indigenous communities in Sarawak.

The Murum dam project is scheduled to be ready by 2013

 

Baru tells of the unimaginable suffering of the Murum Penans

“It is obvious that nobody in this current government has the will or the desire or the moral courage to do what is right" - Baru Bian

Kuching, Oct 5, 2012: The latest exposes in the alternative media and some mainstream press on the Penan blockade of an access road to the Murum dam in Belaga district over the past few days brings home  the heights of heartlessness and hypocrisy that the Barisan Nasional government has reached.

“The revelations tell of the unimaginable suffering of the Murum Penans who have been treated in the most callous and contemptible manner by the dam-building bullies and the uncaring government headed by the man reputed to be the richest man in Malaysia.

“The Penans have no choice but to create a blockade to get some attention from the authorities and civil society,” Sarawak PKR chief Baru Bian told reporters today.

He said the Penans need the support of every citizen of Malaysia who cares about justice and humanity.

“The details revealed in the ‘Resettlement Action Plan’ that was leaked tell the shocking truth about the lives of the Penans and the total neglect of them by the government that plans to wipe out the land which has been their home and provided their livelihood for generations,” Baru, who is also the State Assemblyman for Ba’Kelalan, said.

Some of the details on the lives of the Penans:

·         Assistance from the government is important but it has not been regular and in some cases, zero assistance given

·         They receive an average income of only RM154 per family per month, well below the official rural poverty line index of RM830 per month

·         They begged for teachers for years but none were sent; less than 10% have access to education

·         Women and babies still die in childbirth – no medical support

·         No medical assistance and no doctors; the jungle medicines they depended on have been destroyed by logging

·         No official status as no ICs, therefore no access to poverty eradication programmes

Added to the litany of woes of the Penans, Baru said is the insult of Land Development Minister Tan Sri Dr James Masing who claims that they are hostile because they lack understanding, and that they were not against the project per se but they were unhappy about some of the things implemented without being properly informed.

“What is there to understand about the shameful way they have been treated?

“How would anyone of us like it if our house is destroyed, our bank accounts taken from us and our source of support obliterated from the face of the earth?

“Can we bear to watch our families suffer the indignities of poverty and the humiliation of hunger and hopelessness?

“Please do not be so blasé about the problems faced by the Penans by waving them off as a problem of communication, and pointing the finger at NGOs for instigating them.

“If anything, the NGOs should be commended for helping them to articulate their troubles as the government has preferred not to extend educational facilities to them to help uplift their lives or to help them in any other way,” Baru  said.

“As for Belaga State Assemblyman Liwan Lagang, sent in to ‘explain’ matters, we shall see what he hopes to achieve at this stage of the development.  

“I hope he would be a real mediator between his people and the Government of the day and be very neutral in this issue,” he said, adding that the truth must be known and be told to ensure there be a permanent solution. 

Baru noted that in the Sarawak State Assembly on  June 29, 2011,  Chief Minister Tan Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud of Sarawak stated that:

           

“In the development of major projects including new dams, the State Government has raised the standard in the Social and Environmental Impact Assessment to be in line with the international requirement embodied in the Equator Principles and the United Nations Declaration of the Rights of the Indigenous Peoples.

The Equator Principles are voluntary set of standards established by global financial institutions for project finance. The Equator Principles are formulated along the same line as the environmental standards of the World Bank and the social policies with the International Financial Corporation or IFC which is part of the World Bank Group and its objective is to provide loans to improve the quality of lives of people in its developing member countries.

In essence, these international standards can be seen to contain the key elements of Free, Prior and Informed Consultation to the Proposed Action Plan, of Independent Review of Impact Assessment, of Public Discussion of the Impact Assessment and the establishment of a Grievance Mechanism.”

“The total and blatant disregard of the rights of the Penan shows again the hypocrisy of the government and their all too familiar form over substance hallmark.

“Despite what Taib proclaimed so righteously and proudly, the government is in truth completely unconcerned about implementing the recommendations of UNDRIP or the Equator principles, particularly the requirement for free, prior and informed consent prior to the commencement of development projects. How shameful this is.

“I call upon SUHAKAM to investigate the human rights abuses committed against this group of neglected people,” Baru said, calling upon the people of Malaysia to support the Penans by making contributions to the appeal for funds as they are lacking in every basic necessity and are enduring hardships on the site of the blockade.

He also called upon all right-minded people to act upon this outrage, that a group of people are on the brink of devastation because of the insatiable greed of the leaders of this state, while the MACC cries that it is unable to act against a ‘rich state leader’ due to archaic laws despite opening 6 investigation papers.

“It is obvious that nobody in this current government has the will or the desire or the moral courage to do what is right.

“The people are now recognising that this government has far overstepped the boundaries of decency and descended into the den of dam-mad depravity.

“A change of government is the only answer to the insanity that has beset this country. A Pakatan Rakyat government will restore justice to the oppressed and return to them what is rightfully theirs,” he added.

Over 200 block access road to Murum dam, want to meet Sarawak Energy boss

MURUM, Sept 28, 2012: About  200 Penan and Kenyah women, men and children have put up a blockade on the access road to the 944 MW Murum dam, located in the upper reaches of Batang Murum in Belaga district.

They will only let the supply trucks pass their blockade, if Torstein Dale Sjotveit,  the Norwegian chief executive officer of Sarawak Energy, the agency in charge of the construction of the dam and electricity generation in Sarawak, and Sarawak’s authorities are willing to meet them at the blockade site and agree to their demands.

 

 

Picture 1: Natives blocking all construction material supplies for Murum dam

Picture 2: People affected by Murum dam protesting for their rights

Picture 3: Cement supplies for Murum dam are blocked by angry natives

Picture 4: No truck is allowed to pass the blockade.

  

They started mounting the blockade in the early hours of Sept 26.

The 141m high Murum dam, under construction by China’s Three Gorges Corporation, affects at least 1,400 people from the ethnic groups of the Western Penan and the Kenyah and will start flooding almost 250km2 of rainforest and farmland once it is completed by early 2013.

The natives have decided to install the blockade because the responsible government authorities and Sarawak Energy have never taken their demands seriously. With the construction work entering the final phase, they feel urged to act and pressure for their rights.

At a press conference today, they presented an open memorandum addressed to the implementing authorities to solve pending issues concerning their rights to land and forest and the involuntary resettlement.

They have witnessed how the quality of life decreased for their neighbouring communities affected by Bakun dam, one of the biggest dams in Asia, when they were forcefully displaced in 1998. They do not want to face the same fate: loss of livelihood, poverty and loss of culture.

Two key figures in the construction of Murum dam are  Sjotveit and Australian Andrew Pattle, seconded from Hydro Tasmania to Sarawak Energy to lead the construction works at Murum dam.

 Sjotveit has been facing criticism as he is spearheading Sarawak’s plans to build at least 12 new dams in Sarawak’s interior until 2030 – Murum dam just being the first one.

As the responsible Sarawakian authorities have refused an open and transparent communication, the real impact of the project is difficult to estimate.

What is clear is that Baram dam, the next dam on the list after Murum dam, will alone flood 400km2 and displace 20,000 natives. This indicates that hundreds of square kilometres and tens of thousand people will be affected if they implement the full-scale project.

 Sjotveit is currently facing strong rejection in Sarawak. He has already received lots of letters from angry communities asking him to immediately put the dam endeavour on halt.

Natives accuse him of abusing his position as head of Sarawak Energy to favour companies linked to the family of Sarawak’s Chief Minister Abdul Taib Mahmud.

Among other things, they criticize that Sarawak Energy granted a MYR 99 million (USD 31.8 mio.) power transmission line contract to Universal Cable, a company linked to Abu Bekir Taib, son of the Chief Minister, without public tender.

Universal Cable is a subsidiary of Sarawak Cable, of which Abu Bekir Taib holds 42% of the shares.

   

State BN leadership has deviated from spirit of PoU

The just concluded 24th Central Committee meeting of the Sarawak United People’s Party (SUPP) has called upon the State Barisan Nasional (BN) leadership not to deviate from the Points of Understanding (PoU) signed during the formation of the State Coalition Government some 42 years ago.

The PoU was a basis for SUPP to agree to the formation of the Coalition Government with Parti Bumiputera in 1970.

SUPP was represented by its secretary general Tan Sri Stephen Yong while PB was represented by its leader Tun Abdul Rahman Ya’akub, in signing the PoU.

Many delegates attending the CC meeting expressed concern and dismay that the spirit of PoU has not been adhered to by  State BN leadership.

So, let's have a look at this PoU.

1. The nominee of Parti Bumiputera shall be the chief minister, a nominee of the Sarawak United People's Party shall be the first deputy chief minister and one elected member of the Iban race shall be the second deputy chief minister,

2. Major issues and matters involving the government policy and measures affecting the interest ofthe state and parties hereto shall be agreed to mutually before decision can be made,

3. Appointment of other state ministers and allotment of portfolios shall have the unanimous decision of the signatories hereto,

4. The pledges made by the parties hereto during the election as far as possible shall be implemented by the state government.

Peter Chin calls for unity among SUPP members, says party must perform credibly well in GE13

REPORT OF THE PARTY PRESIDENT TO THE CENTRAL COMMITTEE MEETING ON 23rd SEPTEMBER, 2012

Dear Fellow Central Committee members and Comrades,

1.                 It is indeed an honour to present to you my Report on the Party over the past nine months relating the State of the Party as your President and to relate to you my views regarding the Party as well as the political situation in the State and the Country.

2.                 First, let me take you back to last year's Triennial Delegates' Conference. If you recall our Party had its last Triennial Delegates' Conference on 10th and 11th December, 2011 at the Pullman Hotel, Kuching and it was officiated by our well-respected and beloved Prime Minister, Dato’ Seri Najib bin Tun Abdul Razak. It was a proud moment for our Party and it was historical in that it was the first time that Dato’ Seri Najib bin Tun Abdul Razak had officiated at our Party's Delegates' Conference. I am sure many of you, as elected delegates from our various branches from all over the State, had been present on that very fateful morning to listen to our Prime Minister's speech. The Prime Minister had spoken about the need to maintain good working relationship between all BN leaders of the various component parties within the State Barisan Nasional. The Prime Minister also advised SUPP members and leaders to remain united and vigilant to serve the electorates within our constituencies. He reminded everyone that our enemies were not within the individual component parties but from the opposition parties and he was confident that SUPP could do well in future polls to win the support of our voters.

3.                 However, I would like to put on record an incident which occurred along the side-lines prior to the official opening of the Party Delegates' Conference. I want to state that even as I had tried my best to communicate with the Prime Minister himself (and eventually did) to assure him that It was proper for him to come to Kuching on the morning of 11th December, 2011 to officiate at our Party Conference as scheduled, there were efforts coming from certain forces within our Party trying to dissuade our Prime Minister from coming to Kuching. I had communicated with the Prime Minister and Barisan Nasional Chairman twice on the matter. I had informed the then Party President, Tan Sri Datuk Patinggi Dr George Chan Hong Nam, about the matter. Whatever their reason or justification, I am of the view that they ought not have done so; it was like an act of sabotage against the good name of our Party, particularly when it was the Prime Minister's role just to officiate at the opening ceremony and nothing to do with the subsequent proceedings of the Conference itself. I am reporting this matter so that you, as the Party's leaders at Branch level, may know the proper facts relating to the incident.

4.                 Secondly, in the past nine months since I assumed leadership of the Party Central, I want to report that much had happened to the Party as being lead by the collective leadership of the Central Working Committee. The Secretariat under the leadership of the Secretary-General, Saudara Dr Sim Kui Hien, will be providing the details for the changes, events and activities of the Party Central since December last year. For my part, I would like to assure all Central Committee members and observers that the main thrust of the leadership is to try and ensure that our Party will perform credibly during the up-coming PRU 13. This has been utmost in the minds of all our CWC members and taking into account what happened during the State elections last April, 2011, our Party cannot afford to perform badly again. Thus, I do urge all Party leaders, particularly those who are in those Branches within SUPP parliamentary constituencies to pay attention to matters that can bring about victories for SUPP candidates. This is the time for us to show everyone that SUPP is still very much alive and able to gather support for Barisan Nasional by being personally involved in the campaign to win votes for our candidates. I would like to urge all Party members to sink whatever differences that may exist between ourselves. Let us put our Party before our personal interests and ensure that we ourselves are not the cause of our candidates' failure to win the seats allocated to our Party. Nobody can blame us if we have put in honest efforts to secure victories for SUPP candidates.

5.                 On the matter of working towards achieving a good PRU 13 results when it is eventually called by the Prime Minister, I would like to report that Dato’ Sri Wong Soon Koh and myself had agreed to a "peace accord" solely to ensure that we do sink all our differences arising out of the Triennial Delegates' Conference last December. It was agreed that Dato’ Sri Wong Soon Koh would take care of the Lanang and Bandar Sibu parliamentary constituencies while I would be in charge of Serian, Stampin, Bandar Kuching, Sarikei and Miri constituencies respectively. The matter relating to Dato’ Sri Wong Soon Koh's complaint to the Registrar of Societies would be taken up again after the PRU 13. To me this is a workable formula so as not to drag the matter of Party disputes to the voters' disdain and therefore risk the votes being lost to the opposition.

6.                 However, despite this "peace accord" I have to report that there are signs that certain lobbying activities have taken place in Sarikei and Miri. These activities are still on-going even though CWC had issued a warning to ALL party leaders and members not to carry out lobbying activities which go against the candidates proposed by the Central leadership because to do so will cause confusion to members and the public as to who should be responsible to nominate prospective candidates to contest in the seven (7) seats allocated to the SUPP. In my view and it is also the view of the CWC members that there is strong need to maintain party discipline on such matters. As such the CWC has in its meeting on 6th September, 2012 resolved to refer to the Party's newly formed Disciplinary Committee two members for breach(es) of party discipline in that they had been involved in actions which were contrary to the Party's interests.

7.                 Here I like to report that the Central Committee and CWC members are working hard to make the Party more and more acceptable to the voters but these efforts are being negated by certain Party leaders and members who openly opposed the policies and directions set by the leadership. Thus the attitude of such leaders and members are indeed further splitting the Party into the two camps that came about during the last Party Triennial Delegates' Conference. We expect our ministers in the government whether federal or state to put party’s interests above all else. Every Party Leader must act in the interest of the party and not against it or with any other motives or agenda.

8.                 Without stating the obvious, it is my whole intention as Party President who was given the mandate by the Party's delegates during last Delegates' Conference, to protect the Party and to not allow anyone to destroy the Party. I will always put the Party's interests above and over my personal interests. In my capacity as Federal Cabinet member, I have always acted in the larger interests of the Party as well as our Nation. I can safely declare that I have never once acted against the interests of the Party.

9.                 Fellow comrades and leaders of our beloved Party, the Parliamentary elections are just around the corner and it is a matter of priority that we must be able to successfully defend all our five (5) seats (Serian, Stampin, Sarikei, Lanang and Miri) which we are holding and, if possible, capture back the two (2) seats (Bandar Kuching and Bandar Sibu) which DAP took from us. Many have told me that to perform credibly during the next Parliamentary elections is a difficult task, one that requires Party leaders and members from whichever camp/ fractions to work together and in unison to ensure that we run the best campaign we can to get our voters to support Barisan Nasional. It is because of this that I had been very tolerant of what was said and done by some of our members as well as Branch leaders and to refrain from taking drastic steps to enforce party discipline. I like to caution such members and leaders to think of the future of our Party and not to take things too far by saying and acting against the interests of our Party.

10.            In conclusion, I do hope this Central Committee Meeting will be a very fruitful one. I pledge to carry out faithfully all decisions which may be made during the course of this day and to always uphold the good name of our Party in the interests of all our members and the public at large.

Sa'ati! Sa'ati! Sa'ati!