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.
According to Thomas Jalong, Jaringan Orang Asal
Se-Malaysia (JOAS) president,:“First and foremost, the residents of the
affected longhouses have never given their free, prior and informed consent for
the Baram Dam.
"If this project is built as proposed, it will go
against the will of the affected landowners of Ulu Baram, all logical evidence
of demand-side energy needs, and the law of the land - our national
constitution.
"It is a shameful attempt to intimidate people who
have been standing strong to defend their rights to livelihood, maintaining
road blockades for more than a year and a half," Jalong said.
He said Adenan's recent speech in London about the preservation
of forests is meaningless in the face of his statement that the construction of
the dam will go ahead.
"Now he is evidently willing to back the narrow
interests of SEB over the rights of
thousands of people and at the expense of vast forested
areas that serve as the very lungs of our land.”
As Peter Kallang, chairman of Save Rivers, explained: “We question who
exactly are the leaders that Adenan has consulted and for whose interests do
they really speak? Why did they have a ‘closed door’ meeting?
"No one can speak on behalf others, especially
without consultation. We invite the Chief Minister himself, to come to Baram,
to the site of our blockades and hear directly from those affected.
"This is the longest blockade in the history of
Sarawak. Since 2008, so many letters and petitions,
representing the voices of thousands opposing the Baram
Dam have been sent to the Chief Minister.
"Are all of these people now to be totally ignored?
"We shall continue to protect our land, following
the path of justice through the court system and calling for our rights to be
respected.”
Mark Bujang, Chairperson of Borneo Resources Insitute
Malaysia Sarawak, added: “It is also notable that Adenan should is accountable
as the Chair of the Natural Resources and Environmental Board (NREB).
"If any Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) report
has been completed for the Baram Dam, no one knows because there has been
absolutely no transparency in the process, and local people, as the very ones
who are acutely aware of the ecological consequences of such mega-projects,
have never been consulted.
"Adenan should not be quick to jump to the
conclusion that the majority of people are accepting the Baram Dam, when he
only met with a select few unnamed people in a closed door session.
"These actions serve to reveal a disturbing lack of
transparency and accountability to the majority of people living in Ulu Baram,
whose voices and concerns are being completely disregarded.”
Caroline Nyurang, co-chair of the Save Rivers Youth
Committee, expressed her perspective by saying
that: “We can see for ourselves Sarawak Energy’s track
record at Murum Dam, where the displaced
people have yet to receive their promised land
allotments, have substandard housing, and face severe food insecurity.
The youth of Baram want a brighter future for ourselves
and upcoming generations.” She continued, “That is why we assert our rights to
land and life together, across the generations.
We, as residents of Baram, are taking a stand with our
legitimate community leaders and remain steadfast in refusing to negotiate away
our future.”
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