2 July 2024
On Today Show
— Special Randau
— Gabriel Atong, Resident of Punan Ba Longhouse, Belaga – Electricity Woes in Punan Ba: Questioning Sarawak's Allocation
— Nur Mohd Syafiq Dendi Abdullah, Chairman of the Customary Land JKOAK – Harvesting Destruction: Logging's Impact on Forest Ecosystems
【FORUM：COMMUNITY VOICE】
—Nekodemus Singai, activist from Sebauh Gedong – Who else but us, if not now, then when?
— Stem Liau, activist from Bakun – Resettlement Scheme Failures: Voices from Bakun and Murum
Topik Pada Hari Ini
— Randau Khas
— Gabriel Atong, Penduduk Rumah Panjang Punan, Belaga – Masalah Elektrik di Punan Ba: Mempersoalkan Peruntukan Sarawak
— Nur Mohd Syafiq Dendi Abdullah, Pengerusi Tanah Adat JKOAK – Pemusnahan Hasil: Impak Penebangan ke atas Ekosistem Hutan
【FORUM: SUARA KOMUNITI】
— Nekodemus Singai, aktivis dari Sebauh Gedong – Siapa lagi kalau bukan kita, kalau bukan sekarang, bila lagi?
— Stem Liau, aktivis dari Bakun – Kegagalan Skim Pemindahan Semula: Suara dari Bakun dan Murum
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Special Randau
1. RM5.5 Billion Lawsuit Against Najib Razak: The RM5.5 billion lawsuit filed by SRC International Sdn. Bhd. against Najib Razak will resume in the High Court on July 29. According to Najib's lead lawyer, Muhammad Shafee Abdullah, Najib will be called as a witness. The civil action against Najib is linked to allegations of misappropriation of RM4 billion and RM3.6 billion from loans received from the retirement fund between 2011 and 2012.2. Reduction of Punishment and Fine Against Najib: The Board of Pardons reduced Najib's sentence from 12 years to 6 years. The court allowed Najib to respond to a judicial review by the Bar Council.
3. Sarawak’s Wealth and Electrical Supply Issues: Sarawak, a state with RM40 billion in reserves, and SEB, a fully government-owned company, have faced criticism for not channeling electricity from the Bakun Dam to local villages. Gabriel Atong questioned Sarawak Premier Abang Johari Openg, asking why the GPS government still relies on federal assistance to provide electricity to the people when the state government is financially capable. Gabriel believes this is a way to grant contracts to cronies.
4. Radio Free Sarawak hosted a two-day forum in Miri last weekend, on June 29 and 30. Lawyers, social activists, politicians, and villagers from Sarawak's interior gathered to discuss various topics, including politics, the environment, land rights, and basic infrastructure. The discussions over these two days were lively and engaging. Starting today, we will be adding a new segment: Forum-Community Voice, where we will be broadcasting the content of the forum. Stay tuned!
-----------------------Gabriel Atong, Resident of Punan Ba Longhouse, Belaga
Electricity Woes in Punan Ba: Questioning Sarawak's Allocation
Punan Ba Longhouse is located approximately 50 km from the Bakun Dam. Gabriel attended the Community Voice Forum organized by RFS on June 29 and 30, 2024, in Miri. During the forum, Gabriel mentioned that his village, Punan Ba, is only about 42 km from the Bakun Dam but is not connected to the national grid by the Sarawak government and SEB. Punan Ba relies on a solar hybrid system for electricity supply, but residents often experience power outages because the solar hybrid system frequently breaks down.
Two days later, on July 1, 2024, Deputy Prime Minister Zahid visited Punan Ba and announced a RM4.2 million allocation to replace the often problematic solar hybrid batteries in Punan Ba. According to media reports, solar hybrid batteries need to be replaced every seven years. Gabriel is puzzled as to why the Sarawak government has not connected Punan Ba and the longhouses downstream of Bakun to the national grid, so as not to waste public funds on the costly maintenance and replacement of solar hybrid batteries. Connecting us to the national grid would benefit not only Punan Ba but also all villages, including the health clinic and primary school along the Rajang River, said Gabriel.
Moreover, SEB is a wholly state-owned company, and the Sarawak government has announced reserves of up to RM40 billion. My question is why are we still relying on federal assistance. Gabriel believes that this decision is to secure contracts and projects for GPS cronies. And indeed, during Deputy Prime Minister Zahid Hamidi's visit, contractors hoping for contracts from GPS gathered in large numbers to welcome Zahid Hamidi.
During this visit, Zahid also approved an allocation of RM21 million for the construction of a water treatment plant in Belaga, the construction of a 20 km road connecting Punan Ba to Bintulu, the installation of street lights in Belaga, and the upgrading of KEMAS offices and preschools under the Ministry of Rural and Regional Development (KKDW). All these allocations will be requested in the 2025 budget.
Punan Ba Longhouse is the longhouse of the wife of Hulu Rajang MP, Wilson Ugak Kumbong, who is currently the Deputy Minister of Digital Malaysia.
-----------------------Nur Mohd Syafiq Dendi Abdullah, Chairman of the Customary Land JKOAK
*Harvesting Destruction: Logging's Impact on Forest Ecosystems*Last week, Dendi led a group of Orang Asli from Gua Musang, Kelantan, to Parliament to meet with the Parliamentary Special Task Force. The most critical agenda was the crisis of wildlife and human conflict.
Recently, another Orang Asli man was trampled to death by an elephant while tapping rubber in his garden. The entire Orang Asli community in Gua Musang is affected. Not only are elephants their enemies, but tigers and bears also live in the same area. This is due to logging, and the latest issue is tin and copper mining, which is now operating in the area, although the process is still ongoing. Their situation is becoming worse as their gardens are destroyed by elephants, leaving most Orang Asli in the interior without food. They have to travel for hours to town to obtain food.
-----------------------【FORUM：COMMUNITY VOICE】
Nekodemus Singai, activist from Sebauh GedongWho else but us, if not now, then when?
Before the forum began, Nikodemus shared his experiences of decades spent with villagers fighting against logging companies and the Sarawak state government. He recounted being arrested overnight once for obstructing logging activities. He emphasized that the resistance against logging companies encroaching on their land has always been a grassroots effort by the villagers.
In 2023, after years of struggle, the villagers finally saw closure. The case involved villagers from multiple longhouses who had sued a company and individuals for trespassing on their native customary rights (NCR) land. The Federal Court's decision upheld earlier rulings from the High Court and Court of Appeal, confirming the villagers' rights over the disputed land. This legal victory is significant for indigenous communities asserting their land rights amidst ongoing disputes over land use and ownership in Sarawak.
Summing up at the forum, Nikodemus concluded with the words, "Who else but us, if not now, then when?", inspiring attendees to persevere in their efforts.
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【FORUM：COMMUNITY VOICE】
Stem Liau, an activist from Bakun
Resettlement Scheme Failures: Voices from Bakun and Murum
Stem Liau explained that the problems in the resettlement scheme are merely empty promises. No victims of Bakun and Murum have become wealthy as promised by the Sarawak leaders when Bakun Dam was initially built. Each family was only given 3 acres of land, which is insufficient. The land given is swampy, rocky, and steep. How are we supposed to manage such small plots of land? The wooden houses are deteriorating. Everyone feels betrayed by the promises of development through the Bakun Dam project.
However, the main mistake of the Bakun community was agreeing to surrender their land for the dam project. After the dam was completed, some land did not get submerged. However, at that time, our community leaders did not support us returning to the old village. Now, the community leaders have started to support us going back to our original village. But how can we return when our land has been gazetted under government land, Section 6?
Now, our rights as indigenous people have been eradicated by the authorities.