Where are the Dayak representatives when needed most?
Posted by Uchu Keling on 18th July 2008 in Current Issues, Sarawak Politics
Where are the Parti Rakyat Sarawak champions? Despite being given good comments by people who are close to Datuk Billy Abit and Dato Seri James, the truth appears to be far from good. The best words to describe it - ineffective and unhelpful. Why did we voted them there in the first place? One answer - A HOPE TO SEE THEM HELP US. But the article below shows otherwise.
How could the people who voted them be grateful? This odd 10,000 natives are not tycoon, businessmen or entreprenuers but there are just an ordinary Malaysian who need to survive in the current economic situation. Not only the subsidised diesel is snailing on implementation in Sarawak, this inhumane act is not something that they want most - today.
No compensation: Villagers cry foul
Tony thien | Jul 18, 08 12:14pm
Source: MalaysiakiniThe multi-billion-ringgit Bakun hydro dam in central Sarawak has not only displaced 10,000 natives from their original homes in upper Balui but also deprived other natives as the original inhabitants of their native customary rights (NCR) land now occupied by the ‘new arrivals’ or resettlement people at Sungai Asap.
“The Sg Asap land of many thousand hectares which is the resettlement village site is actually ours and we’ve never been compensated for it,” said Jude @ Juda Anye, an educated member of the Kenyah community from Uma Sambop, the nearest of five longhouses in Sg Belaga, to the Bakun dam.
He said the Barisan Nasional’s elected representatives for the area, Hulu Rajang MP Billy Abit and Belaga state assemblyperson Liwan Lagang as well as the state land development minister Dr James Masing have not done anything about it despite knowing the facts of the case.
Several members of the village development and security committee (AJKK) have turned to Malaysiakini to highlight their predicament after a team from the land and survey department, armed with machineries, moved into their areas along the Bakun-Tubau road Tuesday to start demolishing houses said to be illegally occupying state land.
The eviction notice was issued about two years ago and was to be enforced before the March 8 parliamentary elections. But after intervention by some quarters, this was postponed indefinitely.
As if losing their NCR lands in Sg Asap, about 20km away, is not enough, what remains of their NCR lands of several thousand hectares nearer the village along the Sg Belaga near the Bakun dam itself has been included in two oil palm leases given out by the state government to two companies – Shin Yang Forestry Sdn Bhd and Ekran Plantation Sdn Bhd.
Court action
Jawa Lawing, 56, and seven other plaintiffs representing themselves and 72 families from Uma Sambop have filed a court action claiming their NCR on the land.In his affidavit, Joseph Lejau, 55, a teacher, said it is not proper for the state government to issue the leases to the two companies to plant oil palm on their NCR land.
“As this is our NCR land, we should have been consulted and priority should have been given to us to carry out plantation projects,” he said, adding their main reason for instituting legal action is to ask for the land to be returned to them.
“We should also be compensated for the loss of our land and our resources for the last 13 years,” he said in the affidavit filed by their lawyer See Chee How of Baru Bian & Co Advocates. The case is set for hearing next month.
There are more than100 families in Uma Sambop - which has been in existence for more than a century, with the inhabitants originally from the Baram area in northern Sarawak..
The natives have produced evidence to claim NCR on the lands around them, including the existence of the present primary school first established in 1956, structures of old homes and grave sites.
Meanwhile, the natives have taken issue with a statement attributed to Masing which was widely reported in local newspapers yesterday. He said the structures erected on the land now being demolished by the enforcement team were illegally erected on state land.
“The houses have been demolished because that area, I believe, has been compensated and taken over by the government and the NCR on that land has been extinguished,” the minister added.
A spokesperson for the Kenyah group told Malaysiakini that the minister was wrong in saying that, adding that the affected land is clearly NCR and that no compensation has been paid by the government to acquire it.
Malaysiakini learnt that the government needs the land within 100 metres from the main Bakun road for the construction of the overhead transmission cable from the Bakun hydro dam as well as to clear the land of ‘squatters’ to make way for plantation activities by the companies.
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haroldz | 18th July 2008 | Reply
dayak MPs r either too bz couting their kantau from their business deal or a dog to their paymaster..
or both.
same thing happen in suai district.
NCR land suddenly awarded to palm oil company
your kawan | 19th July 2008 | Reply
Uchu, if you want the videos of the demolition let me know. I have first hand pictures and videos still in my bala’s memory card. Still busy compiling them to be sent to Msiakini..
agatha | 19th July 2008 | Reply
we don’t need any type of compesation or relocation. we need to stay ground on the land that belong to us. any relocation only means we are easily manipulated. same as our ministers.huh!
Uchu Keling | 20th July 2008 | Reply
Firstly, thank you to Ace Si Si of the Borneo Post for featuring this post/blog on their weekly Over a Cup of Kopi O carrying the byline - The Useful Role of Blogs.
To all the Borneo Post readers who have dropped by, I wish to extend my BIG Thank You for taking a little bit of your time to read my blog, and, my hope is for all of you to share my thoughts with our other fellow Sarawakians and Malaysians in general.
When we writes a little on politicians, it do not makes us an opposition. As the article have mentioned, we just want our voice to be heard.
Personally, I have not face any problem getting my messages across to SUPP representatives but please do not ask me on the Dayak representatives because its so frustrating. We are given answers that are so BN-in-nature (you know la, just like Datuk Shabery debate case).
Recently, I brought to the attention of YB Andy Chia on the issue of MHS’ retrenchment case. It only took less than 24 hours and it was a good meeting between the MHS Union members and YB Andy. Eventhough the meeting is to seek advice, nevertheless, it was one that means so much to the union members. And, no, they do not need to write to seek appointment, as in the case of many Dayak representatives (commonly heard phrase from Dayak reps - “please write in, and I’ll see to it”).
So, to the Dayak representatives, please do not wait for the Dayaks to resort to blogs n order to make their voices heard, because it may cause you big problem.. especially when (by then) you realised that you need the same tool to counter the people’s voice.
And, to the Dayak politicians who wishes to join the blog bandwagon, you need to do it yourself and not your secretaries to write it for you. We know who wrote it by the way you deliver your speeches.
Ride on before rural-based blogs start to create a little benak for you. Not yet a tsunami but just the standard of the famous Sri Ama Benak (will do).
Cheers and Happy Sunday to all of my beloved readers!
Rgds,
Uchu Keling
Manok_Labang | 20th July 2008 | Reply
Mr UK, I would like to congratulate you for highlighting the NCR issue in your blog. I hope that the state authorities and our Dayak reps. will read this blog especially after it has been highlighted in The Borneo Post on 20 July ‘08.
Without fear or favour, please keep doing what is best for the people especially in highlighting issues and problems affecting our Dayak community.
On another note, I would like to suggest that we organise an annual forum/gathering as a platform for all Dayak bloggers to exchange views and ideas on issues concerning the Dayak. We can get Dr John Brian (www.dayakbaru.com) to be the moderator of this inaugural forum.
http://www.thebrokenshield.blogspot.com
Uchu Keling | 20th July 2008 | Reply
ML, we are all part of the NCR sytem until the land is alienated as agriculture, mixed zone and so on. To me 10,000 native is a big amount to deal with (especially when we have a flip-flop based government today.. examples? Nahh to many to be even listed here.. wasting time and web resources to list them out).
The State government boasted in their speeches of well managed land development, the earlier 70-30, followed by 60-30-10 and now in Baram, we even have 50-50 free sharing land investment policies. Err.. can we compare FELDA, SALCRA, home grown entreprenuers?
Of all these.. we still have a problem on how to manage the people when we ’shift’ them to a new habitat. Our reps knows about it, our ministers knows about it, our SS and CM knows about it and our Pak Blah also knows about it.. and we have so many capable Malaysians working in big financial institutions to share and help us.. but until the time I write this post, I perceive them as a bunch of failures. Nobody (physically and legally) is doing anything except the increasing legal proceeding that only makes good revenue to the few legal firms who dare to take up the case.
Even if the court orders the Land and Survey Dept to conduct a survey on the disputed land, the dept won’t even move their ass. Even the government dept do not obey the law, what else can we say, if they are even brave enough to bulldoze our farms. As of today the L&S is THE LAW because for a simple reason, they do not have to carry out court orders (refer Ulu Krian People vs. State Government).
Anyway, bloggers have all the days in a year to express and exchange our views and hence, a gathering is more like a “hi, nice to meet you” sort of event. What the Dayaks need now is a change in the administration procedures. How we do it… maybe a good thought on what happen to the present BN government who lack the 2/3 majority. If we need to do something, then, it has to be a 2/3 majority!
The chances in our political climate is much to fast for THE Malaysians to handle. We have just woke up and here we are in America.. mana boleh jadi, kawan!
Malaysia Digest | 21st July 2008 | Reply
It’s hard to say but the Dayaks have “SCORE” an early own-goal.
Dexter | 23rd July 2008 | Reply
Hi..great to read this blog…thanks for this highlight on our NCR Land issue…
For me it is very simple for us to fight our NCR Land…hehehe..before Merdeka or joining Malysia, our NCR Land has been accupied since before Brooke time..as long as the history of Brooke is still apear…kakahhhhh..we still can fight for our right to our NCR Land, nobody can get it from us…we are founder to our NCR Land, yet during our late grand generation, we were fight among our self for that pieces of land..hence, its not a single point of reason of goverment to take it over from us…history is our basic to fight our NCR Land…I’m also very gratefull to see a lawyer like Mr. Paul Raja which grately help the Dayak to fight their owm right..thanks…Lastly, for my fellow DAYAKS, please stand up and fight, our NCR is our live, without it we are dying…REGARDS…