25 April 2024
On Today Show
— John Brian Anthony, Sarawak Political Analyst – Sarawak's Call for Inclusive Policy Representation
— Robert Muyang from Sebauh Bintulu – Urgent Call to Halt Illegal Logging in Ulu Sebau
— Jeffrey Ngui, chairman of Muda Sarawak – Revitalizing Youth Interest in Politics: Strategies for Change
Topik Pada Hari Ini
— John Brian Anthony, Analis Politik Sarawak – Panggilan Sarawak untuk Representasi Dasar yang Inklusif
— Robert Muyang dari Sebauh Bintulu – Panggilan Mendesak untuk Menghentikan Pembalakan Haram di Ulu Sebau
— Jeffrey Ngui, pengerusi Muda Sarawak – Menghidupkan Semula Minat Belia dalam Politik: Strategi untuk Perubahan
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Special Randau
1. Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim should appoint a Sarawakian to be a member of the Policy Advisory Committee to the Prime Minister. Sarawakian political analyst John Brian suggests an economics professor from Sarawak, Medeline Berma, who is qualified to advise the Prime Minister.
2. It is time for the Sarawak government to review the outdated, unfair, and oppressive land laws that affect the original owners of Native Customary Rights (NCR) land. This is the demand of Roland Engan, the Chairman of PKR Sarawak. Roland and his colleagues will hold a Public Hearing to gather public feedback.
3. Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim has denied media reports claiming that the government is in negotiations to open a casino in Forest City, Johor.
4. Five Court of Appeal judges will hear Muhyiddin Yassin's application to overturn his dismissal and be acquitted in the abuse of power case involving the Jana Wibawa program. Muhyiddin faces 4 charges of abuse of power and 3 charges of money laundering related to the Jana Wibawa program worth RM232.5 million.
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John Brian Anthony, Sarawak Political Analyst
*Sarawak's Call for Inclusive Policy Representation*
John Brian was surprised by the statement from the Prime Minister's Department appointing 4 policy advisors to Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim. All of them are from Malaya, none from Sarawak. His question is - does PM Anwar truly understand the situation in Sarawak to the extent that he does not need policy advisors from Sarawak, or does PMX only rely on GPS advice? - asks John Brian.
John believes Professor Dr. Madeline Berma, a Dayak Sarawakian economist, is qualified to advise the Prime Minister. Prof. Madeline has conducted many studies and has been in rural areas in Sarawak.
When asked about new policies that need to be implemented in Sarawak, John Brian believes that many reforms need to be done immediately to qualify Anwar as the Father of Reform. Among the policies currently formulated, he sees the importance of the 3 main races - Malays, Chinese, and Indians. Now is the time for the Dayaks to be included. Policies should not prioritize only one religion but instead provide assistance and attention to all religions in Malaysia.
The role of the Malay sultans is so dominant in the administration of the country. Why doesn't the TYT of Sarawak have the same authority? Current land policies tend to grant PL to giant companies that are already wealthy. But why doesn't the government gazette land for development by poor villagers and rural areas? The same company is given the opportunity to build wealth repeatedly. The poor are left behind. It is time for the government to establish an agency focused on devising ways to develop the Dayak of Sarawak, which goes down to the ground to meet and dialogue with the poor in simple language - says John Brian.
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Robert Muyang from Sebauh Bintulu
*Urgent Call to Halt Illegal Logging in Ulu Sebau*
After filing a police report a few days ago, Robert Muyang is very disappointed that no action has been taken by the police. He went to the field and saw that more and more wood had been cut by a company whose owner is still unknown. Although Robert Muyang has called the longhouse community affected by the encroachment, the number of people is very small and they are afraid to speak up and act to defend against the entry of the logging company.
He hopes that by exposing the illegal logging activities on his ancestors' land, it will draw the attention of the Forestry Department and other government departments related to the environment.
Although, according to Robert, this encroachment is related to the Village Chief, he will meet with the Village Chief soon to discuss the entry of the logging company and hopes that other community members will also be brave enough to speak up. He requests the attention of the Sarawak Premier after media reports are made so that this illegal logging activity can be stopped immediately for the sake of the environment that should not be destroyed due to the felling of trees.
He said the loggers had encroached on his family land, which is in the native customary rights land category, in Ulu Sebau. They have already cut down a number of trees on the 20-hectare plot of land, he said.
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Jeffrey Ngui, chairman of Muda Sarawak
*Revitalizing Youth Interest in Politics: Strategies for Change*
Young voters are not interested in being part of a political party, according to Hisomuddin Bakar, the Executive Director of Ilham Centre. Jeffrey, speaking from the perspective of the MUDA party, noted that since its establishment with the vision to amplify youth voices and enact reforms, MUDA has found that current youths are generally uninterested in political parties nationwide. However, this does not indicate a lack of concern about politics; rather, it reflects a sense of disillusionment with the political chaos that has prevailed since 2018. There is a widespread feeling of disgust towards the actions of current politicians, especially those who have remained in power for extended periods, such as in Sarawak.
Despite this trend, MUDA is not solely focused on youth; they also have members below the age of 17. MUDA has devised plans to engage youth who are not interested in politics by introducing three drafts: service politics, value politics, and resolution politics. These drafts aim to involve youths in social and community services, as well as political services, particularly in urban poor areas. MUDA seeks to awaken the youth to the importance of political involvement through these initiatives.