Sunday, November 1

Awang Tengah criticised

KUCHING – Sarawak Opposition leaders and activists today criticised Awang Tengah Ali Hassan, Second Minister of Planning and Resource Management for asking the Auditor General to amend its Annual Report for 2008 as the report cited Sarawak along with Kelantan, Pahang and Johor to have poor forest management that led to river pollution, erosion, landslides and destruction of flora and fauna.

The report which also mentioned illegal logging, logging in forest reserves or national parks and poor enforcement as some of the factors responsible has made the minister unhappy and demanded that the report be corrected.

A DAP leader Voon Lee Shan, who is the Batu Lintang State assemblyman said that Police and MACC reports should be made against the minister for trying to influence the Auditor General to change the report.

“This is an abuse of power and intimidation against the Auditor General. Police reports as well reports to MACC should be made,” he said, pointing out that the AG made the report based on the principle of authority and accountability.

The AG, he said, should be firm and should not be influenced by any quarter.

A PKR Sarawak leader and State Assemblyman for Padungan Dominique Ng accused Awang Tengah of trying to fiddle with the report. The AG, he said, has certain procedures and guidelines to follow in making their reports

“Unless the Sarawak Government is saying that the reports are without any basis and are wrong, then the minister is questioning the credibility of the AG.

“The Sarawak Government should spend time and effort to find out the truth instead in a denial mode. Didn’t they also deny the Penan rape cases?

“They are only trying to cover up atrocities now being committed in our lands,” Ng stressed.

Harrison Ngau, chairman of Sarawak Indigenous Lawyers Alliance (SILA), said that Awang Tengah should not attempt to question let alone dictate how the AG which is an independent body carries out his works or functions.

“If Awang Tengah wants the AG to change or amend its reports on the subject of forest management in Sarawak, other parties such as the native communities who live within or around the logging areas would also want their views to be included in the AG reports.

“I would also want to suggest to the AG to look into the reasons why environmental impact assessment study on loggings in Sarawak as required under the Natural Resources and Environment Ordinance was never carried out by the logging companies in the State?

“I wish also to challenge Awang Tengah to furnish to the AG copies of all the areas in Sarawak which have been licensed out for logging since 1981 and to reveal the names of the companies granted the licences.

“He should disclose all these to the AG to enable him to also study and annex the maps and the names of the companies in the AG reports so that the public can also make their assessment and give their views to the AG concerning the management of our forest in Sarawak.

“If Awang Tengah is so confident that AG was wrong in concluding that the management of our forests is poor, he should therefore have the courage to disclose all these,”
Harrison said.

The Secretary General of Sarawak Dayak Iban Association (SADIA), Nicholas Mujah called on MACC to investigate Awang Tengah as there seems to be fishy elements on his call on the AG to amend his report.

“MACC must look into Awang Tengah’s call,” he said.

Meanwhile, Awang Tengah who is the most powerful minister after Chief Minister Abdul Taib Mahmud, demanded the Auditor General to make correction with regards to its reports on Sarawak’s sustainable forest management as it was misleading and incorrect.
“The Auditor General has to make the correction for fear that outsiders may use the report to tarnish the image of the state,” he said, adding that the final report was based on their (AG’s) own interpretation and not based on the reports, findings and comments from the Forest Department.

“If they want the interest and image of the State not to be affected internationally, they should make the necessary correction,”
he said.

He said that the National Audit Department had actually requested for comments from the various departments before the AG made the final report.

“But in the final report they simply set aside whatever comments that we have gathered. The Forest Department was even not consulted when the final report was published.

“We do not question their competency on financial management such as how projects are implemented as that is their expertise. But to comment on certain things like sustainable forest management, I don’t think they have the expertise. They cannot come to the conclusion based on their own observation. For instance just because the water is muddy they blame it on illegal logging and pollution. You can’t make that kind of conclusion,” said Awang Tengah angrily.

“If they have the expertise to make the comment, it is okay, but I believe they don’t have it,” he said, pointing out that Sarawak had been practising sustainable forest management since the formation of the Forest Department and had been credited by international organisations, ITTO, and the United Nations.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak has announced the setting up of a high powered task force to study the 2008 Auditor General report and initiate appropriate actions against those responsible for financial irregularities and abuse of power mentioned in the report.

“The committee will not only look at the abuse of power and initiate action against those found involved in financial irregularities but also take administrative actions against those found guilty but could not charged in court fro various reasons,” he said.

The task forced to be headed by the Chief Secretary to the Government Mohd Sidek Hassan would also include the Finance Secretary General Wan Abdul Aziz Wan Abdullah, Public Services Department Director General Ismail Adam and the Auditor General Ambrin Buang himself.

They would have the power to rope in Attorney General Abdul Gani Patail and the Malaysian Anti-corruption Commission (MACC) if the need arose, he said.

Following Awang Tengah’s complaints against the AG, don’t you think Awang Tengah or someone from the Forestry Corporation to be interviewed by the task force for possibly abuse of power? - The Broken Shield

Source: www.thebrokenshield.blogspot.com

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

FIRST OF ALL, I PRAISE NAJIB FOR SETTING UP A HIGH POWERED TASK FORCE TO TAKE APPROPRIATE ACTION AGAINST WHO ABUSE THEIR POWER AND TAKE BRIDES .BUT THIS WILL ONLY BE EFFECTIVE WHEN ALL THOSE CORRUPTED GUYS FROM TOP TO BOTTOM ARE ROPE IN AND PUT ON TRAIL.ONLY THEN WILL THE RAKYAT TRUST THIS TASK FORCE.

AWANG TENGAH IS THE KING OF OIL PALM IN LAWAS AND LIMBANG AREA. THAT'S WHY HE IS SCARED THAT HE WILL BE INVESTIGATED. JUST TAKE A PLANE TO BARIO OR LAWAS,YOU CAN SEE HOW OUR FOREST ARE RAPED.THE RIVERS HAVE TURN MUDDY AND NOTHING CAN SURVIVE .

AWANG TENGAH HAVE TO TAKE FULL RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE POOR MANAGEMENT OF THE FOREST.oNOTHER ONE IS THE SIMUNJAN KING CALL NORDEN.HE TOO IS ALSO RESPONSIBLE FOR RAPING THE FOREST.

WE MUST KICK OUT ALL THOSE WHO STEAL OUR FOREST.

chapchai said...

“If they want the interest and image of the State not to be affected internationally, they should make the necessary correction,” he said.

So, Tengah is more worried about Sarawak's international reputation than the effects deforestation has not only on the environment but also on the people who live there. What utter garbage this man is spewing! He sounds like Jabu who is still denying the rape of young Penan girls. We've got two senior people in government who are living in denial. What hope is there for the people of Sarawak who are being "led" by people of such low calibre.

Sempurai said...

Sarawak state BN leaders just could not accept any criticism be it constructive. They always say that they are 100 per cent correct, refuse to admit their own weakness.

Ugly Truth said...

This Awang Tengah @ Lanun Tanah is too much la. How can a report be unbias when he and almost every minister associated with land issue in Sarawak want the report changed. This is bullshit la.

Sometimes these people do not know how stupid they sound when they voice their opinion. Jabu is the expert but Lanun is not very far behind him. Imagine the CEO of the companies saying to the external auditors "come see me and I will tell you how well my company is doing". SO stupid right. No one in their right mind will tell you the bad things about themselves.

What is so different about our forest management? If ours is so great then we should be telling the world about the way we manage our natural resources instead of trying to hide it.

My advice is write out your thoughts and read through it before saying it in public. Maybe then you will help the Sarawakians not feel too ashamed of you.

Anonymous said...

Awang Tengah is what you might understand as a post modern slave. Yeah, slavery is not dead! And Awang Tengah and all the PBB ministers are clods, who do not appreciate their own worth. What will Taib do if they all resign and join the opposition? Kill them all? Taib is nothing without them! That'll be the day when singlehandedly Taib begs and pleads, sitting pretty as the Melanau Sultan!

Taib may call for the next State Elections soon. He's tested if the Sarawak Electricity Supply statewide can fail whenever he wants it to. Saturday, he tested Kuching, Sri Aman and Oya and it worked! The system failed as he wanted it to. Guess the elections are coming soon!

What's odd is that some three weeks ago, Aziz Husain was sacked as SESCO's boss. Idiot left SESCO with RM600,000 in lieu of the usual crap of being retired and disgraced. But why would Taib disgrace his BIL? SESCO staffs said the Company is broke and is surviving on bank overdraft facilities!!!

If the new PKR boss Baru can wrest Sarawak from PBB, we should nationalize SESCO again. Like the Malaya IPPs, SESCO might suck Sarawak dry!

Anonymous said...

"Silent, Young Dayak Warriors will only rise and charge with their heads held high and lead the dayaks into a political power in favour of the obvious alternative of the current political party.. IF any non dayak can show US that their use of the word "la-kia" (or any other) has been rubbed out and will be/is ;from now on a criminal offence.You may see some changes. We want some form of respect and everyone (including dayaks) is guilty of being in that particular mindset regardless of race or creed. Do this, and you will see changes." -Those who know what I'm talking about..work on it, there are young and smart dayaks out there,its just that they are (like me) are jaded by many things over the years, it is not because we fear but it is because of that stereotype that we(and our forefathers)suffer from that makes most of us quiet and yes we will remain quiet for most parts,observing the veterans (and fools they are still) taking the hand into things, scepticism? yes very much. BUt I hope this makes it clear for you lots on your "search for the dayak warrior" Fresh faces,fresh ideas; we remain silent and see how this patches up."

tsunami unleashed said...

I really don't mean to belittle sarawak ministers. But really at most a time they talk stupidity at its lowest. It is as if they really are stupid. It is as if stupidity has overtook them.

Anyway, awang tengah name speak for itself. Setengah, half past six. What a sad name.

to be continued...

alan newman, NZ said...

Sarawak’s Awang Tengah, it’s best you keep your mouth shut. It’s not just the zero respect the world has for you & other Taib’s cronies, it’s the total disgust & nausea.

Taib’s cronies are void of conscience, crawling and licking boots for extra immoral dollars. You cronies are directly & indirectly stealing from the people.

Don’t dream of being chief minister, we will use all our capacities & resources to raise hell against all of Taib’s accomplices. We have zero tolerance for crime; short & simple as that.

Corrupt politicians are notorious in deception & twisting of facts, like those leaders & ex-leaders of Tunisia, Egypt, Libya, Syria, North Korea, Burma, etc.

They spend all their time politicking, back-stabbing fabricating crimes blamed on the Opposition….They are not leading, progressing (like Singapore) and not doing the country any good at all.

They excel in purchases & projects running in billions. The bigger the more kick-backs & thefts.

Since the days of Taib’s Uncle Yakub, tens of millions of acres of forest/logging concessions have been awarded to families & cronies, without open transparent public tenders to return wealth to the poor people. Sarawak’s logs & timber products hovered around RM6 to10 billion annually. Oil Palm is surpassing that mark now. It’s not just timber & oil palm, almost everything under the sun….too many to mention. Multiply all that by 40 years. This is Hell of a plunder

Alan Newman, New Zealand.