"Terima Kasih" PKTS..?

Kemelut berhubung isu tanah NCR yang tidak begitu disenangi oleh banyak pihak di Daerah Tuto Apoh and juga Baram Tengah belum lagi mendapat kata putus. Di Kampung Long Banyok dan Long Ikang Baram,pemetaan tanah dan konsesi (PL) untuk tujuan penanaman kelapa sawit telah dibuat. Imbuhan yang dijanjikan oleh PKTS adalah RM150/hektar mendapat reaksi bercampur-campur oleh penduduk kampung. Di Long Banyok umpamanya, perjanjian konsesi yang dikeluarkan oleh PKTS ternyata tidak menguntungkan penduduk dan risiko kehingan hak tanah pada masa akan datang.Penduduk Long Ikang juga mula membantah usaha tersebut selepas beberapa bantahan sebelum ini di Long Panai, Tuto Apoh. Sekarang, siapa yang beria-ia dengan projek ini?.

Seperti yang dilaporkan di media tempatan Borneo Post pada 10 Februari 2011, ketua masyarakat daerah Baram mengucapkan terima kasih kepada PKTS kerana membangunkan tanah NCR.Kehadiran Temenggong Pahang Deng dan Pemanca Joesph Ngau Lian di PKTS Gallery baru-baru seolah-oleh memberi lampu hijau kepada syarikat itu terus mengondol tanah NCR di Ulu Baram tanpa kerelaan semua pihak. Temenggong Pahang juga mengeluarkan kenyataan bahawa syarikat PKTS melaksanakan tanggungjawab sosial dengan baik dan prihatin terhadap penduduk. Juga mempertahankan tindakan syarikat PKTS tidak mengambil tanah penduduk kampung, malah mengatakan bahawa PKTS serta pekerja syarikat tersebut sangat menghormati dan faham kehendak penduduk.Kehadiran dan kenyataan Temengong Pahang dan Pemanca Joseph disambut baik oleh Pengurus Korporat PKTS, Datuk Vincent G Chapman. Bagaimana pula dengan penduduk kampung di Daerah Baram keseluruhanya yang tanah mereka terlibat.? Adakah mereka sangat berpuas hati dan gembira dengan tidakan syarikat PKTS yang mempergunakan tanah NCR mereka dengan membelkangi hak dan masa depan mereka.

Ini merupaka tindakan memperdaya dan tidak telus oleh pihak berwajib di dalam mengedalikan tanah NCR OU yang terus diceroboh dan tidak menjanjikan pulangan pada masa akan datang.Tindakan seumpama ini harus difikirkan oleh semua OU agar hak mereka tidak tergadai oleh keputusan sesetnagah pihak terutamnya pihak yang mempunyai kepentingan di dalam projek seumpama ini.Jika T. Pahang dan Pemanca Joseph masih ingat dan faham hati rakyat, penduduk Lg Panai, Lg Ikang dan Lg Banyok telah membuat bantahan terhadap pencerobohan tanah ini. Tahun lepas satu petition telah dibuat dikalangan anak muda di Lg Banyok membantah keputusan dan tawaran PKTS tetapi tetapi masih dipertahankan oleh Penghulu Theodarus Lenjau Kulleh dengan alasan yang sama.Apa yang jelas kenyataan media oleh pihak tertentu tidaklah sebenarnya menggambarkan semua kehendak penduduk Baram. Sebenarnya, mereka inginkan HAK tanah NCR mereka dijaga, dihormati dan diakui oleh kerajaan dan tidak ditipu.

Artikel (by 'Burak Sem' )

Baram Dam in My View and that of Lihan Jok

From: Burak Sem | February 10, 2011

I have been thinking hard the past couple of days if I should write about this, to share with you on my thoughts about the proposal Baram Dam by the Sarawak Government.
You might think that I am not qualified to speak about environmental issues just because I have not been to a certain school or so, but I can tell you something for nothing there are some things in life one can not learn in school, and what I am speaking about is simple logic. I know where I come from and I know where I am going, what frightens me most of all is the people who will be occupying planet earth in time to come when you and I no more - dead and totally forgotten.

My take on dams blocking the Baram River is summed up in this sentence - Baram River and its tributaries to the Orang Ulu as veins and blood vessels are to the human body. Blocking the path way and holding back huge quantities of water or blood where it should not be held is a certain recipe for disaster. The Orang Ulus a racial group will be just history.

As the times change we have to change with it, we have the technologies our fore-fathers only dreamed of in time gone by, the time has now come to where our responsibility is to fine tune and adjust our mental attitude and understanding towards the real task that lay before us, for if earth is really heaven the planets and moons that surround us in space can be called hell.
After a long and hard reflection, I have decided to put my thoughts on the proposed Baram Dam in writing.
I may not be qualified academically or technically to give an appraisal on this proposal by the Sarawak State Government; however, as an Orang Ulu, I am well aware of the consequence of such a project on the immediate environment and the people of the Baram. I also foresee the long term repercussions which will affect the entire future of the region and the affected habitants. The deprivation resulting from this ravenous act will be felt and inherited by generations to come, long after those irresponsible offenders are dead and gone. The Baram River and the whole of the Baram District is so much a part of the Orang Ulu people and so to intervene by damming and drowning the Baram is like choking the Orang Ulu community, the ethnic people of the area. The blatant greed which motivates the destruction by damming it will mortally destroy the environment and the social structure of the people.

The Orang Ulu communities are not spared from universal change brought about by modern technologies and knowhow. Indeed the communities have to move on in tandem with advancement. At the same time the noble values which are ours as handed to us by our forefathers must never be discarded. These good values should instead by made relevant to the phase and outlook of the modern culture and our Christian faith.

On the 10th September 2010, Borneo Post published an article, occupying almost a quarter page of the broad sheet, titled, “Lihan insists Baram Dam a gift for Orang Ulu”. In the article Lihan Jok, the Member of State Legislative Council (ADUN) for Telang Usan, was quoted as saying, “I am not ashamed to say that the mega project is a gift from God because as a result of the project the government will build a 60-km road from Long Lama to the dam site at Long Keseh, benefitting about 12,000 Kayans from nine longhouses along the river,”. However, at an interview on 31st Jan 2011, by “Radio Free Sarawak” - http://radiofreesarawak.org/, when asked to elaborate on his comment, Lihan’s respond was rather elusive. Besides, from the way he answered the radio interviewer, it was possible that he wasn’t aware that the conversation was broadcasted or recorded.

Nonetheless, in my view Lihan’s interview with the radio gave one true picture of what is now happening to the whole Baram Dam issue. It is mysterious. It is a game of cat and mouse, there is no openness or transparency in the dealings. In fact the first time I heard about the proposed 12 dams was an article on the Bruno Manser Foundation Website, following all the hurly burly following the construction of the Bakun dam. Even those who will bear the brunt of it are not well informed about the proposed Baram dam if they are informed at all. Even at the present moment, perhaps the only place where it most is mentioned or debated about is in cyberspace. What little which is known or publicized about these dams is mostly found on blogs and emails by concerned individuals who themselves may not at all be the stakeholders.

In an issue of this gargantuan proportion, a normal government would first of all make sure that all the thorough studies are not only carried out but seen to be carried out. All results of such studies would thus be made available to the public especially those who are affected. Studies like the Environment Impact Assessment (EIA), Social Impact Assessments, Due Diligence etc. Public debates on the issue would then be encouraged and publicized. All comments would thus be valued and evaluated before any decision is made. All relevant issues raised and woes would therefore be appropriately addressed so that in the process of implementation and maintenance the project would use the best means in achieving a beneficial goal. The goal alone must not justify the means. Each statements made by authorities would be qualified with facts which are objective or based on proven and professional evaluation. But as can be seen with what is transpiring at the moment this particular government and their “leaders” does not believe in all the aforementioned. Forget about the “People First action now” rhetoric, it is just that and nothing more.

If we take Lihan’s statement in Borneo Post at face value to be facts, that there are “12,000 Kayans from nine longhouses along the river from Long Lama to Long Keseh” who will benefit from the road built to the dam site.” Yes there is no doubt that it sounds so attractive, indeed Lihan Jok’s prayer has been answered. (He said that he has been praying for trunk roads to be built to each village in Telang Usan.) Where there is no road, there will be roads. So these 12,000 Kayans will have roads. In the same Borneo Post article, Lihan claimed that this is “bigger picture” that critics must look at. But, looking at the “bigger picture” that Lihan invited us to focus on, I see a completely different scenario looming and that is one where the other Kayan, Penan and mostly Kenyah who are living in more than ten longhouses above Long Keseh. With the construction of the dam their longhouses or dwellings will be submerged or inundated.. So with this I would like to ask, about their fate brought about by the so called God given dam? Are they included in Liha’s prayer too? Did he pray for them to be totally eliminated with all they have and all they stand for? The resulting destruction and annihilation brought about by the flood from the dam is irrevocable and massive. Why all because Lihan his friends pray for roads to be constructed for 12,000 Kayan who live in longhouses below Long Keseh.

Once the dam is built, all the crops, fruit trees, graves, life stocks, longhouses, farm houses and land belonging to these group of Kayan, Penan & mostly Kenyah will vanish under a big, big lake which will reach Lio Mato, the furthers Kenyah longhouse in Baram. So all the talks about developments and projects for these villages will then be no more an issue for the government. All issues will disappear in the deep-deep blue water of the dam because of Lihan’s answered prayer. All the existing schools, churches, chapels clinics and places historical significance to the Orang Ulu will be wiped out. The heritage of our forefathers and the pride of our Orang Ulu like those from Dato Temagong Oyong Lawai Jau, Penghulu Tama Bulan Lian, Penghulu Jok Ngau, Penghulu Kebing, Penghulu Nyipa will be just fairy tails for our posterities. For not only will our heritage be destroyed the very remains of these great leaders of the past will be drown in the depth of the Baram Dam. The remains of all our forefathers whose cemetery we revere in the memories will also disappear. For those who keep the All Souls day as a day for remembering their deceased loved ones, they will not be able to visit their cemetery any more. There will be no need for quarrel or survey of Native Customary Right land any more, it will not be relevant. Even all the animals, insects, vegetations, flora & fauna will be no more. GONE!!! So what Noah was able to save with his ark during the Biblical flood, Lihan managed to eliminate with his pious prayer for road to benefit 12,000 Kayah living below Long Keseh.

Nagasaki and Hiroshima were destroyed by the atomic bomb during World War 2, but after the war the Japanese stood up from the ruins and pick up the pieces to rebuild the two cities. Now a day these cities are thriving once more and with a lesson well learned by the Japanese population. However, once the Baram Dam is constructed, the whole are will be deleted from the surface and there will not be any pieces to be gathered any more to rebuild the Baram.

Those who live above Long Keseh, well Lihan does not see the need for road there. Thanks to Prophet Lihan Jok!!!!
As for Lihan himself he has no problem at all since his longhouse is at Long Bedian which is down river at the tributary of the Baram. (But then at second thought, does he have a house in Long Bedian?) He is now living in a big mansion in Miri and at least one in Kuching. So this is the type of ADUN we want, a person who only prays for those in his constituency. Alleluia!!!
Conclusion
Before Sarawak Government can put together an environmental plan, which they claimed can be used to benefit Sarawak they (BN) must understand the type of people that they are dealing with, who are they, what do they believe in, how do they live, where do they live, what do they want, what do they need, etc.
YB Lihan Jok, some food-for-thoughts for you to bring home and reflect---for becoming elected YB, whether you like it or not --- is similar to when playing a game of Chess one first needs to understand the rules of the game, how the board is set up, what pieces you have and how they are able to move around the board.
The game of chess we must be able to have a strategy, a plan on what type of move or moves we want to make, watch the type of move our opponent make or is making, then try to anticipate ahead of time on what move he or she could make or is planning to make, then decide for our own self on how to counter attack and prevent our own people from getting into a situation that one does not want to be in. “Prophet” Lihan Jok should learn from this game of chess, if he cares.
Bothers and Sisters, may I ask on your favor, if there's anyone one of us in this email could help me translating the above to Bahasa Malaysia, Kayan, Kenyah, Kelabit, Penan, Iban, etc, for distribution before catastrophe incur.

In my next article, I will do my best to share with you the irrelevance of these dams.

Perbezaan pendapat dan ideologi politik kadang-kadang menghangatkan ruangan komen di laman email. Baru-baru ini, En Dick Bala Ngimat dan juga merupakan Pengerusi Rurum Kelabit Bahagian Miri memberi respond di dalam rangkaian email tersebut. Sejurus selepas itu, berbagai maklum balas dilemparkan terhadap beliau terutamanya berkenaan dengan pendirian politik beliau dan juga komen meliar hingga menyentuh peribadi beliau. Walaubagaimanapun email yang di lampirkan di bawah banyak mengundang kritikan dan juga limpahan komen yang tidak puas hati dengan kenyataan dan pendirian beliau.

_________________________________________________________

(Dipetik dari rangkaian email)

From: Mr DB
Date: Sat, Feb 5, 2011 at 3:51 PM
Subject: Re: Some kind of treat Mr DB?
To: Mr X

Mr CG,

You and your group are totally inhumane. Let me ask you this. Do you guys go to church? If so then pray for forgiveness at how you hate people.

Let me put it this way too from History's perspective. Who have a better logic to claim they are NATIVES OF SARAWAK as compared to Chinese who have settled in Sibu, Kuching and elsewhere in Sarawak long before some natives moved to Usun Apau and Ulu Baram.? As for us Kelabit, there has been recent study saying we have inhibited the Highlands more then 4000 years. I have pinned up the chart in RURUM Office , Seberkas Commercial Centre.

But here you guys saying Orang Ulu have been robbed of their NCR lands. Charles, my contention is the same as you guys. Yes we fight for our right but do we do it by blogging? I am a target by your group just because in my first e-mail I proposed we adopt professional modality to profile our Orang Ullu issues and prioritize how we go about to achieve them.

For your info, yesterday I have worked with a JKR friend to do a paper for Dato Sri Idris and Datu Ose to present to PM on the 7th prior to his Ba Kelalan visit so that he approves budget for the Ba Kelalan/Bario road which is just 40 KM. This is a n eg of how we prioritize our needs/issues. Of course we want the Bario/Miri road. But that may cost a billion. For that reason some support the Baram dam provided the affected inhabitants are given win win deal. So that is what I say we profile the issue. But you guys just blog and in your blog you call it FISH POND.

Ok lah Charles, how bad you guys try to portray me, my many professional Kelabits and other Orang Ulu, Chinese and Malay friends know who Dick Bala is. I am not worried when you guys heaped all kinds of rubbish on me. But once you bring in my innocent family members, then you guys are not HUMAN and professional at all. That is dirty politic per se.

By the way, I know your identity but I am not going to stoop down to your people level and spread sheet about you guys in the blog. That would make me the same as you guys. You see I response to you alone but you copied the whole world to disparage me. That speaks allot about our characters.

DB

____________________________________________________

From: MR DB
Date: Wed, Feb 2, 2011 at 3:14 PM
Subject: My Comment On This Thread
To: Mr CG

Mr CG,

Thanks for prompting me to response and use my name abbreviation, BN and not DH like what Burak did. BN stands for my Kelabit name when we change name after our first child. It stands for Bala Ngimat . Recently I added in DBN which stands for Dick Bala Ngimat. That is because my nephew, Datu Robert Lian whose Kelabit Name is Balang Ngalibun (BN) . So just to differentiate and not to offend any Non BN supporters. My child that got me that honour is now working in KL. To share with you, , me and my brother spent RM10 K each for that party.

Now on to the subject you touched in your posting. I agree with you, our support for the Gov't is not blind support. I think I am older then most of you I copied this e-mail. I went to study in Primary 5 & 6 at Bukit Sabun Primary school in Long Lama. We travelled over-land from Bario through Lio Mattu and by boat to Long Lama. I have visited Long Laput and Tinjar then. As you said and contrary to what some said that BN Gov't did not bring any development to Baram. We became independent on 16-09-1963. There was no Upper Primary School in the Kelabit area. In The whole of Baram, there were 2 in Marudi and 1 in Long Lama. Now after 49 years we have several in Baram, many Secondary School and clinics too.

If we talk about road, I know part of the story from Datu Jabu and Datu Ose. Our first Orang Ulu lawyer, Datu Stephen Wan Ulok in PBB at that time was not preferred by us. We voted for SNAP in the then the late Dato Sri Balan and .Dato Luhat Wan. When Kebing was also in PBB, we voted for SNAP. Later, we changed our preferences because we were angry with the loggings. We voted for Harrison ngau and Kebing Wan who were in the opposition. That was how it was explained to me why Lapo road is like that!

I have since retired and I slogged hard to compliment the gov't to bring development into Bario area. We did a different kind of deal with Samling than what you guys did for your respective area. We did not want them to play us out village by village so we got 14 villages to stick together to deal and eventually signed ONE MOU with them which I shared with Cr. Simpson as they wanted similar strategy for Kedaya Telang Usan. Burak, that was why I proposed you guys organize us FORM for us to profile our Orang Ulu issues. I have used it for our Dialogue Team with Samling , for the Team on the Rural Air Service (RAS) with FAX and later MASWinbgs. You commented to me that these were cosmetic solutions. The Forum I proposed we use Joseph Bennon's modality.

I went to MU to attend International Law conference on Natives right from 25th to 26th this month ( some of you may have attended as I suspected) . My observation was , a few of the professors were highly academically qualified in their fields, but they did a poor presentation of their materials. I went for this seminar on how to do presentation and the moderator emphasized on the technique ROPE.

As regards to land issue. We are partly to be blamed. We have inherited an old culture which may in to-day's economic and diverse culture have to be reinvent. This is where BURAK you have to bring the best of Orang Ulu mind to sort this out. No amount of blogging could address this. Now the S'wak and Sabah labs came up with perimeter survey, some natives have misgivings for it. As for RURUM and I was appointed the Coordinator for the 24 villages focal persons, we have problems from the few villages who are against it. To me, perimeter survey is the solution for us in Bario before the road comes in and land for development would be a contention. When access road was built from Samling end of the road to Bario, people went in to clear the land to claim. There are 2 people who bypassed 2 villages and went to clear in my kpg area. So how to do individual title survey if we amongst ourselves in the villages do not recognize another Kpg's boundary and what more to say amongst siblings. They may cut each others' throat.

Charles, as for my own land in my kpg about 100 acres, I have fenced it to protect my buffaloes from marauding into others land and into my wet padi field and help themselves to my precious Bario rice - the best grain of Bario rice is from my kpg as confirmed by Mdm Teo of research unit of Agriculkture Dept as my village is between 4,000 to 5,000 feet above sea level. Bario is above 3,000 feet.

So Mr CG, you now have some insight into my thought why I did not want to spar with these guys. For one, they use pseud names and the moment you do not say things to their liking, they condemn you and say uncomplimentary things. I have been by my laptop since morning as I have been waiting for my JKR engineer the design and costing of 3 bailey bridges for Bario. I have to draft the letter for our RURUM President to sign and our Bario Penghulu( he is busy) to request for funding. My nature is I do not go to the papers and highlight the bridges conditions. I prefer to do the practical thing.

Long sharing Mr CG.

DBN

P/S: Mr.KK - You said in your posting that I am polishing BN balls as I want to be Bario Penghulu. If you are a TRUE PROFESSIONAL who has some semblance of integrity , you should not make a guessing game ands broadcast it to the whole world. That would make people suspect what you say and going to say from now on. Now let me let the cat out and it is totally the opposite version so I can call you a liar on this. When the Ex-Pemanca ( Dato Sri Idris's father) was about to call it time to go, he called me and my wife to his son-in-laws house one evening. He said Datu Ose recommended that I apply and he gave me 2 weeks to think about it. When 2 weeks passed he called me from Marudi that the D.O is waiting for my application. I apologetically said to him that me and my wife are not prepared to stay in Bario as I do not have a house there but in another kpg which does not have motorable road. So read this properly an put on your specs if you wear one. Any semblance that I am desperate for the post?

Perginya Seorang Wira Kaum Penan

Sumber: Boneo Manser Fund (BMF)
Pada 2 Februari 2011, jam 5.00 petang di Hospital Limbang, Along Sega menghembus nafasnya yang terakhir pada usia 70an. Beliau merupakan ketua masyarakat kaum Penan yang cukup disegani dan berani menentang pencerobohan hutan oleh syarikat pembalakan sejak tahun 80an lagi di daerah Limbang.Pernah menjadi penasihat kepada aktivis alam sekitar dari Swiss, Bruno Manser. Perjuangan beliau beliau pernah direkodkan di dalam siri dokumentari seperti Tong Tana, Blowpipes against Bulldozers, Lakei Penan dan The Last Nomads of Borneo.

Ditanya berkenaan perjuangan memulihara hutan dan hak tanah kaum Penan oleh Borneo Manse Fund, beliau berkata beliau cuba mendidik generasi muda untuk menerajui perjuangan mempertahankan hak kaum Penan.Beliau menegaskan bahawa generasi akan datang akan meneruskan perjuangan ini dan tidak akan mengalah.

Selamat Tahun Baru Cina 2011

Selamat Tahun Baru Cina kepada OU yang menyambut perayaan ini. Semoga tahun arnab, 2011 ini memberi berkat dan murah rezeki.