3 October 2024
On Today Show
— Tr Panting ak Baling, Village Leader of Similajau Bintulu Agricultural Heritage Park – Standing Strong: How Tr Panting and Villagers Protected Their Land
— David from Long Moh Baram – Paved Roads for Some, Logging Roads for Others: GPS’s Infrastructure Failures
— Jeffrey Ngui, founder of Noah’s Ark Project – Three Generations of Struggle: The Unheard Needs of Kampung Chawan
Topik Pada Hari Ini
— Tr Panting ak Baling, Ketua Kampung Similajau Bintulu Agricultural Heritage Park – Berdiri Teguh: Bagaimana Tr Panting dan Penduduk Kampung Melindungi Tanah Mereka
— David dari Long Moh Baram – Jalan Tar Untuk Sebahagian, Jalan Balak Untuk Yang Lain: Kegagalan Infrastruktur GPS
— Jeffrey Ngui, pengasas Projek Noah’s Ark – Tiga Generasi Perjuangan: Keperluan Kampung Chawan Yang Tidak Didengari
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Special Randau
1. The fate of former prime minister Najib Razak will be known on 30 Oct 2024 whether he is released or asked to defend himself. Najib is currently being tried on 4 charges of abuse of power and 21 charges of money laundering from 1MDB worth rm2.27 billion. Trial before judge Coline Lawrence Sequarah.
2. Among the last 5 prime ministers of Malaysia - Najib made the most political appointments which is 301 appointments, followed by Ismail Sabri 273, Muhyiddin Yassin 186, Anwar 95 and Mahathir 86. Political appointments are feared as a way to gain political support.
3. Finally we succeeded, that was the expression of the village head - tr Panting aka Baling when they managed to defend their garden land from being confiscated by the SFC. We used to fear the SFC, now the SFC run away when they come across us. We are brave because we are on the right side - said tr Panting.
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Tr Panting ak Baling, Village Leader of Similajau Bintulu Agricultural Heritage Park.
Standing Strong: How Tr Panting and Villagers Protected Their Land
Tr Panting shared his happiness with all the villagers for successfully defending the oil palm and coffee plantation land they had been cultivating. This success was the result of cooperation between all parties involved — the villagers, SADIA, Suhakam, the Police, the former chief secretary of the Sarawak state government, and also RFS. The overseas-based RFS appeared to be quite influential and feared by the SFC. Now, the villagers were free to harvest palm fruit, with the price of a ton of fresh palm oil at RM700 and ground coffee selling for RM100 per kilogram. The villagers were relieved, as this provided some income to support their families.
The most recent incident occurred about three days ago when a group of five SFC officers, using three cars, attempted to erect a fence at the entrance to the plantation. The villagers, who were keeping watch at the blockade site, quickly discovered the officers. They stopped the three cars and confiscated all the car keys. The villagers contacted their head, TR Panting, who confronted the SFC officers. Tr Panting warned them that if the SFC made any further attempts to put up a fence or prevent residents from accessing their agricultural land, strict action would be taken. After the warning, the SFC officers and their cars were released. Since then, the villagers have been free to work in their gardens, and they continue to take turns keeping vigil at the blockade site.
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David from Long Moh Baram
Paved Roads for Some, Logging Roads for Others: GPS’s Infrastructure Failures
David welcomes the allocation of 500 million for the road in Kapit. However, he hopes that the Prime Minister (PMX) can also allocate funds equally to Baram, as Baram faces similar issues to those in Kapit.
PMX should be commended for his concern in contributing to Sarawak’s development. However, it should not just be talk, but actions that deliver on the promises made.
For the past 60 years, it is clear that the GPS government has intentionally failed to address the basic needs of rural communities, such as roads. David has not returned to his village for the past two years because he cannot afford the damage caused to his 4-wheel drive vehicle every time he goes back, due to the poor road conditions, which are comparable to logging roads.
According to David, the GPS government has not closely collaborated with logging companies over the years, and as logging activities have decreased, there is no one maintaining the roads. This has resulted in those without 4-wheel drive vehicles being unable to return to their villages.
After 61 years, the people should no longer have to use such terrible roads, and they deserve to have paved roads, just like in Peninsular Malaysia.
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Jeffrey Ngui, founder of Noah’s Ark Project
Three Generations of Struggle: The Unheard Needs of Kampung Chawan
This week, Noah's Ark Project installed poly pipes for all 54 families of Kampung Chawan Kuching, connecting them directly to two old metered water sources for their homes. Jeffrey has known the villagers for the past two years and has gathered a lot of information and shared experiences with them. The community has occupied the area for over three decades, with roots tracing back to their grandparents, and they are now in the third generation.
Jeffrery said that, the villagers all come from various parts of Sarawak, having moved here in search of better livelihoods.