Decline the conferment, Voon tells Rosmah

Kuching (Feb 15, 2012): PKR Wanita vice president Voon Shiak Ni urged Rosmah Mansor, Najib's wife, to quietly decline or defer the conferment of the doctorate degree from Curtin University.

"It is not the time for her as she has not shown that there is result from her work to set up pre-schools in rural Sarawak, eventhough she has been allocated RM1.1 billion to do so," Voon said today.

Voon recalled that she and  two other members of PKR Wanita handed over a memorandum to Rosmah in Feb 2010.

"Rosmah was accompanying her husbands to Kuching then. At a lunch, after an official function officiated by Rosmah, we handed over to her the memorandum from PKR Wanita highlighting issues including the rape of the Penan women and girls in Sarawak and the need to improve the education and health of the communities in Sarawak," Voon said.

"Unfortunately, none has seen improvement or remedial action been undertaken," she said.

Voon said for two years Rosmah has not lifted a finger yet to even respond to PKR Wanita or to give assistance to the women NGOs for them to help what is necessary for women and children.

"We wish to tell her this. Set up pre-schools withing the settlements of the Penans and the others in the interior of Sarawak immediately to ensure that these rural children have equal opportunity for early childhood education.

"Rosmah has to earn the conferment of the doctorage degree," Voon added.

Apologise, Taib told

Kuching (Feb 14, 2012): Sarawak PKR chief Baru Bian has called on Prime Minister Najib Razak and Chief Minister Taib Mahmud to apologise for squandering the country's money in the delusional ego-boosting exercise by paying FBC Media Ltd to promote them internationally over BBC.

"They should resign immediately if they possess even an ounce of integrity and self-respect," Baru said in a press conference yesterday.

"It is difficult to believe that these two men do not realise that good reputation and respect are to be earned and cannot be bought, even if one is wealthier than the Queen of England," the Ba'Kelalan state assemblyman said.

Najib was reported to have paid RM83.8 million to boost his international image while Taib paid RM15 million per year to FBC to produce an extremely rosy but grossly inaccurate picture of Sarawak under Taib's rule.

Some of the misleading stories are that:

. Taib claimed that over 80 % of the Borneo jungle is still virgin forest. In fact, according to the Borneo Research Institute Malaysia Sarawak (Brimas), 85% of Sarawak has been deforested, and that thousands of natives have lost their lands and livelihood to loggers, oil palm plantations and dams and received nothing in return,

. That the only oil palm plantations that have been set up have only been on land cleared for rubber plantations anhd other crops. That oil palm is an agent of development and that those who raise issues about deforestation and corruption are ignorant and selfish outsiders. The reality is that many of the land grab cases in Sarawak involve timber and oil palm plantation. It was reported in the newspapers that Sarawak recorded its fastest pace in opening up land for oil palm cultivation in the past one year.Wetlands International reported in 2011 that a third of one million hectares of peat was drained and cleared between 2005 and 2010 alone for oil palm plantations, and that the expansion of oil palm plantations may lead to the complete loss of theese vast, unique forests by end of this decade. Most shocking of all, leaked records from the Land and Survey Department show that 31 companies linked to Taib have been given land for oil palm plantations amounting to almost 200,000 hectares- equivalent to three times the size of Singapore. More than half of the land leases - 45,000 hectares - have been given out for free or payment in kind. All of this leaving the native land owners with nothing.

. A happy Penan man is featured in the "Deforestation in Sarawak" programme, enjoying his life in the city. The reality is that many Penans have been struggling to protect their lands from the clutches of the logging companies since the 1980s. There are numerous cases of Penan girls being raped by workers of the logging companies but the government has so far refused to act. In fact, a minister added insult to injury by suggesting that the girls were to blame as Penan girls were known to be promiscuous from early age.

Baru called on BBC

“We suggest a series of fact-based documentaries on logging and deforestartion, oil palm plantations, native customary right (NCR) land issues, the proposed mega-dams, the displaced natives and the persecution of the lost Penans,” he said.

“These programmes should receive equal air time as was given to fairy tales on Malaysia and Sarawak produced by FBC Media Ltd for the BBC, only then can we say that an attempt has truly been made to right the wrong done to the people of Sarawak and to restore the integrity of the BBC,” he said.

However, he welcomed the apology by the BBC for its carelessness in airing eight programmes featuring Malaysia produced by FBC which “appeared to have a financial relationship with the Malaysian government.”

Baru stressed that the apology, aired on Feb 10 and 11 as well as made in its website, was a result of the investigations by whistleblower website, Sarawak Report, into the eight programmes favourable to the Malaysian and Sarawak state governments.

He added the apology vindicated Sarawak Report and confirmed to the 74 million BBC World News viewers around the world that the insidious tentacles of corruption and dirty politics of Malaysia and Sarawak.

"We also call on CNN and CNBC to follow the BBC's example and admit their mistake by apologising for allowing their journalistic integrity to be compromised by FBC and for airing misleading propaganda disguised as current affairs to be viewed by millions of people around the world," Baru said. to do documentaries on the “real situation” in Sarawak to compensate for its “compromised” reporting on the state and country.

SAVE Rivers Network conference on Feb 16 to 18.

Save Sarawak’s Rivers Network

(SAVE Rivers)

&

Sarawak’s State Level Conference Against Mega-Dams

16^th to 18^th February 2012

Bakun HEP

In 1986, the Malaysian government gave approval for the construction of a major dam to be built at Bakun in Balui, the upper part of the Rejang River in Sarawak. Bakun dam is the biggest in South East Asia; it has flooded an area of 60,000 Ha, a land area as big as Singapore Island. A concrete rock filled dam was built at 205 M high.

However, even before the Bakun HEP at the Balui river is on full load operation, another dam is already under construction at Murum, on the Balui,  upstream of  Bakun dam. Murum is the first of the 12 dams which the government is building in Sarawak which is supposed to be completed by 2020.

The River & the people

The rivers have always played a major part in the livelihood of the people in Sarawak and that is why there are a lot of settlements and villages located along the rivers in the state. The construction of mega-dams will diffidently have adverse and irreversible impact on the livelihood Sarawak’s people. Since the focus of having the HEP is theoretically for powering industries and factories in the urban areas, it is not for the benefit of the people who have to sacrifice in order to make ways for it. The projects will eventually be impoverishing rather than enriching the population who are resettled to give way for the dams. Those who are worst affected by the HEP projects will be the indigenous population who are also the minorities in the state and who are unique to the state and not found anywhere else in the world.

The construction of mega-dams will unavoidably force the population to move out from their traditional land, which is a significant part of their heritage and lifeline. 

The dam will destroy a unique culture

In the normal Orang Ulu villages, even the very structures of the longhouses are traditional in nature, reflecting the social structure of the communities and thus keeping them united. With their social structure, order and solidarity is possible in each community. These social structures have been keeping the Orang Ulu in general like the Kenyah and Kayan, together from time immemorial, enabling them to face famines, wars, epidemics and natural tragedies. These structures are delicate and are now facing a lot of challenges from modern lifestyle and globalization. Mass relocation of the people will no doubt spell the end of the traditional social structure. This has been one aspect of the Malaysian scene which contributes unity and harmony through cultural uniqueness of the nation.

Approach in building the proposed mega-dams is unethical and immoral

 At the moment, not many of the indigenous communities are aware that they are affected directly or indirectly by these dams. They are not properly informed and consulted. So looking at the proposed construction of the 12 dams there is a lack of compliance to mandatory or natural civility, where humane and even basic requirements should be met. All these requirements are spelt out in the United Nation Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP).The UNDRIP is meticulous in this aspect and Malaysia is a signatory of the document. Instead of being open and responsible, the proponent of the dam seems to play hide and seek with those affected. From the secretive approach they are taking, no one could be blamed for thinking that the proponents of the dam have something to hide. There are plenty of humane and viable ways to achieve development so that the end result will be a win-win situation when everybody and the nation could wins.

Formation of Save Sarawak’s Rivers Network (SAVE Rivers)

At the moment, there is no coordinated effort by the indigenous communities and civil societies to campaign against the construction of these destructive mega-dam projects. Therefore there is an urgent need to initiate a state, national and international campaign against these mega-dams. Having this in mind a group of us, concerned individuals and a few Non Governmental Organizations (NGO) have decide to start a network of those who are against the mega-dams. We had our first meeting in October 2011. The network is called the Save Sarawak’s Rivers Network (or in short: SAVE Rivers) and I am the chairman for the steering committee. Beside the steering committee we aim at extending the network further to include more of those who can support the cause, especially from those who are directly affected.

The objectives of the network are:

(1)    Campaigning against the construction of mega-dams

(2)    Gathering all affected communities and concerned individuals or NGOs to work together as a team

(3)    Building up network for easy communication, gathering and relaying of information

(4)    Sharing or disseminating information concerning the destructive nature or adverse effects of mega-dams

(5)    Supporting activities or event opposing the construction of mega-dams

Last year we started with the campaign from a booth set up in Marudi during the Baram Regatta. This was closely followed with a dinner organize in Miri for fellowship and to create awareness.

Our first project this year is a state wide conference on the impact of mega-dams which will be held as follows:

(1)    Registration at Telang Usan Hotel Miri and opening session for participants: 5 pm on 16^th February 

(2)    It will begin with a sharing session after dinner at 7.00 pm on 16^th February (You will be informed of the venue)

(3)    The conference will be full day on Friday 17^th to 18^th February. (You will be informed of the venue)

(4)    Actual venue for the conference proper will be made known to the participants at the registration desk

(5)    Delegates at the conference will be from various places in Sarawak, especially from the proposed dams localities

(6)    There are 8 speakers who will be presenting papers at the conference. All of them are knowledgably individuals, professionals, University professors, environmentalists, human right groups including a speaker from Suhakam, the government instituted, Malaysian Human Right Organization.

At the conference we expect to come up with resolutions and fine tune our approach. The highlight of the conference is the resolution which will spell the course of action to be initiated for stopping the construction of mega-dams.

To date, the Conference Secretariat has started receiving registrations via phone calls and the email from various places in Sarawak. From these respond we are confident to draw interest from the people affected. As we have limited resources and room, the conference will be on “first come first served” basis. Those who need further information can contact me, Peter Kallang on my hand phone,– 013 833 1104 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting              013 833 1104      end_of_the_skype_highlighting or contact  Mr. Mark Bujang on 014 877 6685 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting              014 877 6685      end_of_the_skype_highlighting.

Best Regards,

Peter Kallang

Chairman of SAVE Rivers

Chairman of Persatuan Kenyah Miri (PKM)

Chairman of Orang Ulu National Association (OUNA  - Miri)

Hand Phone: 013 833 1104 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting              013 833 1104      end_of_the_skype_highlighting

Message to Taib - dont be arrogant and a big bully

The description of sheer arrogant is insuffiicient to brand Taib Mahmud in his treatment of Peter Chin, the duly elected president of the Sarawak United People's Party (SUPP). Is Taib a compulsive liar? Sure he is.
First, he unashamedly stated that he was too old so he could not attend SUPP's Chinese New Year Open House in Kuching. But three days later, he went all the way to Sibu to attend Wong Soon Koh's open house. He got the time to visit Wong, but has no time to visit SUPP's open house. Come on lah, Taib, stop telling us a pack of lies. It was SUPP who saved you and PBB in the 1987 constitutional crisis when your uncle tried to topple you from power. Didnt you remember that? I am sure that you dont have short memories.Snubbing Chin and SUPP is how you repay SUPP's political assistance to you, otherwise, you will not be the chief minister anymore.
At your press conference in Miri last week, you said you did not want to interfere in the internal affairs of SUPP. Right? Come on lah Taib, who is believing you? If that was so, why were you snubbing Chin by refusing to talk to him, even to say "hello" at the ACCCIS dinner? Why did you did not mention his name in your salutation? What has Chin done to you that you treat him like he didnt exist? Guests at the dinner could clearly see that you have something against him. Why dont you just say it out, no need to hide anything?
Was it about Chin becoming the president of SUPP, instead of your chosen one - WSK? It appears that you are interfering in SUPP's internal affair by refusing to acknowledge Chin as the duly elected president of SUPP. The SUPP members were once looking at you as the leader that they could trust, but now I am not sure if they still do. In case you have forgotten, SUPP lost the urban seats in the last state election because the majority of Chinese voters are no longer trusting you.
So dont try to be arrogant. Today, SUPP is in trouble and it needs help. As professional wrestler John Cena's famous slogan says "Rise Above Hate", so you need to rise above hate in the treatment of Chin just because Chin made your man - WSK - tapped.
Today, it is SUPP in trouble, but tomorrow, it could be PBB's turn. Dont forget that.

by Lim How Pim. Posted on February 12, 2012, Sunday

KUCHING: When Chief Minister Pehin Sri Taib Mahmud and Datuk Seri Peter Chin Fah Kui appeared together at a public function for the first time since Chin was controversially elected president of SUPP last December, the atmosphere was frosty.
Taib offered a perfunctory hand shake to Chin without exchanging any words when they met at the Associated Chinese Chambers of Commerce and Industry of Sarawak’s (ACCCIS) Chinese New Year gathering on Friday night.
Even more telling was the omission by Taib of Chin, who is the Minister of Energy, Green Technology and Water, in his salutation before his speech at the function.
Both of them were not seen communicating, with ACCCIS president Datuk Wee Kok Tiong seated in between them during the dinner.
Chin seemed to be the one who was in a more reconciliatory mood as he joined the guests and host in standing up when he (Taib) returned to his seat after delivering his speech.
Chin also reached out again to shake hands with Taib, who responded coolly.
Chin refused to comment when reporters asked him about Taib’s apparent snub in public.

Sarawak govt has failed to abide by Court of Appeal's ruling on NCR land, says Baru Bian

I refer to two articles in the Borneo Post dated 8 February 2012; the first headed ‘Detractors out to delay issuance of land titles’ and the second ‘Understand, accept land acquisitions’.

I notice that there has been regular coverage in the press of BN politicians officiating at ‘presentation ceremonies’, with photographs of landowners rejoicing at the payments received for their lands compulsorily acquired or handing over of titles of lands surveyed. The message is that the government is caring and compassionate towards the people, compensating them for taking away their lands, or issuing titles to NCR lands.

All that is well and good but as long as the BN politicians continue to harp on land surveys, I will continue to ask the questions to which I have not received any satisfactory answers: What is the state government’s understanding of the areas that constitute NCR land? Does the government accept the Court of Appeal and Federal Court’s definition, which includes Pemakai menoa (communal/territorial domain) and Pulau galau (reserved forest or land) as NCR land?

In every NCR land case I bring to court, the submission by the State Attorney General is that NCR land is restricted to temuda established before 1958. This shows either that the State AG’s office is ignorant of the Court’s ruling, or that the State has totally no regard for the authority or the supremacy of the highest courts of the land.

I again call on the Chief Minister, the Second Minister of Resource Planning and Environment, or the Special Functions Minister to declare publicly that the State recognizes that Pemakai menoa and Pulau galau are part and parcel of NCR land, as defined by the Court.

The Special Functions Minister was quoted as saying that there are some people telling landowners to oppose the NCR new initiative. I assure the Special Functions Minister that PKR and I do not oppose the NCR new initiative. In fact, we would welcome any initiative to document and ensure the security of our people’s NCR lands. The only stumbling block is the inability of the state to assure us of that there is a meeting of the minds with regard to the meaning of NCR, and that has resulted in people being wary of the surveying exercise by the Land and Survey department. In fact, the explanation made by the Land and Survey department to the landowners is the same as that of the state AG, that NCR is restricted to temuda established before 1958. This is wrong and unacceptable. Our native landowners must have the assurance that the state will adhere to the definition of NCR as pronounced by the Courts. Only then can we lend our full support to the NCR new initiative.

Baru Bian

State Assemblyman

N 70 Ba’ Kelalan/

Chairman

PKR Sarawak