20 October 2023
Topik Pada Hari Ini
> Micheal Mering Jok, Setiausaha Agung SCRIPS (Masyarakat Hak Asasi Orang Asal Sarawak) – Mengatasi Ketidakadilan: Memastikan Hak Tanah Orang Asal Sarawak
> Barnie Lasimbang, aktivis alam sekitar – Penyiasatan Skandal Perlombongan Pasir Silika Sabah
> Encik Luke dari Bintulu – Demokrasi dalam Tindakan: Keperluan Persaingan Politik yang Sihat
On Today Show
> Micheal Mering Jok, Secretary General of SCRIPS (Society for Rights Of Indigenous People Of Sarawak) – Addressing Historical Injustices: Securing Land Rights for Sarawak's Indigenous People
> Barnie Lasimbang, environmental activist – Behind the Goat Rearing Farm Cover-Up: Investigating Sabah's Silica Sand Mining Scandal
> Mr Luke from Bintulu – Democracy in Action: The Need for Healthy Political Competition
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Special Randau
1. The Ministry of Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs (Sri Aman) successfully dismantled a subsidized diesel embezzlement syndicate involving an estimated 36,500 liters.
2. The Kota Bharu Kelantan Sessions Court has charged a headmaster with ten counts of using his position to obtain bribes exceeding RM8000 between January 2021 and July 2022. The headmaster is accused of awarding contracts to his wife's company for school equipment.
3. There is a movement among Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) students collecting signatures to support a petition for the release of Najib.
4. PAS Party Congress. Tun Mahathir's presence was met with enthusiastic takbir chants, and Hadi directed PAS to withdraw support from non-Muslim and non-Malay entities to enable the party to win PRU-16.
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Micheal Mering Jok, Secretary General of SCRIPS (Society for Rights Of Indigenous People Of Sarawak)
*Addressing Historical Injustices: Securing Land Rights for Sarawak's Indigenous People*
Michael Mering Jok feels surprised and perplexed by the fact that GPS Member of Parliament from Sri Aman, Sophia Brodie, earnestly applied to PMX for an allocation in the 2024 budget to conduct land measurements in NCR (Native Customary Rights) land in Sarawak. Firstly, this is incorrect because land falls under the jurisdiction of the state, and secondly, Sarawak itself possesses state funds amounting to RM30 billion, as Sarawak Premier Abang Johari has consistently boasted. Sophia Brodie should have urged the Premier to use these funds to complete the long-delayed land surveying for Sarawak residents. The issue of land measurement has been raised by GPS.
SCRIPS has already conducted land surveys for some longhouse residents in Sarawak, and this process is neither difficult nor expensive. The complexity arises when the GPS-led Sarawak government ventures into the interior regions and continues to survey land owned by villagers under Section 6. Section 6 surveys are conducted upon requests from Sarawak residents who do not possess land titles. They apply to the state government and are granted land with communal land status, which is utilized for a certain period of time. This type of land was allocated to Sarawakians who arrived in Sarawak after January 1, 1958, or after the formation of Malaysia. However, the Sarawak government should not survey the land belonging to our indigenous people who have inhabited the island of Borneo for hundreds of years prior to the arrival of the Brooks administration. In cases like these, the government should measure our land using Section 18, granting us ownership titles to our ancestral land. I request the GPS Sarawak administration to rectify this land ownership policy, as it is unfair and infringes upon the rights of our indigenous people.
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Barnie Lasimbang, environmental activist
*Behind the Goat Rearing Farm Cover-Up: Investigating Sabah's Silica Sand Mining Scandal*
The current controversial silica sand mining along the northern coast of Sabah, particularly in the vicinity of Kudat, Belambangan Island, Bangi Island, and other areas, is not a new issue. This matter dates back to a time when numerous large companies arrived in Sabah for mining activities. However, during the previous government's tenure, licenses for such activities were not granted due to concerns over their potential environmental impact. It's worth noting that the northern part of Sabah hosts the Tun Mustapha Marine Park, a hub for conservation efforts with a particularly delicate ecosystem.
Now, with the new government in place (GRS), which has a chief minister who is said to have approved licenses for a substantial area of silica sand mining, the issue has resurfaced. What has added fuel to the controversy is the scandal related to the approval of a large area for a goat rearing farm on Belambangan Island, which appears to be a cover-up for the actual purpose of silica sand mining. This development has ignited recent public concern.
Regarding the denial of involvement by the former Chief Minister in this matter, it appears that the denial may indeed be accurate.
It's important to understand that silica is a crucial component for making solar panels, which are instrumental in the global effort to combat climate change. These are the details available at present, and further information may emerge after Shafiee Abdal lodges a police report. The situation is under scrutiny, as the balance between economic development and environmental conservation remains a critical issue in the region.
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Mr Luke from Bintulu
*Democracy in Action: The Need for Healthy Political Competition*
The chief whip of GPS, Fadillah Yusof, has suggested that their candidate be allowed to win uncontested in the Jepak state by-election scheduled for November 4. He expressed confidence that even if there were other contenders, GPS would secure a convincing victory. Fadillah advised potential candidates to reconsider their decision to contest, as an uncontested win would save money and energy.
In Mr. Luke's opinion, it is crucial not to allow GPS to win without facing a challenge in the Jepak state by-election. He argues that even though the PH coalition did not put forward a candidate, there should be another opposition party participating in the Jepak State Legislative Assembly (DUN Jepak) contest. Mr. Luke firmly believes that the development initiatives in Jepak are not favorable to the people and are biased in some way.
His perspective underscores the importance of a healthy democratic process, where political competition ensures that the people have a choice and that policies and development projects are scrutinized and designed with the public's best interests in mind.
transfers, it may not effectively assist the people during the continued weak economy. The government should maintain the subsidy for petrol or diesel as everyone needs fuel for their daily lives and for transporting goods to rural areas, which is also subsidized. If fuel subsidies are removed or reduced, the cost of living will worsen and become critical because rising fuel prices will lead to uncontrollable price hikes. It's unnecessary to provide subsidies for essential goods, but the continuous subsidy for petrol is crucial. Fuel is the key to everything.