Baru: Why we must be thankful to celebrate Gawai Dayak

Sarawak PKR chairman Baru Bian's Gawai Dayak message

Being a multi-racial country, Malaysia is a one of the few countries in the world to observe numerous holidays and celebrations.

We consider this a great privilege for us, and the fact that Sarawakians of all races and ethnicity can freely celebrate Gawai each year is reason for us to be thankful.

The celebration of the harvest, or Gawai, is a major feature of our unique cultural heritage.

YB Baru Bian

Jaku Pesan Gawai Dayak Ari Ketuai PKR Sarawak Baru Bian

Nyadika sebuah menua ti diwan mayuh pupu raban bansa, Malaysia nya sebuah menua dalam dunya tu ti nyambut sereta ngintu mayuh macham kemisi enggau pengerami. Kitai tau ngumbai utai tu siti penyelai ba kitai, lalu ngamatka penerang ti madahka rayat Sarawak ari mayuh pupu raban bansa ulih sama berami Gawai ninting taun, lalu ngembuan ketegal diri empu dikena beterima kasih.

Pengerami bansa asal ti diintu dikena ngelai penembu maya ngetau, tauka Gawai, nya sebengkah faktor dalam daya idup kitai ti nyelai tu.

DNC calls on all Dayak NGOs to come for a meeting on June 13

By  Edward Edwin

KUCHING, May 27, 2015. - Dayak National Congress (DNC) is calling on all Dayak non-governmental organisations (NGOs) to attend a meeting to discuss and form committees with regards to the resolutions  adopted at a public forum on native customary rights (NCR) land on May 9.

The meeting has been scheduled to be held at DNC meeting room at Batu Kawah new township on June 13, starting at 2.30pm.

People from nine longhouses to celebrate Gawai in the dark

SIMANGGANG, May 27, 2015 - Nine longhouses in Ulu Undup, near here, will continue to celebrate Gawai Dayak without any electricity connection which has been promised three years ago.

Losing patience with waiting, they have decided to approach DAP Sri Aman chief Leon Jimat Donald to express their anger and frustration.

"It is embarrassing for Muhyiddin to say that our children receive better education than those in US, UK and Germany"

By Voon Shiak Ni,

PKR National Women vice head

With the flip-flop Malaysian education system, it is embarrassing for Education Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin to claim again that Malaysians cannot deny that the country  has the best education structure .

Muhiddin in his statement yesterday said that Malaysian youngsters are receiving better education than children in the United States, Britain and Germany.

Unhappy villagers in Bau want bridges replaced

By Boniface Willy Tumek,

PKR Mas Gading branch chairman

 About 15 families living in  Sri’an area in Kampung Barieng, Singgai are becoming increasingly frustrated with a suspension bridge over Sungai  Adis and another two wooden bridges in their village.

These three bridges are part of the access to their homes in Sri’an.

Last Sunday,  some of the affected villagers staged a peaceful gathering at the site of the wooden bridge to show their displeasure and to demand that the relevant government authorities take immediate actions to build new and safer bridges for them.

Full judgment of See Chee How & Another vs Chairman Election Commission

The decision, action and omission of the Respondent in relation to the performance of this aspect of their public function is subject to judicial review. In other words, the Respondent is not above the law.  Hence, this head of preliminary objection must fail. - Judge Datuk Yew Jen Kie

IN THE HIGH COURT IN SABAH AND SARAWAK AT KUCHING

APPLICATION FOR JUDICIAL REVIEW NO: KCH-4 13NCVC-3/1-2015 5

In the matter of an application by SEE CHEE HOW (WN KP 640120-13-7 5635) and PAULS BAYA (WN KP 601031-13-5391)

(Application made  for and on behalf of themselves and others being the registered voters in the state of Sarawak having an interest in the proposed recommendations of the Election Commission of Malaysia to review the division of the State of Sarawak into constituencies for the purpose of elections to the Sarawak State Legislative Assembly) having an interest in the proposed recommendations of the Election Commission of Malaysia to review the  division of the State of Sarawak into constituencies for the purpose of elections to the Sarawak State  Legislative Assembly for inter alia a Declaration that the publication and or notification of the  Election Commission under Clause (2) of Article 113 of the Federal Constitution to review the division of the State of Sarawak into constituencies for the purpose of elections to the Sarawak State  Legislative Assembly was not in compliance with the provisions contained in the Thirteenth Schedule  and is null, void and of no effect;

See Chee How

Look at your own backyard first before you criticise, SEB CEO tells foregn dam critics

BEIJING, May 21, 2015 - State-owned power provider Sarawak Energy Berhad (SEB) chief executive officer Datuk Torstein Dale Sjotviet has hit out at critics from developed nations over its efforts to build dams to generate power when their own development was done without much consideration to sustainability.

"SEB  is guided by the International Hydropower Association's Hydropower Sustainability Assessment Protocol in the development of its hydropower projects," he stressed at a plenary session "Development versus Sustainability: How can we find the right balance?" at the 2015 World Hydropower Congress here today.

Do something to these back alleys behind shophouses in Betong, urges Vernon

BETONG, May 20, 2015 - PKR Betong branch chairman Vernon Aji Kedit moaned at the ill-treatment  accorded to some of the back alleys behind shophouses in the town by the state government.

 "Despite the frenzy of re-sealing and re-tarring of main roads in Betong town in the past six months, the public in Betong cannot understand why the back alleys of have been ostensibly left to rot with big potholes," he complained today.

Awang Tengah: We need to communicate on hydropower benefits as top priorities

Beijing, May 19, 2015: Public Utilities Minister Datuk Amar Awang Tengah Ali Hasan stressed at the World  Hydropower Congress here on the need to communicate the benefits of hydropower and the systematic sharing of learning from around the world as  top priorities.

"Such learning should be active and should include real partnerships with members of civil societies who are committed, rather than preventing hydropower," he said in his speech at the congress.

Awang Tengah leads Sarawak delegation to World Hydropower Congress in China

BEIJING (China), May 19, 2015 - A delegation from Sarawak Energy will share on Sarawak’s hydropower development efforts and progress at the 2015 World Hydropower Congress, a global premier event where hydropower leaders and experts converge.

The three-day congress aimed at advancing sustainable hydropower started today at the Kempinski Yanqi Lake complex here.  Representatives from the Sarawak Government also attended the conference, led by  Datuk Amar Awang Tengah Ali Hasan, Second Minister of Resource Planning and Environment, Minister of Public Utilities and Minister of Industrial Development.

Najib counters allegations against him and government: Are we still doubtful?

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak countered allegations hurled at him and the government, among them the Altantuya case.

Najib in his latest postings on his Twitter and blog NajibRazak.com said: “I have taken some time to look at various questions and issues that have been raised by certain parties and have penned down my thoughts on them.” He listed 13 allegations and claims along with his response:

We don't want Baram Dam, anti-dam citizen groups demand

 By Doris Yoong

MIRI, May 18, 2015 - Anti-dam citizen groups have expressed their strong objection for the proposed construction of the Baram Dam, saying that Chief Minister Adenan Satem was not fully informed after meeting a few hundred unnamed people at a closed door session.

 They urge Chief Minister Adenan Satem to immediately withdraw his statement granting Sarawak Energy Berhad's (SEB) permission to proceed with the Baram Dam.

Insead, they said the chief minister should consult with affected landowners and other stakeholders, and take heed of academic studies showing that Sarawak’s future energy demands can be met by innovative technologies that do not have a destructive toll on forests, the climate and communities.

PKR YB Michael Teo assaulted, left collar bone fractured

By Doris Yoong

MIRI, May 15, 2015 - Miri Member of Parliament Dr Michael Teo fractured his left collar bone after he was attacked by an assailant armed with a baseball bat as he walked to his clinic at Waterfront Commercial Centre this morning.

The assailant hit him on his left and right shoulders. However, only the left collar bone was fractured.

Liom on why Bunya Jalong was acquitted by the Court of Appeal

Augustine Liom explains why Bunya Jalong was acquitted

After so much furore, I feel compelled to emerge out of reticence to make some clarifications and to present a more balanced picture relating to the case, particularly, when the Honourable and learned panel of Judges of the Court of Appeal are in no position to go out to the open to explain their decision.

In fairness to them, they did, before pronouncing their verdict and after a lengthy deliberation, expressed, in the hearing of all those in Open Court, that they found the case very disturbing that a young girl got pregnant through a non-sexual intercourse activity but our law being such that sexual intercourse means only penile penetration their hands are tied and they could only leave it to the legislators to effect any amendment to the law if deemed necessary.

Baram dam: Hearing of government's application to strike out suit by plaintiffs postponed for 11th time

By James Luhat Ngau

MIRI, May 14, 2015 - The Miri High Court  today postponed to June 16 this year the hearing of an application by the Minister of Resource  Planning and Environment and State Government to strike  out a civil suit  filed by a group of villagers from Ulu Baram challenging the move by the state to extinguish their customary rights over their traditional land.

Judge Lee Heng Cheong postponed the hearing of the application after hearing submissions from counsels for the respondents and the plaintiffs.

Assistant Minister, State Assemblyman under investigation by MACC for alleged abuse of power and corruption

By Simon Peter

KUCHING, May 13, 2015 - A Sarawak assistant minister  and a State Assemblyman are under investigation by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission for possible abuse of power and corruption.

The Assistant Minister  is being investigated for alleged corruption and abuse of power in a RM250 million construction of Baitulmakmur 11 project in Petra Jaya, here while the State Assemblyman is being investigated for alleged involvement in illegal logging and illegal timber trade.

Several banks accounts belonging to the assistant minister,  totalling RM4 million, have been frozen.

Discrepancies on Betong voter electoral roll found

Comment by Vernon Aji Kedit

1. PKR Betong Division did a Voter Verification Exercise last weekend, May 1 to May 3, at Betong. The exercise was to help voters check and verify their voting status. Volunteers from KL and Kuching came along and set up counters in the town areas to assist voters to check their status.

 

Manufacturer of Australian product makes false accusation against Sarawak, says Masing

 By Jonathan Jong

KUCHING, May 12, 2015 -A supermarket here has been asked not to sell a floor cleaner liquid imported from Australia because its manufacturer was making false accusation against the oil palm industry and Sarawak.

Land Development Minister Tan Sri Dr James Masing said "Wooden Floor Cleaner" contains false information against oil palm industry and the manufacturer of the product have falsely claimed that Sarawak has destroyed its orangutan sanctuaries for oil palm plantation.

Deforestation is severe in Borneo, says WWF

KOTA KINABALU, May 9, 2015 -   According to the World Wide Fund for Nature's (WWF) recent 2015 Living Forests Report, deforestation is severe in Borneo, one of the 11 places in the world projected to have the most deforestation in the next 15 years. 

The report projected that in a no-intervention scenario, up to 170 million ha of forests could be lost between 2010 and 2030 in the Amazon, the Atlantic Forest and Gran Chaco, Borneo, the Cerrado, Choco-Darien, the Congo Basin, East Africa, Eastern Australia, Greater Mekong, New Guinea and Sumatra.

WWF-Malaysia’s Chief Executive Officer  Dionysius Sharma announced that tangible actions are being taken to address deforestation, particularly in Sarawak and Sabah. He said that both state governments have been very cooperative and supportive towards these initiatives which generated positive results in the recent years.

Sidi: Dayak NGOs must keep up the pressure on the government until it recognises our rights

By Doris Theresa Yoong

KUCHING, May 9, 2015  - Sarawak Dayak Iban Association (SADIA) president Sidi Munan said Dayak NGOs must keep up the pressure on the State government until it recognises the natives as the indigenous people as having rights over lands, territories, and resources which they have traditionally owned, occupied and acquired.

"There will be no end to the quest until the State government gives legal recognition and protection to these lands, these territories, these resources which in Iban are called pemakai menoa and pulau galau as they have done to temuda.

"There will be no end to the exercise until such recognition is concluded with due respect to the customs, traditions and land tenure system of the natives landowners concerned," he said when closing a NCR Land Forum here today.

Torstein receives "Asia CEO of the Year Award" in Singapore

KUCHING, May 8, 2015 -  Sarawak Energy Berhad (SEB) adds more international recognitions to its list of accolades, with the latest two awards received  at the Power & Electricity World Asia 2015 Conference held in Singapore last Wednesday. 

 Its chief executive officer Datuk Torstein Dale Sjotveit was awarded the  “Asia CEO of the Year”  and SEB, the “Utility of the Year 2015”.

Torstein, who was appointed CEO in late 2009, received the awards at a ceremony held in conjunction with the conference. 

The Penans bring their land case to Geneva Press Club

KUCHING, May 7, 2015 - A Penan delegation from Sarawak Wednesday night presented their case at the Geneva Press Club, a renowned public space very close to the United Nations' Palais des Nations in Geneva.

Bilong Oyoi, headman of the Penan community of Long Sait, Upper Baram,  called on the international community to stand up for the defence of the rainforests and to support the Penan Peace Park project, a community-managed biosphere in the Heart of Borneo.

Adenan was a hit among Sarawakians in London

KUCHING, May 6, 2015 -  Chief Minister Tan Sri Adenan Satem was a hit among  Sarawakian overseas students and professionals when he met them in London three days ago.

His casual style approach put them at ease as though they were old friends after not meeting each other for a long time.

On a weeklong working visit to the British capital starting May 4, he met with Sarawakian students studying and professionals working in England at the Malaysian High Commission as part of his official programme there. 

Adenan meets NGOs in London, asking them to assist him with necessary reforms

 LONDON, May 5, 2015 -Chief Minister Tan Sri Adenan Satem  surprised the public last night in London with a pledge to save the Borneo state’s remaining forests and to fight timber corruption.

In a speech at the Malaysian High Commission, he underlined that a transformation towards sustainability was vital for Sarawak’s timber industry and he called on NGOs to assist with the necessary reforms.

"No more timber concessions are being given out“, he said, adding:"No more palm oil is needed – cukup (there is enough).“ 

ANRPC members to discuss declining of rubber prices

By Doris Yoong

KUCHING, May 5, 2015 - The declining trend of the prices of natural rubber since the third quarter of last year will be among the issues to be discussed at the special session of the Association of Natural Rubber Producing Countries (ANRPC) in Kuala Lumpur this Friday.

The declining trend is due to the slower economic growth in major importing countries.

The average price of the SMR 20 in 2013 was RM7.74 cents per kg and declined by 28.5 percent to RM5.53 cents per kg in 2014. The SMR20 price currently averages between RM5.00- 5.10 cents per kg. 

BM credit proposal can't be carried out in Sarawak

By See Chee How, State Assemblyman for Batu Lintang

I am most disappointed with the statement by the Election Commission Chairman Tan Sri Abdul Aziz Mohd Yusof to consider that only candidates who possess credit in Bahasa Malaysia in SPM examinations are qualified to contest in elections to be member of parliament and state legislative assemblies.

The EC should be cautioned that it should not be dictated by personalities as Ridhuan Tee Abdullah for the conduct and discharge of its constitutional duties.

DNC to organise NCR Land Forum on May 9, about 500 expected to attend

KUCHING, May 4, 2015 - Civil society group Dayak National Congress (DNC) will organise a Native Customary Rights (NCR) Land Forum at the Dayak Bidayuh National Association headquarters here on Saturday (May 9), starting at 9am.

DNC secretary general Richard Lias said today that about 500 participants from Dayak-based NGOs, educated Dayaks and community leaders are expected to attend.

DNC president Mengga Mikui (second left, seated front row) with committee members and members

George Lagong uses "bebiau" style to convey the grouses of the people in Pelagus who want progress and development

KUCHING, April 24, 2015 - Pelagus State Assemblyman George Lagong is using a unique way - the first by any state assemblyman - to convey problems or lack of development in his constituency

Instead of the usual way, he uses the "bebiau" style to convey the message when he took part in the debate on the motion of thanks on the address by the Sarawak Yang di-Pertua Negeri Tun Abdul Taib Mahmud.

The central message, he says, is on progress:

(a) Progress of the economy and industry;

(b) Progress of public infrastructure and public administration; and

(c) Progress of human capital and environmental resources management.

It is thus, Tuan Speaker, I seek your kind permission to speak in Iban for the

remainder of my speech, to address the issue of progress or lack of it of Iban community.]