Nancy: The intention of Sarawak's Bersih 4 organisers is genuinely for peaceful assembly

 By James Joseph

KUCHING, 28 August 2015 - Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Nancy Shukri said there is a different approach in respect of Sarawak Bersih organisers when they agreed to the change of venue proposed by the State Authority.

"Civil Liberties is all about being civil, and negotiations should be part and parcel of that. 

"Here in Sarawak, we witnessed the workings of civil liberty at its best because the intention of organiser is genuinely to gather peacefully according to law and at the same time the Local Authority acknowledges civil rights of people to assemble," she said in a press statement today.

Don't make use of S4S movement for your political careers, Jaban tells opportunists

KUCHING, Aug 27, 2015 - Peter John Jaban, one of the organisers of last month’s unprecedented Sarawak 4 Sarawakians gathering today hit out at opportunists who are attempting to found political careers on the widespread support for the civil society movement. 

"The success of the movement is based on the fact that it is apolitical and these moves to hijack its popularity will only serve to destroy the movement itself, thus robbing the Rakyat of a genuine avenue of self-expression, much in the same way as Bersih, another civil society movement, has been incorrectly branded in the press as opposition," he said.

James Masing is both a racist and incapable of conducting proper research

By Karen Shepherd,

Spokesperson for Bersih 4

Personally, I loathe race politics.  It is a stain on the nation and the end of any possibility of a meritocracy.  In his statement to Bernama on 26 August 2015, YB Tan Sri James Masing has made this point very publically because he has chosen not to attack me for what I do or what I say.   

Instead, he has chosen to attack me for the colour of my skin.  I’m afraid there is nothing I can do about that.  It is the way I was born.

 

IMDB scandal under Swiss federal prosecutor investigation

KUCHING, Aug 22 - Swiss federal prosecutors have opened criminal proceedings against two "entities" of the Malaysian state fund 1MDB and "unknown" third parties, the Office of the Attorney General (OAG) of Switzerland announced on Friday.

The news was broken by the Geneva newspaper Le Temps.

SEB donating RM200,000 to Penan Education Fund

KUCHING, August 19, 2015-  Sarawak Energy Berhad (SEB) has set up a Penan Education Fund, under the umbrella of the Belaga Charitable Trust, to help financing studies and as  incentives for school children of communities in Belaga district.

The State’s energy provider has allocated a revolving fund of RM200,000  to provide educational assistance for Penan communities,  including the six villages involved in the Murum resettlement area and another other 19 Penan longhouses in the district.

Adenan agrees with PKR on full control of education by Sarawak

By Baru Bian,

PKR Sarawak chief

The announcement by the Chief Minister that he is keen to reclaim full control of education from the federal government is welcome news as this is one matter that I am passionate about and have constantly brought up in my statements and DUN speeches. 

In almost every State Assembly sitting I attended, I have highlighted the weaknesses and failures of the education system in this country, including the inadequate infrastructure, insufficient funding, lack of qualified and suitable teachers and the declining standards of education. 

Book documenting rich cultural heritage of highlanders of Sarawak and Sabah launched

BARIO, Aug 9,  2015 -  Communities living in the Kelabit and Maligan highlands in Sarawak and Sabah have  something to be proud of – a book documenting their rich cultural heritage and folklores is finally published.

Entitled, Highland Tales in the Heart of Borneo, the 92-page book is a colourful showcase of the community’s past, present and future that are very much intertwined with their natural surroundings in the picturesque highlands of Ba’ Kelalan, Bario, Long Semadoh in Sarawak and Long Pa’ Sia, Sabah.

PKR candidates: Vernon Aji for Layar, Noel Changai for Bukit Saban in state election

By BR James

BETONG, Aug 9 - Sarawak PKR information chief Vernon Aji Kedit has been nominated as a  potential candidate for Layar in the next Sarawak state election.

Aji's nomination was proposed at the division quarterly meeting at PKR Service Centre in Pasar Baru Medan here, last Friday.

The meeting, which Aji chaired, also proposed the divisional vice chairman Noel Changai Bucking as a potential candidate for Bukit Saban.

Aji (4th from left, Changai (5th from left) with Betong Division committee members

Adenan is right on large scale deforestation in Sarawak, says forest council

KUCHING, Aug 9 - Forest Stewardship Council has said that over 80 per cent of Sarawak’s forests  have been reportedly cleared, proving Chief Minister Tan Sri Adenan Satem right in saying of an unchecked logging activities and clearance for agriculture and urban development taking place in the state over the years.

In the peninsula, over 60 per cent of its forests have been cleared over the years.

SFC said most of the country's forested areas are found within its national parks.

"The World Bank estimates that trees are being cut down at four times the sustainable rate," SFC said in a statement today.

Serious gaps in laws, policies and administration in recognising NCR land, seminar finds

By Simon Peter

KUCHING, Aug 9 - Despite Malaysia’s endorsement of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) in 2007, which outlines the rights that the government should respect and recognise, serious gaps in our laws, policies and administration in recognizing Orang Asal customary land continue to persist.

The finding is part of a seminar held during the national-level Perayaan Hari Orang Asal SeDunia

(PHOAS) to celebrate the achievements of the Indigenous Peoples, hosted by Jaringan Orang Asal

SeMalaysia (JOAS).

Sarawak PKR's 18 Points Roadmap - Sarawak4Change

18-Point Roadmap

Our first duty is the complete removal of the cancer that is Barisan Nasional. This Roadmap outlines the difficult path toward healing and transforming our great nation. Our centrist policies signal a new era of equality, opportunity, and possibility. We’re working for a stronger, fairer Sarawak.

Kenapakah SK Bengoh banyak masalah selepas 52 tahun dah Merdeka

Oleh Willie Mongin,

 Pengerusi PKR Cabang Puncak Borneo (Mambong)

SK Bengoh merupakan sebuah sekolah yang terletak di Jalan Puncak Borneo, Ulu Bengoh lebih kurang 40KM dari Bandaraya Kuching. Buat masa ini, terdapat 98 orang murid bersekolah disini dengan 13 orang tenaga pengajar.

 Sekolah ini juga menyediakan asrama kepada para – pelajar yang datang dari kampung – kampung yang jauh. Namun keadaan sekolah yang begitu daif dan uzur telah dibiarkan terus rosak tanpa diberi peruntukan walaupun telah dibuat tinjauan oleh Pegawai dari Pejabat Pendidikan beberapa kali untuk penilaian kos pembaikan.  

Sleepy Betong town will be a ghost town in 10 years from now

By Vernon Kedit,

PKR Betong branch chairman

 Despite assurances by the government insisting that Betong is a developed town, the facts speak for themselves. I shall list out the facts and correlate them to the well-known fact that Betong has and continues to be helmed by no less than a Deputy Chief Minister, a full fledged Federal Minister, and an Assistant Minister for more than a quarter of a century.