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

Watch out for Adenan

KUCHING – What does the recent cabinet reshuffle mean in terms of (a) Adenan Satem’s come-back to the cabinet, (b) Fatimah Abdullah’s promotion to full-fledged minister and (c) the appointment of Tan Joo Phoi, the chairman of Padawan Municipal Council as assistant minister?

The appointment of Adenan Satem, State Assemblyman for Tanjong Datu, as special advisor to Chief Minister Abdul Taib Mahmud in a cabinet reshuffle on 25 March 2010 has sparked interests among the public that Adenan can be the man who is likely to replace Taib as PBB president and Chief Minister of Sarawak.

With Adenan coming back to join the administration, the public are asking: is Adenan the man who will finally take over from Taib?

He was once tipped to replace Taib, but fell out of favour with the chief minister in 2006 and since then he has been put on cold storage.

In the past Taib has eyed a number of PBB leaders who should take over from him; names such as Bujang Haji Ulis, Abang Abu Bakar, Dr. Sulaiman Daud, Effendi Norwawi and Adenan Satem are still fresh on the minds of the members. But one after the other of them has fallen by the road side.

“But now Adenan is back and it appears that Taib is grooming him to take over,” said Voon, State Assemblyman for Batu Lintang.

He had held various portfolios in the State administration including Land Development (1987-1992), Social Development (1992-1998). In 2004, he left the State cabinet and joined the Federal Cabinet as Natural Resources and Environment minister, but resigned in 2006.

Apart from Adenan, there are other senior leaders who have an equal chance to replace Taib. For example Alfred Jabu Anak Numpang, deputy president (1), Abang Johari bin Tun Openg, deputy president (11), Awang Tengah Ali Hassan, senior vice president.

“Any one of them has been mentioned by members of the party as well as the public as Taib’s possible successor. And don’t under rate Alfred Jabu,” said one of his supporters.

In fact Jabu’s supporters have been promoting him in their blogs as the next chief minister of Sarawak.

“No one can deny that Jabu has all the experience and expertise,” they said.

It is little doubt that Abang Johari who holds a MBA degree from a British university is also in line to the most powerful chief minister’s post. He has shown to be a very effective and capable minister.

Awang Tengah’s supporters have also been going around projecting him as a possible successor to Taib.

“The pressure on Taib to look for a successor has now become very urgent not only because of his health, but also because of huge stakes in the Sarawak Corridor Renewal Energy (SCORE), the 12 dams that are going to be built, the aluminum plant and the infrastructures. All these are worth billions of ringgit,” said a political observer.

With Adenan now joining the race, there are four potential candidates whom Taib can choose from.

“He must be the one Taib can trust to undertake all these projects and to help protect his family’s businesses,” the observer said.

Fatimah’s promotion is something to do with the recent PBB triennial delegates conference where she was soundly defeated in the contest for the Bumiputra wing of the PBB supreme council.

As a Taib loyalist and hard working too, Fatimah deserved to be promoted. But then, PBB has now more ministers in the cabinet- starting from Taib (Chief Minister,Minister of Finance and Minister of Planning and Resource managment), Jabu (deputy chief minister and minister of modernization of agriculture), Abang Johari (Minister of Housing and Industrial Development), Awang Tengah (minister of public utilities and second minister of planning and resource management), Michael Manyin (minister of infrastructure development), Fatimah Abdullah (minister in the chief minister’s department) and Adenan (minister without portfolio in charge of information and broadcasting).

(PBB has eight ministers), SUPP has two (George Chan, deputy chief minister and Wong Soon Koh, environment and public health minister), SPDP and PRS each has one minister (William Mawan, minister of social development and urbanisation and James Masing, minister of land development respectively).

Taib also appointed Tan Joo Phoi as assistant minister in charge of environmental matters connected to dam construction in Limbang, Baram, Baleh and Murum.

According to Dominique Ng, a PKR Sarawak adviser, by promoting Tan, Taib is trying to appease long outstanding grouses of SUPP that Taib owes them that post.

Secondly, he said Tan’s appointment may open the way for PBB to take over Padawan Municipal Council.

“It is a classic case of killing two birds with one stone. What a well targeted stone!” said Ng.

But one may ask why SPDP and PRS are not involved in the reshuffle such as increasing the number of ministerial posts or assistant ministerial posts?

But I have heard that Taib will only give a post of political secretary to each of the two parties, and I further heard that he will only accept women as political secretaries this time. – The Broken Shield

Source: www.thebrokenshield.blogspot.com

Bawin on special cabinet committee

(This article was first published in the Malaysian Mirror and is reproduced here for the readers of The Broken Shield).

SIBU – Sarawak PKR election director Nicholas Bawin has suggested to the State government to form a special cabinet committee to assist the Chief Minister Abdul Taib Mahmud in dealing with the issuance of provisional leases (PLs) of native customary rights lands to big companies for the planting of oil palm or trees.

“This is importance in order to avoid complications and court cases,” he said, when he addressed community and ex-community leaders at a dinner in Sibu last Sunday.

Bawin, who recently returned from London highlighting the plight of the natives in the British Parliament, was a guest speaker at the function.

“What this special committee should do is to go to the ground and call all NCR land owners to discuss with them the intention of the government to issue PLs to companies to plant oil palm.

“The land owners will be asked to identify their lands and if they agree to a JV with a company then they will sign an agreement. But if they do not agree, then their lands should be left alone.

“In this way we avoid all encumbrances such as the unnecessary court cases brought about by the land owners and the miseries caused to them,” he said, pointing out that the more than 200 cases pending in the High Court are an example.

He claimed that currently the chief minister as minister of planning and resource management made the decision himself without consulting other ministers, resulting in thousands of NCR lands being taken away by government without the consent of the people.

“What happens now is that once the lease is given to the company, the company would then destroy land owners’ longhouses, farm huts, fruit trees, cash crops and even chase them away.

“This is too much for the land owners to take, and of course they get angry and worst still they are being arrested to defend their own lands,” Bawin said.

“The chief minister has too much power vested on him and as such it can be abused,” he said and questioned why the chief minister was too generous in granting timber licences and provisional leases to well-to-do people,” he said.

Bawin also called on Dayak leaders and native headmen irrespective of their political affiliations to understand the basis of the people’s rights over land as stated clearly under section 5 of the Land Code.

“Once you understand our rights, then you can help the longhouse people to protect their NCR lands; only then you will understand why the people are angry with the government,” he stressed.

Source: www.thebrokenshield.blogspot.com

Look after the plight of the people, says Ibi

By: Joseph Tawie
24 Mar 2010

KUCHING – Sarawak PKR Women chief Ibi Anak Uding has called on the government to provide electricity and clean water supply to longhouses in the Balai Ringin constituency in line with the government’s concept of ‘1Malaysia, People first and Performance now’.

“Although Snowdan Lawan, the incumbent State assemblyman has distributed some funds for minor rural development projects, there are about 80 % to 90 % of the longhouses which do not have 24-hour supply of electricity and more than 90% do not have clean water supply.

“Even few schools have no electricity and water,” Ibi said after a visit to several longhouses along Simunjan/Punda Road.

Ibi who has been visiting the constituency almost daily is a potential PKR candidate.

She said: “The lack of electricity, water and other infrastructure in the majority of the longhouses is a cause for concern. It appears that the situation in Balai Ringin contradicts Prime Minister Najib’s concept of ‘1 Malaysia, People first and Performance now’.

“For the past 46 years, the people’s needs are last and the performance later. The people here are worst than the animals where the animals are given first priority such as electricity and water at the Pig Farm near Jirok,” she lamented.

Ibi questioned why projects such as football fields were simply handed over to the people when they did not ask for them.

“This is wrong priority. What the people need is electricity and water,” she said.

On the question of NCR land issues which are very “hot” in this constituency, Ibi said the people’s two representatives, the State Assemblyman and the MP for Sri Aman Masir Kujat, are ignoring the misery and the plight of the NCR land owners.

“Where are Snowdan and Kujat and why are they keeping quiet? And why are they not fighting for the interests of the people?” asked by Ibi.

Ibi was referring to some 741,000 acres of land in the Balai Ringin area, the bulk of which are NCR lands which are owned by Ibans from 15 longhouses and Malays from one Malay kampong, have been proposed to be given to Cahya Mata Sarawak Bhd, Hock Seng Lee Bhd, Cocolin Industries Sdn Bhd, Poh Lian Plantation Sdn Bhd and Sarawak Economic Development Corporation.

The villagers have written a memorandum to the relevant authorities including UMNO seeking their intervention and they have also engaged a law firm to look into their problems.

Ibi expressed concern over the interests and livelihood of the people as they have been told to leave the area if their lands are untitled, failing which the Land and Survey Department in Kota Samarahan will initiate court actions.

She said that the farmers are adamant in staying in their own lands which have been passed to them by their ancestors and at the same time they have consulted their lawyers with a view to sue the government.

Ibi also expressed anxiety over another big oil palm plantation that has allegedly encroached into NRC lands at Ubah, Tekuyong, Abok and Empaling in the Pantu area.

“Several land owners have been arrested for defending their lands,” she added, pointing out that they have now sued the government and the company for the alleged encroachment.

The case was heard last week in the High Court in Sri Aman and further hearing will be held on 7 April.

Source: www.thebrokenshield.blogspot.com

Should we form BADAS?

We must salute Ibrahim Ali for forming PriBumi Perkasa Negara (PERKASA) which main aim is to protect “Ketuanan Melayu” and the Malay rights in business, education, economic and anything to do with Malays.

Perkasa which is being membered by many UMNOPutras including Mahathir Mohamad believes it can do more than what UMNO can do now.

It is a pressure group.

Although the government denies any connection with it, the speed, however, in which its registration has been approved by the Home Ministry suggests otherwise.

Likewise, we Dayaks should consider forming a similar organization like Bansa Asal Dayak Sarawak or BADAS which aim is to protect Dayak interests in the economic, business, education, land and other rights that have been spelt out in the Federal Constitution.

More specifically, BADAS should protect NCR lands which are being taken away by companies for the planting of trees or oil palm. It should offer among others consultation services, posting Police bails and contacting lawyers.

Currently Sarawak Dayak Iban Association (SADIA) is doing it, but SADIA alone cannot do much without the support of other Dayak organizations and other Dayak leaders.

BADAS should not only act as a “think tank” but should also serve as a focal point of unity among the various Dayak ethnic groups.

If the government can allow the registration of PERKASA, there is no reason why BADAS cannot be registered.

Definitely, many Dayak leaders in the government will oppose this idea. There is nothing wrong in trying and convincing the government for its approval.

But the question is: who among us should be the “Ibrahim Ali” of the Dayak community? Any idea? – The Broken Shield

Source: www.thebrokenshield.blogspot.com

Survey of NCR land

During annual general meeting of the Kuching Division of Parti Keadilan Sarawak on Saturday, a resolution was passed urging the State Government to conduct a perimeter survey of the NCR land of the indigenous people, and facilitate conversion into titled land.

Under a revised Sarawak Land Code on which PKR seeks to legislate, the resolution further demands: (a) automatic land lease renewal on expiry of lease; (b) issuance of land leases of 999 years or in perpetuity, and (c) land sequestered under section 47 should be automatically released back to the land owner after two years if no public development takes place. That is the PKR Kuching division’s resolution.

Even a perimeter survey is still not good enough if our NCR lands are being leased for 60 years to oil palm plantations under a JV concept. None of the land owners will be able later on to locate which is his land.

What the government should do is to survey an individual land and issue land titles. If he passes away, at least his children can continue to own the land legally.

By the way the Minister of Natural Resources and Environment, Datuk Douglas Ugah who was briefed on 12 March on Sarawak’s Land and Survey Department at Wisma Pelita on the new land concept to develop NCR land agreed with the above suggestion - that individual lands should be surveyed and be given titles.

I was told that he was not happy with the perimeter survey alone where all the lands belonging to individuals will be lumped together. According to those who were present, Ugah asked a number of questions and the officer just could not answer.

After 60 years, can the land owners identify/locate their lands?

Assuming the present land owners who are in the region of 50 years of age or more pass away, do their children know exactly the lands owned by their parents?

And if they do not know the exact location of the lands, will the lands just disappear like that? Definitely when the 60-year agreement is due, many of the current land owners will pass away. It is for sure that the lands will also “pass away”.

If this happens, it is likely that one day the Dayaks will lose all their NCR lands to all big plantation companies. In fact, the majority of them have already lost their lands.

Is it not possible that the children and their children’s children of the current land owners find themselves as “Kampar” in their own land and as “temuai” in their own longhouses in the future?

Those who are fortunate enough and have academic qualifications may have a brighter future. But for those who are not that fortunate may find themselves scavenging for foods in towns and even sleeping in boxes or under the bridges.

I thought I read something like this already happened somewhere in Sibu and in Miri. – The Broken Shield

Source: www.thebrokenshield.blogspot.com

Jabu, the stooge of Kuala Lumpur, says Jambun

Daniel John Jambun, the leader of the Sabah delegation to Britain, today challenged Deputy Chief of Sarawak Alfred Jabu anak Numpang for an open debate.

“We want to call on Sarawak Deputy Chief Minister Alfred Jabu Anak Numpang to prove that he's a 'somebody' as he implies by briefing the people on his track record in defending the rights of Sabah and Sarawak under the 1963 Malaysia Agreement.

“We challenge Jabu to an open debate on the issues raised by the Common Interest Group Malaysia (Cigma) during their briefing to members of the House of Commons in London on March 9,” Jambun said in a statement emailed to The Broken Shield.

The Broken Shield had earlier published Jambun’s memorandum presented to the House Commons.

Jambun who is the deputy chairperson of Common Interest Groups (CIGMA) said: “Jabu is turning a blind eye to the serious plight of Malaysians in Sabah. Or is it more likely that he is actually ignorant about the horrendous problems faced by Sabahans because he has not been to Sabah often enough.

“Cigma's memorandum titled 'Shattered Hopes and Broken Dreams' detailed Sabah's expectations upon independence as were promised by Tunku Abdul Rahman and under the Malaysia Agreement, the Intergovernmental Committee Report and the 20 Points, the issue of state security and threats to national sovereignty.

“These included 'reverse takeovers' arising from the influx of illegal immigrants, poverty, unfair sharing of oil revenue, lack of fair benefits from land alienation to Felda and Felcra, and other socio-economic problems as a result of the unjust distribution of wealth and opportunities for Sabah from the national economic cake.

“Over the past 50 years 'various modifications and adjustments' to the Malaysia Agreement have eroded the rights and privileges of Sabahans. Forty-six years after independence, Sabah is now the poorest state despite its abundant natural resources.

“Whatever good we had received from Malaysia, it is all totally negated by the fact that we are not secure as a state and that the federal government has reaped a huge economic harvest from Sabah and returned so little to us,” he said.

Since the takeover of Umno/BN in Sabah in 1994, Sabah, he said, had been plundered to the point of becoming the poorest state in Malaysia.

“We are in such dire straits with a very uncertain future, so what is the point of praising the government? Jabu surely knows that Sarawak has had no better deal in Malaysia than Sabah.

“He must not think Sabah is in the same position as Sarawak which still has some of its original rights intact. Even Umno daren't enter Sarawak. But we in Sabah are in a much more different situation. We are under a state government which is under the directive of Kuala Lumpur.

“Brunei, which opted out of Malaysia, and Singapore which later left the federation, are in a much better economic position regionally and globally. In fact, with all the rich natural resources that we have, Sabah should be richer than Brunei.

“We reiterate that we are ready for an open debate on these issues with Jabu anytime at any venue of Jabu's choice. Let the people judge who is a 'nobody in his own country.' At the moment, the consensus of public opinion is that Jabu is a proxy and stooge of the ruling elite in Kuala Lumpur and hence a traitor to our people.

“There is nothing wrong in Cigma calling for the re-activation of the Inter-Governmental Committee on the Malaysia Agreement. The IGC was meant to be a permanent institution to monitor the Malaysia Agreement.

“Jabu must explain why the IGC has fallen into inactivity and disuse over the years. We call upon the Malaysian federal government and the governments of Sabah, Sarawak, Singapore and the UK to return to the IGC as soon as possible, failing which we will relentlessly pursue the matter further in various international forums.

“We appeal that the governments of Indonesia and the Philippines be accorded observer status at the IGC. The presence of Indonesia will ensure that the re-colonisation of Sabah and Sarawak by Malaya, after the departure of the British, is reversed. The late President Sukarno of Indonesia did warn against re-colonisation when he launched his policy of konfrantasi (confrontation) and ganjang Malaysia (hang M'sia) in 1963.

“The presence of the Philippines will ensure that we can bring the so-called Sabah claim to a closure. Following the successful briefing at the House of Commons in London on Mach 9, we intend to pursue the introduction of an EDM

(Early Day Motion) on the Malaysia Agreement in the British Parliament as soon as the forthcoming UK general elections are over.

The writer is deputy chairperson, Common Interest Group Malaysia (Cigma).