Broadcast | 18 November 2019

Welcome to the debut show for Radio Nyawa Sarawak, bringing you all the news, issues and stories that matter to the rural communities of Sarawak.

Today we speak to Senabong in Simunjan for an update on his land case. The community in Gedong have been battling for many years but now are stuck waiting for a hearing date as land issues pile up in the courts.

The JKKK is set to go head to head with MPKKP, two concurrent organisations for community representation in Sarawak, one state-led and one federal. The two sides are up in arms over the issue, over who will pay and who will best represent the community voice. We listen to three viewpoints, clarifying the reaction in the community, where there is some confusion but also some hope that two routes to representation could possibly be a positive thing.

Wong Chin Huat is no stranger to being barred at immigration in Sarawak from the bad old days. But the political scientist was prevented from entering once again over the weekend despite being on official business for the Federal Government. He defends Sarawak’s immigration autonomy in principle but questions how that principle is being applied after the Chief Minister seemed to imply that his goal in providing neutral election education was designed to ‘provoke.’ He also asks questions about the treatment of detainees who, as a matter of basic human rights, should be provided access to proper medical treatment.

Access to healthcare is a pressing matter for most rural Sarawakians and particularly so for expectant mothers. The story of Kam Agong, who died in childbirth, has become a clarion call for this issue. Agnes, her daughter, shares her mother’s tragic story and also her own reasons for working to highlight this issue publically. Meanwhile, Dr Yo has initiated a project to lower maternal mortality rates in the state. She tells us how doctors from the UK are training rural midwives to provide better care to communities far away from hospital treatment.