30 August 2024
On Today Show
— Jok Jau Ivong. Coordinator of Sahabat Alam Malaysia, Sarawak region – From Reforestation to Profit: The Hidden Motives of Sarawak's Tree Planting Efforts
— Richard Engan from Baram – Baram's Forgotten People: The Need for True Development
Topik Pada Hari Ini
— Jok Jau Ivong, Penyelaras Sahabat Alam Malaysia, Wilayah Sarawak – Dari Penghutanan Semula ke Keuntungan: Motif Tersembunyi di Sebalik Usaha Penanaman Pokok di Sarawak
— Richard Engan dari Baram – Rakyat Terpinggir di Baram: Keperluan untuk Pembangunan Sebenar
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Special Randau
1. The claim by the Sarawak government that they have succeeded in planting 35 million trees is false - said the Coordinator of Sahabat Alam Makaysia Sarawak Region. What the Sarawak government claims can be questioned. What they are doing is a monoculture tree planting scheme to be sold by logging companies. Trees are indeed planted but cut down again when they are mature. This is not what the green Malaysia campaign wants. What do we really want, we plant a tree to replace what has been cut down and the tree remains forever. It is better to plant a tree than a local tree species.2. The Singapore High Court allowed 1MDB's RM1.7 billion claim against BSI to continue.
3. The MACC opened investigation papers against 5 employers for allegedly using false documents in the application for Employment Passes for foreign workers under the RTK2.0 program. This information is in line with what was reported by the spokesperson of Penan Metalun Murum-Gereng Jadum who claimed that the company Danum Sinar employed Indonesian foreign workers without valid work permits. We are waiting for further investigation as to whether companies from Sarawak are also involved.
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Jok Jau Ivong. Coordinator of Sahabat Alam Malaysia, Sarawak region
From Reforestation to Profit: The Hidden Motives of Sarawak's Tree Planting Efforts
The success of planting 35 million trees as claimed by the Sarawak government is a lie and a fraud. There is no clear evidence that they succeeded in planting trees as claimed. How can we prove they are lying, ie the trees that are claimed to be planted are cultivated under the forest plantation management scheme by the logging companies. The trees that are planted are monoculture and when it reaches a certain time it will be cut down for sale as well. The main motive of the Green Malaysia Campaign is to plant trees to replace those that have been cut down and the trees that are planted cannot be cut down again for commercial purposes. It is clear that what the Sarawak government is doing is a fraud and publicity to cover up the environmental crimes they are committing. Another example of their failure is related to FMU. The government claims that 26 FMUs that they work on have been certified and the same goes for 8 FPMU schemes that have also managed to get recognition and certification. But what actually happened according to Jok Jau was. Studies, surveys and certificates obtained from local residents are information that has been falsified or modified. Residents were also not given copies of the documents they had signed. If it is true that the Sarawak government wants to conserve the environment and be an example and leader in this campaign. The first step is transparency in all certification processes, replanting local wood species that cannot be cut down and logged again. Stop commercial logging and plantations and plans to build mega dams - Jok Jau Ivong says.
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Richard Engan from Baram
Baram's Forgotten People: The Need for True Development
Richarh Engan explained that many road and bridge projects have been canceled in Baram, including Marudi, since the 1970s. Indeed, for more than 60 years, progress in Baram has not been made for the people of Baram. There has been no master plan for the development of Baram over the past 60 years. For example, road projects have been more focused on the route from Miri to Kuching, but there are still areas along the road that have not experienced any development. The Sarawak government has a budget surplus of up to 40 billion ringgit, but allocations are not given to the Baram area, which is effectively a part of Pahang state.
The people are not asking for continuous financial assistance from the government; what they have wanted for decades are roads, 24-hour electricity, clean water supply, health clinics, and comfortable schools for teachers and students in remote areas.
People often point fingers at the government for not providing progress, but the real problem lies with the hands that vote for a government that consistently oppresses the people.