Will Dayaks benefit from NEM?

Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak on Tuesday (30 March 2010) announced the government’s new economic plan, the New Economic Model (NEM), to ensure fairer and more equitable distribution of wealth based on needs and merits.

“Our priority must be to eradicate poverty irrespective of race. We cannot have the high-income, sustainable and inclusive economy we seek when disparities in income and not addressed.

“So there will be renewed affirmative action policy in NEM with focus on raising income levels of all disadvantage groups,” he said.

NEM’s three principles are:
# high income – making a quantum leap from a current US$7,000 per capital annual
income to US$15,000 in ten years;
# sustainability – a commitment to sustainability in economic activities with its impact on environment and precious natural resources in consideration; and
# inclusiveness – harness the potential of all Malaysians that all share in the proceeds of increased national prosperity.

NEM’s 8 strategies reform initiatives:
# Re-energising the private sector to lead growth,
# Developing a quality workforce and reducing dependency on foreign labour
# Creating a competitive domestic economy
# Strengthening the public sector
# Putting in place transparent and market friendly affirmative action
# Building knowledge base infrastructure
# Enhancing the sources of growth
# Ensuring sustainability

NEM’s 4 principles in eradication of poor:
# market friendly
# merit based
# transparent
# needs based

New economic growth areas:
# electrical and electronic sector
# resource based industries in the palm oil
# oil and gas
# agriculture, biotechnology and life sciences
# tourism, medical tourism, eco-tourism, luxury market tourism
# high value agriculture sector
# green industries and technology
# financial services industry, Islamic financial services, capital market
# information technology industry.

NEM policies are similar to policies espoused by previous economic policies such as New Economic Policy 1970-1990, National Development Policy 1990-2000, National Vision Policy and VISION 2020.

Although the past policies have achieved certain degree of successes like creating several millionaires among the Malays, they have, however, failed to eradicate poverty among the rural people especially the Dayaks.

Today, between 80 percent and 90 percent of longhouses do not have 24-hour supply of electricity and clean water. Not to mention tar-sealed roads, even rough roads have not been built to connect longhouses with bazaars and towns.

Even the “nine buses” (nine Malaysia plans) have missed the Dayaks. So today Sarawak is still the third poorest state in Malaysia despite the fact that it has oil and gas, timber resources and coal. More than half of one million Dayaks may be categorized as hard poor if the RM720 poverty line is taken as a barometer.

NEM may have high sounding policies, but such policies will not be able to help the Dayaks. In fact NEM policies will further complement “Politics of Development” espoused by Chief Minister Abdul Taib Mahmud, that is, taking away native customary rights land of the people and leasing them to rich and powerful cronies for the planting of oil palm and trees.

In Balai Ringin alone, some 741,000 acres of land, the bulk of which are NCR lands, are to be leased to companies linked to Taib.

In other parts of Sarawak, scores of natives have been jailed for defending their rights over land and many have sued the government for taking away their lands without their consent.

Being chased away from their land, the Dayaks will surely become poorer and poorer as they have no more land on which they can plant padi, cash crops and fruit trees through which they earn a living. Perhaps they (authorities) like the Dayaks to continue selling paku, miding (ferns), bamboo shoots, tapioca leaves and other “daun babas” (wild vegetables).

Whose fault is this that we Dayaks continue to be poor? And who should be blamed for all the miseries the Dayaks are facing now? Are Dayaks themselves and Dayak leaders to be blamed? – The Broken Shield

Source: www.thebrokenshield.blogspot.com