19 June 2024
On Today Show
— Nicholas Mujah, Secretary General of SADIA – Sarawak's Resource Riches: The Disconnect Between Government Promises and Reality
— Barnie Lasimbang, Founder of Tonibung, environmental activist – Uncovering the True Hardcore Poor in Sabah
— Robert Muyang, Social activist from Bintulu – Democracy in Community Leadership: Ensuring Transparency and Fairness
Topik Pada Hari Ini
— Nicholas Mujah, Setiausaha Agung SADIA – Kekayaan Sumber Sarawak: Perbezaan Antara Janji Kerajaan dan Realiti
— Barnie Lasimbang, Pengasas Tonibung, aktivis alam sekitar – Mengenal Pasti Golongan Miskin Sebenar di Sabah
— Robert Muyang, Aktivis sosial dari Bintulu – Demokrasi dalam Kepimpinan Komuniti: Memastikan Kejelasan dan Keadilan
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Special Randau
1. Sarawak's natural resource wealth - Follow the way developed countries distribute wealth to the poor and indigenous people. Don't just imitate mining methods and technology, but also follow how they distribute the wealth and resources - said Nicholas Mujah.2. The Speaker of the Kelantan State Legislative Assembly has declared the vacancy of the Nenggiri State Assembly seat after the assemblyman was expelled from the PPBM party for supporting Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim. Therefore, Wan Saiful (a member of the PPBM supreme council) said the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Johari Abdul, should also follow suit as shown by the Speaker of the Kelantan State Legislative Assembly. The Speaker of the House of Representatives should declare the vacancy of the 6 parliamentary seats.
--------------------------------Nicholas Mujah, Secretary General of SADIA
Sarawak's Resource Riches: The Disconnect Between Government Promises and Reality
Sarawak plans to bring in the latest mining technology from Canada to extract valuable metal resources from beneath Sarawak’s earth. This was stated by the Deputy Premier of Sarawak, Awang Tengah Ali Hasan. According to Awang Tengah, studies by the Sarawak Geological Department show that there are deposits of gold, mineral ores, bauxite, and rare earths worth RM1.25 trillion. Awang Tengah made this statement to the media after returning from a visit to the Micassa Gold Mine located in Kirkland, Toronto, Canada.Nicholas Mujah believes this is good news for the people of Sarawak, similar to the positive news when natural gas and oil were discovered in Miri and Bintulu some time ago. He hopes that such visits by Sarawak leaders to foreign countries become more frequent. They should not only imitate the sustainable and advanced mining technology and methods but also adopt transparent and fair governance practices.
He emphasizes that the Sarawak government should also emulate how developed countries distribute wealth so that it can be enjoyed by all groups and ensure infrastructure facilities reach even the interior areas. Nicholas, hailing from Sri Aman, observes that there are indeed many natural resources in his hometown. However, because the people are less politically aware and choose irresponsible representatives from GPS who do not strive to develop the Sri Aman area, it remains backward.
Nicholas asserts that even though Sarawak's resources will increase in the future, if the representatives in an area do not strive to help the poor, the people will remain poor and left behind. He insists that Sarawak leaders must also adopt the right way of returning mining revenues to the local population, similar to how Canada collaborates with the indigenous Red Indian communities.
--------------------------------Barnie Lasimbang, Founder of Tonibung, environmental activist
*Uncovering the True Hardcore Poor in Sabah*On May 31, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim revealed that hardcore poverty in Sabah had dropped from 20,000 to 9,000 households. Anwar, who is also the finance minister, said he planned to eradicate hardcore poverty in the state by the end of July.
Barnie agreed with what the former Chief Minister voiced, stating that the statistic cited by the PM does not reflect the real situation. One of the main factors is that, in Sabah, we must look not only at the situation of Indigenous Peoples but also at the broader aspect of undocumented communities, including immigrants who are mostly at the hardcore poor stage. The problems faced by these populations also impact the state economy, so we must consider holistic measures.
Secondly, we need to address the best means to tackle the hardcore poor index. Currently, the programs run by the federal government via ministries such as KPLB and other agencies aim to reduce these hardcore poor communities. However, these programs are mostly handouts, such as cash and food distributions. Barnie believes this is not the way to help the poor. We must look into a long-term and holistic approach. One way to help these poor communities is to engage them in agriculture and food processing, among other initiatives. We all know that one of the factors causing hardcore poverty is related to the destruction of forest products after the timber industry dominated all the forest resources. The destruction of forests has reduced the natural resources used by communities for their socio-economic activities. The timber industry initially provided jobs for the communities, but now it has almost disappeared in Sabah, causing roads to deteriorate.
--------------------------------Robert Muyang, Social activist from Bintulu
*Democracy in Community Leadership: Ensuring Transparency and Fairness*
Robert shared information about the appointment of community leaders and JKKK (Village Development and Security Committee) in his area of Sebauh, Bintulu. There is a lot of political interference in the selection process for political gain. This is because the appointed community leaders or JKKK members are from active political party members who work for the interests of the State Assemblyman or Member of Parliament in his area. This is very concerning if this system continues to be practiced without considering the interests of the community in choosing their leaders through democratic principles.Robert called for a reevaluation of the appointment process for community leaders and JKKK members. He urged for a system that prioritizes democratic principles and the genuine needs of the community. According to him, it is essential to implement a transparent and fair election process where community members have the power to choose their leaders freely. This would ensure that those who are elected are truly representative of the community’s interests and are committed to working for the betterment of all.