10 June 2024
On Today Show
— Panting Anak Baling, Residents of Sungai Batin Batu Village 11 Bintulu – Eviction Notice Sparks Outcry Among Bintulu's Farming Community
— Mukmin Nantang, founder of Borneo Komra – Displaced and Discriminated: The Plight of Bajau Laut Communities in Semporna
— Diog Dios, retired teacher from Puncak Borneo – Community Voices Silenced: The Impact of Political Interference on Rural Development
Topik Pada Hari Ini
— Panting Anak Baling, Penduduk Kampung Sungai Batin Batu 11 Bintulu – Notis Pengusiran Menimbulkan Kemarahan di Kalangan Komuniti Petani Bintulu
— Mukmin Nantang, pengasas Borneo Komra – Tersingkir dan Didiskriminasi: Nasib Komuniti Bajau Laut di Semporna
— Diog Dios, guru bersara dari Puncak Borneo – Suara Komuniti Dilenyapkan: Kesan Campur Tangan Politik Terhadap Pembangunan Luar Bandar
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*Special Randau*
1) PMX Anwar Ibrahim- no promotion if corruption is not reported. The president of the Congress of Workers' Unions in the public sector CUEPACS supports the prime minister's recommendation that there be no promotion for department heads who do not report cases of corruption committed by staff under them. CUEPACS president Adnan Mat said the prime minister's recommendation should be viewed positively. On May 1, the government promised to increase the salaries of civil servants starting in December 2024.
2) MACC arrested a former Bank manager in Kelantan to help investigate a corruption case. The 50-year-old man was charged with asking for and accepting a bribe of RM50,000 from a bank customer on the pretext of financing a program involving the bank.
3) The Sarawak government should provide employment and economic opportunities. Not driving people away. This is the statement of Panting anak Baling from Tukau Bintulu Agricultural Heritage Village, when 420 residents of the village who farm in the area near Similajau National Park were evicted by the SFC on the grounds that the area had been gazetted as an additional area / expansion of Similajau National Park. Today Panting visited the SADIA office to ask for SADIA's help in that regard.
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Panting Anak Baling, Residents of Sungai Batin Batu Village 11 Bintulu
*Eviction Notice Sparks Outcry Among Bintulu's Farming Community*
The residents of the Batin river village are people from the countryside who migrated to the city of Bintulu to find work. Because they could not afford to rent a house in the city center, they built a house at Batu 11 Jalan Bintulu Coastal Coast. Not so far from Similajau National Park. This village is categorized as an urban slum.
During the administration of Chief Minister Adenan, he helped the people in this village by giving them garden land and agricultural seeds such as oil palm and coffee seeds to be cultivated (just given a title deed). Currently, the plantations of 420 families in this village have been successful. But what surprised them recently, the Sarawak state government through the SFC issued a notice to evict them from the village and fenced off the plantation area and did not allow anyone to enter the area on the grounds that the area had been gazetted as an additional Similajau National Park Forest area.
According to Panting, all this time we were given encouragement, we were promised to be given land deeds and during the administration of adenan satem we were given help with tools and agricultural seeds. But now during the administration of Prime Minister Abang Johari we were kicked out. We are poor people who migrated to the city in search of economic opportunities and to educate our children. We hope that the Sarawak government and SCF will remove our garden area from being included in the addition of the Similajau National Park area. If the government can give thousands of hectares to palm oil plantation companies, why can't the land that we have worked on and succeeded in be given to us. This is our appeal to the premier of Sarawak. Panting said. Panting and 66 others came to the SADIA office in Kuching to get advice from SADIA secretary general Nicholas Mujah.
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Mukmin Nantang, founder of Borneo Komra
*Displaced and Discriminated: The Plight of Bajau Laut Communities in Semporna*
Bajau Laut communities have seen their houses demolished and burnt down, forcing them to squat on surrounding islands and in villages near the small town of Semporna. Some have no place to stay, while others are sheltered in the homes of relatives or friends.
According to observations by Borneo Komrad, as of yesterday, some houses had their walls and roofs stripped off, leaving only the floors and main structures intact. Families continue to live in these houses without roofs and walls, enduring both the heat and the rain.
Mukmin stated that a special task force comprised of relevant ministries, legal bodies, academics, organizations, NGOs, and the affected communities needs to be established to initiate discussions and develop strategies to address the long-term issues faced by the Bajau Laut.
Before engaging in discussions with other countries, Malaysia must develop a collaborative and final decision that respects the Bajau Laut communities, their laws, and human rights. Only then can Malaysia effectively discuss the matter with the Philippines and Indonesia, where these communities freely roam the surrounding seas of Sulu-Philippines and Sulawesi-Indonesia. However, in the surrounding Sulu-Sabah seas, the Bajau Laut are being suppressed, impacting their livelihoods. Mukmin believes that Malaysia is using security reasons to justify discrimination against the Bajau Laut communities.
Mukmin also opines that the Bajau Laut communities are not encroaching on national boundaries.
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Diog Dios, retired teacher from Puncak Borneo
*Community Voices Silenced: The Impact of Political Interference on Rural Development*
The Borneo Post reported that Julau MP Larry Sng emphasized the significance of cooperation between the people and community leaders to ensure smooth and inclusive development processes. However, Diog commented that in many interior villages, village chiefs often face political pressure and interference, compromising their ability to represent the true interests and needs of their communities.
This political manipulation leads to a situation where villagers' voices are not adequately heard, and their genuine concerns and needs are not effectively communicated to higher authorities. Instead, village chiefs, influenced by political agendas, may prioritize the interests of political parties over the well-being of their communities.
As a result, villagers' requests for essential developments, such as infrastructure improvements, healthcare access, and educational facilities, often go unheard or are significantly delayed due to the chiefs' political biases. This creates a cycle of neglect and underdevelopment, perpetuating the struggles faced by these communities.
Furthermore, villagers' frustrations are compounded by the chiefs' reluctance to support initiatives that do not align with their political affiliations. This not only stifles community-driven projects but also undermines the trust between the villagers and their leaders. Consequently, the envisioned cooperation and unity become increasingly difficult to achieve.
To address this issue, it is imperative to ensure that village chiefs operate independently of political influence. By doing so, they can genuinely represent their communities and work towards their development needs without external pressures.