Biggest dividend payout by SALCRA

The Star reported on 1 December 2010 that Sarawak Land Consolidation and Rehabilitation Authority (SALCRA) which manages 18 oil palm plantations in the State’s southern region, is to reward its participating landowners with the biggest ever dividend payout of RM74.3 million.

Chairman Tan Sri Alfred Jabu said the dividend this year was more than doubled last year and would be paid to some 20,000 landowners in two phases – the first 50% between January and February and the second by July 2011.

The dividend that the landowners will receive will be based on the performance of the plantations and their maturity status.

SALCRA is the first to develop the vast native customary right (NCR) land, which covers an estimated 1.5 million ha statewide.

Under a new development model, the Sarawak government is getting major plantation companies to team up with the landowners via joint ventures to open up the idle or under-utilized NCR land on a big scale.

SALCRA’s earnings have been boosted by the soaring prices of fresh fruit bunches (FFBs) and crude palm oil (CPO).

The FFBs now fetch nearly RM600 per tonne while the average CPO price this year is around RM2,550 per tonne compared with RM2,196 last year.

Jabu, also Sarawak Deputy Chief Minister, said that as at September, SALCRA had nearly 48,000 ha oil palm plantations, of which 41,000ha are matured.

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The Broken Shield: On paper, the dividend appears to be big. In fact, according to SALCRA, it is the biggest dividend payout – RM74.3 million to some 20,000 landowners.

Let us look into it mathematically: RM74, 300,000 divide by 20,000 landowners equals to RM3, 715 per participant per year. RM3, 715 divide by 12 months equals to RM309.50 per participant per month. Again we divide RM309.50 by 30 days, the result will be RM10.31 per landowner per day.

As Jabu said, 50% will be paid between January and February, the amount each land owner receives will be around RM5.16 per landowner per day. Assume, the average family is four, and then each person is entitled to RM1.29 per day. It is just enough to buy a cup of coffee.

It appears that the SALCRA landowners belong to the hardcore poor in the state earning an income of RM309.50 per month, if we take the RM750 as the poverty line.

I would have thought that some Dayak women selling “paku-tubu” would earn a profit of RM50.00 a day. In a month, the smart ones could earn between RM1,000 and RM1,200 a month.

So to me, the SALCRA’s dividend is pleasant to the ears and for the ears of rural voters. You know the State election is coming. But it is a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signify nothing.

Source: www.thebrokenshield.blogspot.com

The role of YBs

Like Members of Parliament, Council Negeri (Dewan Undangan Negeri) Members represent the concerns of the people of their constituencies in the State Legislative Assembly and to help solve problems of their constituents on a variety of matters – from checking on individual problems with government departments to providing information on government development programmes and policies. They also maintain a high profile in their ridings (constituencies) and take part in local events and official functions.

While the cabinet and government make policies, laws, and etc, the elected representatives can help influence legislation through debates in the State Assembly and during party meetings.

In short, our YBs are our “voices” and our “bridges” to the government.

But how many of our YBs are doing just that? Instead, many of them are trying to find businesses to enrich themselves and are only seen during election times.

On this score, I would like to mention one YB who has been helping the people who voted for him. I particularly refer to YB Abdul Karim Hamzah, the Member for Asajaya.

When he heard that more than 3,000 hectares of NCR land belonging to Ibans in his constituency have been allegedly leased to Chief Minister’s sister by the Second Minister of Planning and Resource Management, he went to see the Chief Minister.

He requested the Chief Minister to return the land to the land owners as they are his strong supporters who have ensured his victory in the previous elections.

The Chief Minister claimed that he did not know about it and agreed that the land be returned to the land owners starting from next February or March 2010.

This story was told by the YB himself during the Xmas and New Year visit to a friend of The Broken Shied.

This is the type of YBs that we need, the YBs who have courage to speak on behalf of their constituents and the ones who are not scared of losing their “periok nasi”.

But what are our Dayak YBs (and Dayak Ministers too) doing as many of NCR land in their constituencies have also been forcedly leased to big companies for the planting of oil palm, which also destroyed their fruit trees and cash crops and demolished their longhouses? – The Broken Shield

Source: www.thebrokenshield.blogspot.com

Ibans mount blockade against Naroden’s companies

About 100 Iban land owners from Kpg. Sungai Lingkau, Melanjok and Sekendu in Simunjan today (5 May) mounted a blockade to prevent workers of Hydroflow and Melur Gemilang from entering their NCR land.

A manager from the company promised the landowners who maintained the blockade not to enter the area, and to bring out all the machinery.

The landowners expected the manager to lodge a report with the Police and they also expected to be arrested in the defence of their land from being encroached into.

Hydroflow and Melur Gemilang are owned by Yang Berhormat Naroden Majais, the Simunjan State assemblyman. He is known as the "Simunjan King of oil palm", owning more than 48,000 acres of land including NCR land of oil palm.

Meanwhile, six longhouses in the Kpg. Samalatong/Kepayang area will meet on Wednesday night to reject the offer of DD Plantations and Pelita Holdings Sdn. Bhd. to develop their NCR land. The agreement has already been signed between 46 longhouse chiefs with the DD Plantations and Pelita Holdings Sdn. Bhd.

But the landowners from these six longhouses prefer their NCR land to be developed by SALCRA where their equity participation is 70% as compared with 30% given by DD plantations and Pelita. - The Broken Shield

46 longhouses in Simunjan to develop their NCR land?

SIGNED AND SEALED: Snowdan (centre) looks on as Yee (right) and Abdullah exchange the signed documents. Also looking on are Land Development Ministry’s permanent secretary Chaiti Bolhassan (second right) and Temenggong Anthony Ngipak.

Pic credit: http://www.theborneopost.com/?p=51081

On Wednesday, 29 April 2009 about 2,000 NCR landowners from 46 longhouses in the Kepayang/Samalatong area, Simunjan district were said to have agreed to jointly develop their land with DD Plantations Sdn Bhd and Pelita Holdings Sdn Bhd.

DD Plantations, a Kuching-based company, will provide the expertise and an investment of RM140 million to develop 9,629.6 ha of Native Customary Rights (NCR) land into an oil palm plantation, according to The Borneo Post (30 April 09).

The landowners get to enjoy 30 percent of the profits while DD Plantations get 60 percent and Pelita Holdings 10 percent.

Forty-six longhouse chiefs attended the signing ceremony of the joint venture at a hotel here, which was witnessed by Balai Ringin assemblyman Snowdan Lawan.

As the people’s representative of the area, Snowdan, who is Parti Rakyat Sarawak (PRS) vice president, said that it was his responsibility to ensure that his constituents enjoy better income and social benefits. He assured the landowners that the developers would not take away their land in the course of developing it.

Upon learning of the so-called signing of the joint venture, the people from the 46 longhouses were so angry with their Tuai Rumah that they demanded their resignation for “selling their rights to the company.”

But many Tuai Rumah claimed that they were tricked into attending the ceremony as they were told to attend a seminar in Kuching.

From what was told to me that Tuai Kudi, Kpg. Isu, Tuai Rumah Sebli anak Uban, Kpg. Sibau Rumbau, Tuai Rumah Najib bin Abdullah, Kpg. Semalatong (Muslim), Tuai Rumah Entali anak Nusang, Kpg. Semalatong (Iban), Tuai Rumah Uja, Kpg. Kepayang and Pemancha Muit and Temenggong Anthony Ngipa are alleged to be behind the project.

Many of the longhouse people claimed they were forced to agree to the joint venture. In fact they do not want Pelita Holdings and DD Plantations to develop their land. They want SALCRA to develop their land as SALCRA gives them 70%, while as Pelita Holdings and DD Plantations give then only 30%. They have met general manager of SALCRA requesting it to develop their land.

Yesterday (Sat, 2 May), there was an urgent meeting in Simunjan between Pelita Holdings and Temenggong Anthony, TR Sebli, TR Najib, TR Kudi, and TR Entali after they heard strong objections from the people to develop their land by Pelita Holdings and DD Plantations.

Meanwhile, those who oppose Pelita Holdings and DD Plantations will be coming to Kuching soon to consult their lawyers with a view to apply for a court injunction.

The other strange thing is that Snowdan claims that the areas to be developed are within his constituency of Balai Ringin.

For people like me who come from the area and a voter do not know that Semalatong, Sibau Rumbau, Isu and Kepayang are under Balai Ringin; these kampongs are under Simunjan constituency of Naroden Majais.

Naroden is not only a good friend of Yee Ming Seng, but his business partner. They own the Gedong Plantations and few more. Yee Ming Seng is a rich businessman from Sebauh, Bintulu.

Now the questions are: Why did Snowdan claim that these longhouses are under his constituency knowing very well that they are under Naroden Majais? Is he acting on behalf of Naroden? Or is Naroden scared of his own voters for taking away their land?

Now Naroden, known as the “Simunjan King of Oil Palm”, has been given 16,486 ha (roughly 41,215 acres) of land from Gedong to Sedilau, Simunjan and to Ulu Simunjan. The bulk of this land is under NCR and owned by Malays and Ibans. - The Broken Shield

Source: www.thebrokenshield.blogspot.com

State government: Protector or robber of NCR land?

Source: The Borneo Post, 4 March 2009

(click picture to enlarge)

Lubok Antu MP William Nyallau, first time elected representative, thinks that the State government is the protector of NCR land. He says that he wants NCR land to “remain as such so that they can be best protected by the government”.

And he does not want NCR land to be delineated, surveyed and issued titles, despite the Ibans begging for the government to survey their land for the past 45 years.

Maybe Nyallau do not fear or do not know Awang Tengah Ali Hassan, who is the most powerful Second minister of resource planning and management, but tens of thousands of Dayaks who own NCR land do know and are dead scared of Awang Tengah. They even call him Awang TANAH, who says that all untitled lands including NCR land are State land.

“Nyallau speaks through his nose,” said a PRS supreme council member who did not share Nyallau’s proposal.

Nyallau’s reasoning is that if such lands are to be surveyed and given titles, the Ibans will sell their land.

“How many titled lands have been sold off since the 1980s? Check with the Land and Survey department,” he said to The Borneo Post dated 4 March 2009 (see newscutting above).

But what is wrong with selling your land if you need the money to send your children for higher education or for business. Chinese, Malays and others are doing the same thing.

Indeed it is better to sell your land and be paid the price agreeable to both sides, rather than your NCR land being taken away and are sold to big companies for oil palm plantations. This is what happens now. Up to now more than half of 4 million NCR lands have been taken away for the planting oil palm.

Not only the land owners do not receive a cent out of their land, they are being criminalized for defending their land, while others have resorted to take legal actions against the government and companies to claim compensations.

Now coming back to the question: Is the State government protector or robber of State land?

The voters of Batang Ai who will be casting their votes for the by-election on 7 April will be able to answer this question. - The Broken Shield

Source: www.thebrokenshield.blogspot.com

Neutrality of Police questioned

Are the police siding timber or oil palm companies in any dispute between the companies and the poor rural people?

This was the question that was posed during the first Dayak symposium held on 31 January 2009 in Sibu where some 200 Dayak professionals, intellectuals, pensioners, NGO leaders and community leaders were present.

In a paper presented to the symposium, Paul Raja, a leading NCR land lawyer, said that in the event of conflicts between the natives and timber companies, the natives could not do much because the companies had the entire government machinery to support them.

“The natives are only watching helplessly the timber companies plundering their timber wealth found in their native customary rights lands. They can’t do much.

“The police are always siding with the companies in the event of conflicts. The natives who lodge reports of abuse and trespass on their lands are either turned away from the police stations or no action at all is taken by the police,” Paul said.

On the other hand, when the companies made police reports, most of the time, false reports of purported criminal intimidation, the police sprung into action instantaneously and arrested anyone mentioned in the reports.

“This is a common tactic used by timber and oil palm companies to subdue any resistance from the natives. This has become so common that the natives are reluctant to lodge police reports against companies encroaching into their lands because they are well aware that lodging police reports do not make any difference at all. In short the people do not trust the police and the government authorities,” he said.

Paul also said that the Forest department and the Land and Survey Department were equally unhelpful to the natives who viewed the relevant government departments as “only serving the companies and the government but not the people”.

He went on to say that to compound the natives’ miseries, most of the time, the people who were being used as front men to subdue and subjugate the natives in collusion with the government departments were shadowy figures from the underworld.

The climax of this modus operandi was at Batu Niah resulting in a murder incident, he said, alleging that it was also normal for a government department to be used by a private company to enforce a civil claim in the event of disputes with the natives.

The Police, Land and Survey Department and the Forest Department were the usual enforcement agents used to enforce claims over NCR lands. The shooting of the villagers by the Police at Tinjar oil palm estate was an example of many such cases.

Paul suggested that “all forest and timber found on native customary rights lands shall belong to the land owners who shall be authorized to cut, sell and trade in the forest produce or timber in accordance to the regulations established by the Native Land Council.

In addition to that permit from the Forest Department may be required for the purpose of facilitating the transaction with no restriction. There shall only be minimal administrative fees.” - The Broken Shield

(Note: This is the last article on the Dayak Symposium)