20 August 2024
On Today Show
— RFS Listener who don’t want revealed name – A fight between the villagers in Suai Niah and the WTK Plantation thugs
— Komeok Joe, Penan Activist – Neglected Communities: The Ongoing Struggle for Citizenship Rights
— (call-in) Mr. Bernard from Tatau, Bintulu – Struggling to Survive: The Harsh Reality of Rising Costs
Topik Pada Hari Ini
— Pendengar RFS yang tidak mahu namanya didedahkan – Pertempuran antara penduduk kampung di Suai Niah dan samseng-samseng WTK Plantation.
— Komeok Joe, Aktivis Penan – Komuniti Terpinggir: Perjuangan Berterusan untuk Hak Kewarganegaraan.
— (panggilan masuk) Encik Bernard dari Tatau, Bintulu – Berjuang untuk Bertahan: Realiti Kehidupan yang Sukar dengan Kos Hidup yang Meningkat.
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Special Randau
1. Another case of a fight between thugs of a palm oil plantation company and local residents. This time it happened in Suai Niah. The palm oil plantation company WTK was attacked by local residents because they were not satisfied with the company's treatment of them. But the real cause of the fight is still unknown. Police are investigating the incident and are asking the public not to speculate about what happened.2. PMX Anwar Ibrahim's first working visit to rural Sarawak on 29 Sept 2024. PMX is expected to visit Kapit and preparations are underway. Anwar is expected to review the progress/regress of Kapit for more than 60 years under the administration of BN/UMNo. Many predict that PMX will announce something that will appeal to the people of Sarawak to continue to support him as prime minister and vote for his party in the next general election.
-----------------------RFS Listener who don’t want revealed name
*A fight between the villagers in Suai Niah and the WTK Plantation thugs*Yesterday it went viral on the social media of the Palm Oil plantation company WTK in Suai, Niah. A group of 200 villagers were attacked. WTK company suffered a lot of damage. Houses and office equipment were broken into and company vehicles were overturned. Until now, no party can provide accurate information about what actually happened. Today RFS contacted some residents of Suai Niah. They confirmed the incident did happen but gave a different report. Some reported that the villagers attacked the plantation company because the company often brought thugs to intimidate and extort them. Some also reported that the company brought thugs to drive away villagers who stole WTK's palm oil and some also reported that this incident was a personal fight between several individuals related to the management of the WTK company. The parties interviewed by RFS also refused to reveal their names and real identities. For now, a number of residents have been arrested by the police and the investigation is ongoing. It is not yet clear whether this fight happened because of a conflict related to land acquisition or the crime of stealing palm fruit.
-----------------------Komeok Joe, Penan Activist
*Neglected Communities: The Ongoing Struggle for Citizenship Rights*
Komeok Joe supports and breathes a sigh of relief after the Federal Government and the Sarawak State Government collaborated to resolve the citizenship issues. However, the people should be aware that the MADANI government is more concerned with citizenship problems that have long been unresolved by previous administrations.In this citizenship issue, it's not just the Penan or Orang Ulu who face citizenship problems; other ethnic groups, such as the Lun Bawang in the Lawas region, also encounter similar issues.
According to Komeok, the main reason these citizenship problems cannot be resolved is the negligence of community leaders and Penghulus, who allow their communities to be left behind because their lack of MyKad severely limits their movement, including access to government clinics and education.
The National Registration Department (JPN) has also not performed their duties in detail and has not been actively reaching out to remote areas to facilitate applications for those living in the interior.
We hope that the Sarawak JPN will be more diligent in the future for the sake of human rights and justice.
-----------------------Mr. Bernard from Tatau, Bintulu
Struggling to Survive: The Harsh Reality of Rising Costs
Mr Bernard shared about the increasingly pressing cost of living. At 58 years old, Mr. Bernard, who is supporting two grandchildren and three school-aged children, was overcome with sadness and tears during an interview with RFS as he shared that his house was repossessed by the bank. His 20 years of hard work have gone to waste because he has been unemployed since the Covid-19 pandemic. After the pandemic subsided, he was unable to find a job because he had to care for his grandchildren, who were left behind by their parents. As a result, he has been surviving on a small income from the half-ton of palm oil produced by the small plantation he manages. He appeals to the government to address the rising cost of living for the sake of survival.