Oil Palm small holding

In Julau last week YB Joseph Salang suggested that oil palm developers should adopt concept of “sewa pajak” (mortgage) to develop native customary rights land.

Under this concept, the Deputy Minister of Information, Communication and Culture explained that the land is rented to the developers and involved the setting up of mini estates instead of large scale land use.

“Not all NCLs are suitable for large scale cultivation like oil palm plantation because of terrain and soil condition.

“In addition, not all land owners like long term joint ventures (of 60 years),” he said when meeting the people of Rumah Mauwa in Nanga Masit, Julau.

He said that land owners and interested parties could work out a mechanism for rent payment. It could be based on a number of trees planted like the case of rubber.

The other option is for the land owners to develop their land under small holding schemes just like they planted rubber under the rubber planting schemes.

In fact under this scheme land owners earn more money than they go for joint venture with big companies or even with SALCRA where their earnings/dividends/bonus are just like “ikan bilis”.

Let me illustrate a story told to me when I was at Melayu Ili, Betong two weeks ago about a grandfather receiving RM700 dividends from SALCRA after seven years of planting. He was proud receiving the dividend and showed a cheque for that amount to his grandson.

“Reti nya aki, nuan semina nerima RM100 setaun tauka RM8.33 sebulan,” ko uchu iya. (It means that his grandfather received RM100 per year or RM8.33 per month).

Compared the earnings of small holders like Tuai Rumah Masa of Tekuyong, Ubah, Pantu, who earns between RM1,500 and RM2,500 a day. His average income per month is around RM15,000.

Cobbold John Lusoi is another example. His daily income is around RM1,500 a day. There are few Ibans in Balai Ringin, Simunjan, Pantu and Sri Aman earning RM1,000 or more.

Previously, these small holders sell their oil palm fruits direct to SALCRA or Tabung Haji mills and are being paid weeks later.

But now they sell direct to a company, Century Garden Sarawak which is owned by Tedewin Ngumbang and friends.

Workers from this company go direct to small holders and buy the fruits and pay them on the spot. The small holders do not worry about transportation nor do they worry about late payment.
The company will then send the fruits to either SALCRA mill or Tabung Haji which one of them offers better services and facilities.

According to Tedewin, his company is prepared to help Ibans going into the planting of oil palm on small holding basis. – The Broken Shield

Source: www.thebrokenshield.blogspot.com

Is Jabu stepping down?

Tedewin Ngumbang aka Borneo Warrior

Rumours are being spread in Kuching especially in BDC coffee-shops that Tan Sri Alfred Jabu, deputy chief minister and deputy president of Parti Pesaka Bumiputra Bersatu (PBB) may not offer himself as a candidate in the next election.

Introduced into politics by Abdul Rahman Yakub, Jabu was elected as an Engkilili-Skrang state assemblyman in a by-election in early 1974 and later that year he contested and won the state seat of Layar and has been its representative since then. He was once time elected as a MP for Betong.

After over 34 years, the voters especially the younger ones want some change; and many of these young people have associated themselves with the rising tide of “Keadilanism” as they see in Jabu burdened with so many unfinished projects and failed promises can no longer be an effective leader; and they want a new person who has plenty of ideas to develop the constituency.

But the question is: Who shall succeed Jabu both as the State Assemblyman for Layar and as Deputy Chief Minister?

According to Betong sources, Jabu may put up Umang Nangku, one of her daughters to contest the seat in order to continue his legacy and perpetuate the Jabu dynasty.

Speculation is also rife that Datuk Douglas Uggah, federal Minister of Natural Resources and Environment may contest the State seat of Bukit Saban. If he wins, he is likely to be made a State minister or even as Deputy Chief Minister taking over from Jabu. But then he must give up his MP seat and his ministerial post. There should therefore be a by-election and the prospect of Jabu’s wife, Senator Empiang Jabu contesting the parliamentary seat of Betong is brighter.

Two persons, both ex-police officers, have indicated their keenness to contest against Jabu assuming that he is still interested to represent the Layar seat. One is Stanney Embat, who has retired about two years ago from the Police Force. Before being active in politics, he worked for a while in a company linked to Jabu’s family.

After quitting the company, Stanney became very active in politics and has been seen in almost every function organised by Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR). He has been telling friends and relatives that he is eyeing Jabu’s seat. Some of his friends hardly believe that he is really serious in contesting against the doyen of Betong’s politician.

Meanwhile, reports from Betong say that Stanney was today (7 Feb 09) elected to be the chairman of PKR Layar branch.

With the formation of the branch, PKR is set to contest the constituency of Layar as well as the nearby constituency of Bukit Saban.

The other ex-police officer is Tedewin Ngumbang who has been visiting Betong for the past few months; he has been talking to Chinese, Malay and Iban voters in the constituency to find out how they feel about Jabu.

Unlike previous challengers, Tedewin is a serious and tough contender; and being Jabu’s relative and a former police officer, he knows Jabu’s weaknesses and failures as well as his strong points.

Tedewin is well-prepared for the contest and has set up his own operations room fully equipped with maps, a list of voters, potential election workers, drivers, campaigners and advisers; he even has identified old and young voters who are crying for change.

But if Tedewin is to contest, he must resign as a supreme council member of Parti Rakyat Sarawak (PRS), a component member of Barisan Nasional, and as a director of a government-linked company (GLC) and may lose government contracts and businesses. So influential is Tedewin in PRS that if he resigns from PRS, a number of PRS supreme council members may follow him.

Following the deregistration of Parti Bansa Dayak Sarawak (PBDS), Tedewin has always been with Masing through thick and thin. In PRS, he is Dr. James Masing’s right hand man, and had played a major role towards the victories of the party in constituencies it contested in 2006. Again he played a similar role in last year’s parliamentary election in the State.

Is Tedewin really serious in contesting against Jabu? And who is behind him? Many of his friends ask these questions. A number of Betong voters have come down to Kuching to see Tedewin just to find out whether he is joining PKR. For the time being, he smiles at them and laughs. “Ngirup kopi dulu kitai ngagai Kedai 98”, he says.

But one thing the writer has found out: Tedewin has the backing of a number of VIPs, politicians and businessmen. In fact he has contacts with the highest level of PKR leadership. – The Broken Shield