22 July 2024
On Today Show
— Tuai Rumah Keliang anak Suat, head of Merakai village, Serian – Sarawak Day at the Blockade: Merakai Villagers Stand Firm for Land Rights
— Gereng Jadum, Residents of Penan Metalun, Murum Sarawak – Sarawak Independence Day Highlights Inequality
— Dennis Along, activist from Mulu –Sarawak Day Message: Empowering the Marginalized for a Fair Future
— Mukmin Nantang, founder of Borneo Komra – Borneo Komrad: Fighting for Rights and Education in Sabah
Topik Pada Hari Ini
— Tuai Rumah Keliang anak Suat, ketua kampung Merakai, Serian – Hari Sarawak di Sekatan: Penduduk Merakai Bertegas untuk Hak Tanah
— Gereng Jadum, Penduduk Penan Metalun, Murum Sarawak – Hari Kemerdekaan Sarawak Menyoroti Ketidakadilan
— Dennis Along, aktivis dari Mulu – Pesanan Hari Sarawak: Memperkasa Golongan Terpinggir untuk Masa Depan yang Adil
— Mukmin Nantang, pengasas Borneo Komrad – Borneo Komrad: Memperjuangkan Hak dan Pendidikan di Sabah
-
Special Randau
1. Sarawak Day is celebrated all over Sarawak. Bintulu city is beautifully decorated with lights and an entertaining party atmosphere. TYT and Premier of Sarawak are in Bintulu for the purpose of official reception. But according to Gereng Jadum, only urban areas are developed in Sarawak. We in the countryside are poor and needy. Infrastructure is not built to our area in Murum- said Gereng. Even more ironic, the villagers celebrate Sarawak Day at the blockade site. Demanding that their rights to the land be returned and certified. The head of Kampung Merakai reported to the RFS from the blockade site in Serian.2. UMNO denies that there are discussions to form a collaboration with the PAS party. The denial was expressed by umno secretary general Asraf Wajdi Dusuki. Discussion may be among supporters. But not among the leaders, said Asraf.
3. No release without the release of DNAA to Najib Razak and Irwan Serigar in the breach of trust case involving RM6.6 billion. The Kuala Lumpur High Court today rejected Najib's defense team's application for DNAA. JUDGE Jamil Hussin ordered the trial in another 3 months, which is on 14 Nov 2024.
------------------------
Tuai Rumah Keliang anak Suat, head of Merakai village, Serian
Sarawak Day at the Blockade: Merakai Villagers Stand Firm for Land Rights
Tuai Rumah Keliang reported that he and 95 villagers who blockaded against the company Trade Winds/Melor Gemilang Plantation were celebrating Sarawak Day 22/7 at the blockade site inside the Palm Oil Plantation Area. The irony is that Sarawak has been independent for more than 61 years, so the people should not have to blockade anymore to claim their rights and land ownership. Residents of Merakai village celebrated Sarawak Day under close supervision by the police and security enforcement. According to him, we have been blocked for over a month and last week our lawyer had a consultation with the tradewinde plantation company. If the company agrees to our proposal/ is adequately compensated. We will stop the blockade. If not, the blockade will continue indefinitely. My message to the people of Sarawak who are facing the problem of land grabbing. Do not give up. If the land is yours and your right. You must dare to fight until your goal is achieved. Once again happy Sarawak day from us Merakai villagers from Trade Winds- Serian farm blockade site. My message to the Sarawak GPS government, return our rights to our ancestral heritage.
------------------------
Gereng Jadum, Residents of Penan Metalun, Murum Sarawak
Sarawak Independence Day Highlights Inequality
According to Gereng, today the celebration of Sarawak Day was celebrated in the city of Bintulu with the presence of TYT and the Premier of Sarawak. The streets are beautifully decorated and lights are installed with different colors. As the official center for Sarawak's 61st year of independence. Bintulu is seen as a modern yet luxurious city. Gereng said - only a part of the state of Sarawak is developed and independent. What progress do we outside the city have.? Gereng asked. Try TYT and the Premier of Sarawak to come to the hinterland like in Murum?. We live in poverty and have no infrastructure facilities. More than ten years have been transferred to the Murum resettlement area. Primary schools have not even been built for our children. We use log roads to get to nearby towns and cities. No health clinic and no jobs for us. We are still living as poor as before the Murum dam was built. In fact, our life is even more difficult because there is no more forest for us to hunt and find food. I ask TYT and the Premier of Sarawak to come and see our living conditions, see how bad our roads are and how poor our lives are in the new Murum settlement area. Independent Sarawak does not mean anything to us - Gereng Jadum said - Penan people from Murum. 7 penen communities were moved from their original settlements to make way for the construction of the murum dam. But after more than 10 years the Murum dam was built. The people there are still oppressed by poverty. Gereng also warned Yb the gloomy area - if our area continues to be left behind in the tide of progress and poverty. In the next election we will not vote for GPS again.
------------------------
Dennis Along, activist from Mulu
Sarawak Day Message: Empowering the Marginalized for a Fair Future
Dennis Along is indeed proud of Sarawak Day as it commemorates the state's liberation from colonization. However, what is the meaning of being a rich and independent state if the people are neglected and impoverished? The rights of the people are often denied for the sake of political gain.
He expresses that true independence should not only be a celebration of historical events but also a reflection of the well-being and prosperity of all its citizens. Dennis emphasizes that many rural and marginalized communities in Sarawak continue to live in poverty, lacking basic infrastructure, healthcare, and education. The wealth of the state seems to be concentrated in urban areas, leaving the hinterlands and their inhabitants struggling to survive.
Dennis urges the people of Sarawak not to be mentally colonized by the politics of PBB GPS any longer. He calls for a collective awakening and a courageous shift in the political landscape of Sarawak. True independence, according to Dennis, can only be achieved when the people rise up to demand their rights and ensure that the benefits of development are equitably distributed.
The true essence of Sarawak Day should be reflected in the empowerment of its people, the protection of their rights, and the pursuit of a fair and prosperous society. Dennis hopes that this year's Sarawak Day will inspire a renewed commitment to these ideals and a collective effort to bring about meaningful change.
------------------------
Mukmin Nantang, founder of Borneo Komra
Borneo Komrad: Fighting for Rights and Education in Sabah
Borneo Komrad was formed with the aim of fighting for environmental and human rights, especially for marginalized and discriminated communities in Sabah.
They started by introducing alternative schools for communities that were denied the right to education, including access to health care, good security, and a proper childhood environment for their children. Currently, there is no specific data to tally the number of undocumented communities, but many NGOs estimate the number to be around 800,000. Some NGOs even predict that over one million people are undocumented.
With this kind of education, at least those undocumented communities can learn about their own identity, history, and rights.