Sunday, January 4

Samarahan Division progresses, people remain poor!


Since its creation into the eighth administrative division of Sarawak in 1987, the Samarahan Division with an area of 4,967.4 square kilometers is one of the fastest growing regions in the State.

Its administrative headquarters, Kota Samarahan has been turned into a “Knowledge Centre”, where we find the sites of the University of Malaysia Sarawak (UNIMAS), the University Institute Technology Mara (UiTM), the Tun Abdul Razak Teachers Training College, the Science and Technology Park, the Industrial Training Centre, the Public Health Laboratory and the Sarawak International Medical Centre.

Other plans for the division include a major agricultural centre through a massive Integrated Agricultural Development programme that involves the planting of the famous Simunjan rice or Gedong rice, coconut plantations, bananas, pineapples, oranges, and pepper, as well as turning the division into the hub of oil palm activities where some 67,760.4 hectares of land (roughly 169,401 acres) have been approved for the cultivation of oil palm.

Generally the division’s 204,900 population (2000 census) who are mostly Dayaks and Malays should be grateful to the Government for the various projects, but the planting of oil palm is of great concern to them. Out of 169,401 acres, the greater parts of these lands are being disputed as they claim that the lands are under their NCR land.

Syed Abu Bakar Almohdzar’s companies of Melur Gemilang Sdn Bhd and Kumpulan Kris Jati Sdn Bhd, both giving their address at Tingkat 13, Menara Tun Razak, Jalan Raja Laut, 50350, Kuala Lumpur have been given provisional lease to develop some 59,360 acres (23,744 hectares) for oil palm.

Kumpulan Kris Jati:

# 1093 hectares of land at Lot 166 Menuku land district at Sungai Tebelu Baru, Sebuyau approved in October 1997;

# 187 hectares at Lot 737 Sebangan-Kepayang land district at Bukit Pinang, Simunjan approved in October 1997;

# 463 hectares at Lot 738 Sebangan-Kepayang land district at Ulu Sg. Ladong, Simunjan approved in October 1997;

# 2281 hectares at Lot 739 Sebangan-Kepayang land district at Sg. Sediliu/Sg. Bentaga, Simunjan approved in October 1997;

# 2187 hectares at Lot 1223 Sediliu Gedong land district at Sg. Sediliu, Simunjan approved in October 1997;

# 1940 hectares at Lot 167 Menuku land district at Tg. Engkrepok, Sg. Sebuyau, Sebuyau approved in August 1998;

Melur Gemilang Sdn Bhd:

# 7493 hectares at Lot 1224 Sediliu-Gedong land district at Lubok Rasau, Sg. Simunjan, Simunjan approved in September 1999;

# 780 hectares at Lot 2978 Melikin land district at Sg. Simunjan Kanan, Simunjan approved in September 1999;

# 1650 hectares at Lot 1225 Sediliu-Gedong land district at Lubok Teba, Btg. Sadong, Gedong approved in June 2000;

# 250 hectares at Lot 2982 Melikin land district at Sg. Matan, Btg. Kerang, Gedong approved in April 2002;

# 4420 hectares at Lot 2983 Melikin land district at Sg. Simunjan Kanan, Simunjan approved in April 2002;

# 280 hectares at Lot 33 Punda-Sabal land district at Tg. Stigang, Sg. Simunjan, Simunjan approved in June 2000;

# 720 hectares at Lot 34 Punda-Sabal land district at Sg. Simunjan Kanan, Simunjan approved in June 2000.

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Another big player in the oil palm business in Samarahan Division is Robert Geneid, the Chief Minister’s brother- in-law. Geneid’s company of Lambang Sinar Mas Sdn Bhd has been given 40,000 acres (16,000 hectares) and the details are as follows:

# 980 hectares at Lot 1 Muara Tuang land district at Ulu Sungai Sampun, Samarahan approved in May 2004;

# 5620 hectares at Lot 886 Samarahan land district at Sungai Ensengai, Samarahan approved in May 2004;

# 670 hectares at Lot 887 Samarahan land district at Sungai Ensengai, Samarahan approved in May 2004;

# 5010 hectares at Lot 1230 Sediliu;Gedong land district at Ulu Sungai Ensengai, Samarahan approved in May 2004; and

# 3720 hectares at Lot 1509 Bukar Sadong land district at Ulu Sungai Ensengai, Samarahan approved in May 2004.

As I mentioned earlier in posting, YB Naroden Majais was also a major owner of oil palm in Simunjan with acreage of 16,486 hectares.

Together the companies owned by the three persons (Naroden, Geneid and Syed Abu Bakar) own some 56,230 hectares of land under oil palm contributing to about 90% of the total acreage approved for the Division up to the third quarter of 2005.

Plans are also afoot to build the Sadong Bridge and roads in order to link major areas like Sebuyau, Sebangan, Simunjan and Serian with Kuching and other towns. And no area in Sarawak has undergone as much transformation through development as Samarahan Division in the last three decades.

However, in spite of all these developments, the rural dwellers especially the Malays and Dayaks in the kampongs and longhouses have remained poor and are struggling to make ends meet with their traditional farming, while the few BN leaders and their cronies are becoming richer and richer.

It is indeed very sad as the Natives appear to be standing on the roadsides, as development passes by. - The Broken Shield

16 comments:

Anonymous said...

Mr. Jetty, it is not a surprise any way, because in Sri Aman not less than ten companies belong to `outside invaders` are given leases for oil palm plantations encroach into Iban NCR land. But the gready politicians proudly claimed that it is `politics of development`.However, I can`t see any change of their livelihood of the Iban in the affected areas since then. With due respect, I am very proud to say that I enjoy my income by planting padi, tapping rubber and growing pepper.Hopefully the gready `bigfoots` do not `rob` my NCR land.

Anonymous said...

No further comment!

http://tiyungdayak.wordpress.com/2009/01/03/yes-love-me-do/

Bujang Singkang Kala said...

read Sim Kwang Yang latest article in Mlayasiakini or Bujang Singkang Kala blog @http://bujangsingkangkala.blogspot.com/2009/01/tear-down-sarawaks-bamboo-curtain.html on Sarawak politics and how scared they are of losing power.

Unknown said...

Great staff this. Better introduce those Dayaks and Malays who are going to lose their NCR land to baru Bian's law firm, sio he can go to court for them.

Anonymous said...

Wah....that is great.It helps to increase the population of the wild boars because the areas are good for breeding grounds for the wild boars.As an active hunter, I don`t have to go to thick jungles to look for the wild boars.

de minimis said...

Excellent information. It is these specific facts that will convince all and sundry that they cannot stay within their comfort zone any longer. This is not the price to pay for progress and development ... when it favours so few well-connected individuals at the expense of everyone else.

Anonymous said...

Just to add...
I understand that a 16km road is being build from Gedong to Simunjan (jalan pintas) in the name of development by Kementerian Pembangunan Luar Bandar. Logically the road serve not much purpose for the rural people (as the road do not pass through the kampongs) except to facilitate the transport of FFB to the oil palm mill in Gedong (owner of the mill?]
....
RS

Anonymous said...

Jobs and more jobs for the inhabitants of Samarahan division? If that is the case then I see progress and should be encouraged. Improvement on infrastuctures, water and electricity to kampungs and longhouse being the off shoot of this grand development would be most welcomed. Any progress that would benefit the community is always welcomed. I give credit where its due to be fair.
Now, generalising statements like "people remain poor" would be an overkill without any supporting statistics. Maybe a dayak trust committee be set up to gauge and feed us the real facts otherwise its only political fodder. Your lists of who owns what from the company's office should have been balanced out by income levels of inhabitants post NCR land gouging oil palm establishment. Please favour us a balance view and let us be the judge.

Anonymous said...

Read also in www.spbgroup.com.my/investor-financial.html

about their financial statement and every shareholders equities.

How many people and government servant got their shares in this company.

Familiar faces in Sarawak politic as well.

Yang miskin tambah miskin tapi yang kaya tambah kaya.

Jon

Anonymous said...

What is NCR to the Dayak now anyway? Or even what was it to them in 60s, 70s and 80s, when they could have had an impact, where they could have had implemented clear policies on customary practices, and land ownership?

This country was sold to the Malayans for pennies ! By whom? Let me spell it out in case we've forgotten the usual suspects, but perhaps I shouldn't because you can see their smiling faces on many photos circa the 60s up until now!

So again I ask, what is NCR to the Dayak ??!!!!!!!!!!!! You sell your country to the Devil, you vote for the Devil and then you offer your innocent people to the Devil. So does any Dayak here berani enough to tell me what NCR means to him and even his aki kelia then ???!!

Primitive is selling your heritage, Sophistication is keeping it !!!

A Dayak An Iban

Unknown said...

Well, it is called 'politic of development' and those tuai rumahs and the penghulus who agreed and signed those papers approving the NCR land to be developed under the so-called 'politic of development' should be blamed for they are not well informed or being blindly led or spoon-feeding with under table money or being threatened with 'against the government'

Once the tuai rumahs and penghulus signed those agreement, their rakyat could do nothing. And they are at the lost end, losing their NCR lands forever.

Let us go to oil palm scheme Merindun, Lubok Antu, the livelihood of those Ibans involving in the scheme, is no better than those not involved in the scheme at all.

Now let us go to Rubber plantaton scheme in Melugu and Skrang Sri Aman, those scheme are a total failure now. Those Ibans involved in those scheme are now without any steady incomes from those scheme.

All those Iban have lost their NCR land to this big companies.

I, for one is not against any development beit involved NCR lands but let the dayak have their rights and not lose their NCR lands. And the developments benefits those dayak, too.

Aki Josh said...

Excellent post. Factual details are crucial. But we need to distinguish the various forms by which state and NCR lands have been redistributed. The issuing of provisional leases to political cronies (such as you have documented here) is the most common and the least transparent. It also provides little or no benefits to local Malays or Dayaks as most of the labour is provided by Indonesians. The stories behind the Merindun oil palm scheme and behind Melugu and Skrang rubber schemes are very different indeed and belong to a different era.

Anonymous said...

An answer to Mr.Anonymous A Dayak an Iban.

It is better to vote for the DEVIL rather than vote for `BUBUR NASI`.

Anonymous said...

This is an exceptionally great piece. Keep those records,jang. I ve the records on how the top civil servants "approved" those leases and apparatus on how they protect the "BOSS"

Anonymous said...

Got it.......

Anyway, the choice is ours. Do we need to change this land grabbing policy? If all of us do, show and prove in a year or two. I am very doubtful that (some) our Iban leaders are welcoming this change because they are simply part of the system.

Mere facts without action is only rhetoric.

jumpover said...

Don't be too afraid to your tuaiii rumah. They are not the man who give u rice,...give u money to live.

Don't be controlled by them when we make decision..to blowing the wind of change.

They are just an idot