Sagan in trouble?

KUCHING:  The revelation that the Baram MP and Deputy Minister of International Trade and Industry Jacob Dungau Sagan and his family members were given business contracts in return for his support for the dreaded Baram dam has infuriated the Kanyan, Kenyah and Penan communities in the Upper Baram River.

“Even the Iban and other communities down river are also equally angry if the allegations are true. He has betrayed us as the voters,” said Patrick Sibat, a potential candidate to challenge Sagan in the coming election.

It was revealed on February 25, 2012 by Sarawak Report that Jacob’s family members were given business contracts and belian concessions worth more than RM63 million allegedly as rewards for his support for the construction of the Baram dam.

“Following this revelation, the issue has become the main topic, and everybody is talking about it,” said Sibat.

Although Sagan’s name is not listed in the company named Dema Tiga Sdn Bhd, his wife’s name, and the names of his brother and daughter are reported to be the owners of the company.

Nevertheless, Sagan is implicated as Sharizat Jalil is implicated in the NFC (National Feedlot Corporation) run by her husband.

Sarawak Report alleged that Dema Tiga has received RM63 million in public contracts over the last five years including one for a rural water system funded by the federal government and commissioned by the Sarawak Public Works Department.

It was also reported by Sarawak Report that Sagan, his wife and daughter are the secret holders of three timber concessions to harvest belian wood (iron wood) in his parliamentary constituency.

The belian trees worth several millions of ringgit need to be harvested before the proposed dam floods the area.

“These revelations provide the answers to those who have been wondering why Sagan has been eager supporter of the dam and the defender of Chief Minister Abdul Taib Mahmud,” said Baru Bian, Sarawak PKR Chief recently.

Sagan has denied the allegations by certain quarters and individuals who he said were plotting to kill him off in his constituency ahead of the general election.

Sagan has been named by his party, Sarawak Progressive Democratic Party, as the candidate to defend the seat for the Barisan Nasional.

Saying that he has nothing to do with all these-called timber contracts, Sagan said: “These allegations are the work of certain politicians who are collaborating with non-governmental organisations to tarnish me.

“I am studying all the allegations in details. I am thinking of legal actions against them to clear my name,” he said.

The proposed Baram dam is the most hated of all the dams that have been constructed and Sagan’s strong advocate for the dam may cost him the Kayan, Kenyah and Penan votes.

The anti-Baram dam group has collected more than 20,000 names of those who are against the dam.

The dam once completed will be 162 metres high and will flood an area of 41,200 hectares of mostly native customary rights (NCR) land together with 26 villages and longhouses in the Upper Baram River. Even Sagan’s longhouse of Long Anap will be submerged.

More than 20,000 natives will be forced to be removed and relocated elsewhere.

In the last state election, the Baram dam was the main issue which almost cost Dennis Ngau, a BN-PBB candidate to lose the Telang Usan seat, which is part of the Baram constituency as 55% of 13,623 Kenyahs, Kayans and Punans voted against him. He was ‘saved’ by 2,000 Iban voters from Puyut Polling district in the Marudi constituency.

It is interesting to note that for the coming election Sagan is going to face the same people in Telang Usan who voted against Ngau in the state election. To win, he must have the support of at least 60% of more than 10,000 Iban voters from the Marudi seat, the other part of the Baram constituency.

The big question is:  Can he secure 60% of the Iban voters especially in view of the fact that they are mostly supporters of Sylvester Entri who had been expelled from SPDP? Entri’s bitterness against SPDP and its leadership including Sagan for his expulsion is too deep to be pushed aside.

You may recall that more than 30 longhouses led by their longhouse chiefs were angry over Entri’s expulsion so much so that they tried to stop SPDP President William Mawan Ikom from visiting a longhouse in Marudi in October last year.

Now these longhouse chiefs are looking forward for an Iban to contest the Baram seat, which hitherto has been represented by Kayans and Kenyahs in the last 40 years.

They have in their minds Sibat as their possible candidate. Some prominent Orang Ulu leaders including Harrison Ngau, the former MP are claimed to be supportive of Sibat’s candidacy.

There are also several other forces working against Sagan.  After being an MP for four terms, he is generally perceived as a low performer by the voters.

For a significant number of times, he had delegated to his family members like his wife and brother-in-law to represent him at official functions.

This practice irritates the voters.

It is believed that Sagan is now in ‘hot’ seat.

Penans to be caddies?

KUCHING: Is there any possibility for a Penan whose is wearing only his traditional dress being engaged as a caddie to such personality like Tiger Woods?

This could be possible if the government agrees to a suggestion by Telang Usan assemblyman Dennis Ngau to open up a golf course in the Penans’ territory in Baram in order to give them employment opportunities.

The suggestion was made by Ngau when he talked about woes faced by the natives of the Baram in the absence of basic amenities, infrastructure and economic activities in the area.

“This golf course will be part of the effort to increase the value-added of the tourism sector, and with the expected improvement of the road system in Baram soon, the setting up of the course will definitely provide employment opportunities to the locals,” Ngau said when he debated on the state 2012 budget.

Pointing out that a big chunk of the development budget goes to among others tourism development, Ngau said: “I would like to urge the relevant ministry to look into the request from the people of Ulu Baram who have identified places of interest to be developed as tourism products.

“Definitely Baram is very rich with tourism products, but very poor with supporting facilities such as good roads and other related facilities.

“The absence of these facilities makes tour packages become too expensive thus make it (tourism) unmarketable,” he said.

“As part of the effort to increase the value-added of the tourism sector, and with the expected improvement of the road system in Baram, I urge the government to encourage the private sector to open up a gold course in the area,” he said.

“The opening of the course would give the locals (Penans, Kayans and Kenyahs) job opportunities,” he said.

Currently the people in his constituency depend on rivers and jungles as their major source of food, pointing out that hunting and gathering of jungle produce are still the way of life.

“Rivers and jungles had acted like freezers to them in those days, but today there is an alarming drop in all types of fish and animals,” he said, urging the government to create a Penan communal land or Penan Reserve land, where they could still practise their traditional way of life.

Commenting on Ngau’s suggestion (to build golf course), Baru Bian, Ba’Kelalan assemblyman and Pakatan Rakyat’s shadow minister for Land Development and NCR land affair branded the suggestion as very ‘naïve’ to have a golf course in the interior of Baram.

“Once you destroy the forests and vegetation you also destroy the habitat of the animals.

“Secondly, the fertilizers they use to maintain the golf course is detrimental to marine life,” he said, pointing out that the course would not viable and beneficial ecologically speaking.

“It is so expensive to maintain the course and who would go and play? And how many people can get a golf course employment. 100? That will not solve the employment problem,” he said.

Bian suggested that to open up work opportunities other options should be considered for example the ecotourism like introducing home stay and the planting of different kinds of cash crops.

“Construction of roads to the interiors would open up the place too. This will encourage people to go back to their longhouses and take up their NCR land for farming,” he said.

For a golf course with 18 holes, its length should be between 5,000 and 7,000 yards and it needs at least an area of 150 hectares.

The cost of building the course depends on the type of course the government wants and the type of land where the course it is to be built.

Such a golf course may cost several hundred millions of ringgit.

Ngau did not point out exactly where the course could be built, and if it is in the Telang Usan valley it will be submerged under water when the proposed Baram dam is completed.

The dam which is about the size of Singapore is expected to drown between 70 and 80% of the NCR land.

It is projected to cost more than RM3 billion.

Bian hoped that Ngau is not serious with his suggestion.

Baram dam and politics

KUCHING: A total of 4,180 votes were cast against the PBB-BN candidate Dennis Ngau in protest against the construction of the Baram dam.

“These native people who voted against the BN government have clearly expressed their strong objection by voting for the Opposition during the recently concluded state election,” said Raymond Abin, the national coordinator of Sarawak Conservation Alliance for Natural Environment (SCANE).

“The government should heed the strong objection of the people who are going to be affected by the dam,” said Abin on behalf of SCANE which is a coalition of several non-governmental organizations, has called on the state Barisan Nasional government to stop with the construction of the Baram dam.

“The government should immediately stop the project,” he said, when asked to respond to remarks made by Peter Kallang, chairman of Miri Orang Ulu Association.

“Even though the PBB-BN candidate defeated the ‘hot favourite’ Harrison Ngau, his victory was due to the support given by 2184 Iban voters in the Lubok Nibong area.

“Furthermore, his victory was also the result of the split in the opposition votes,” he said, pointing out that those who supported the PBB-BN candidate were after immediate material and financial gains as well as promises made to them.

Even then the support among the PBB-BN hardcore members had also declined sharply, he said.

“But in the Kayan and Kenyah communities which are going to be affected by the dam, the PBB-BN candidate lost heavily.

“And with almost half of the 13,623 votes in the constituency cast against the government, the government should not proceed with the dam construction,” he said.

“This is the message of strong objection by the natives against the construction of the dam,” he declared, adding that the government better heed it.

The results of last week’s election showed that Dennis obtained 3,597 votes defeating Harrison by 845 votes.

Harrison received 2,752 votes, while Kebing Wan of Sarawak National Party obtained 705votes and an independent candidate Jok Din managed to get 623 votes.

Meanwhile, Kallang, the Miri OUNA chairman, warned the state BN government that it may lose the Baram parliamentary constituency to the Opposition if it does not heed the protest votes cast against it.

He said that the election results showed that all those living in areas affected by the construction of the dam had voted against the Barisan Nasional.

Twenty-five longhouses with a population of more than 20,000 natives comprising Kayans, Kenyahs and Penans will be moved out from the areas once the construction begins.

Kallang who is also the chairman of Sarawak Kenyah Association in Miri said that the government should stop the damp project.

“It is still not too late to stop the dam project and the government should listen to the people or else it will lose the Baram seat,” he said.

In the 2006 state election, Lihan Jok of PBB won the seat for the Barisan Nasional with a 2771-vote majority.

Lihan refused to defend his seat as he knew that he might lose the Telang Usan seat after he described the Baram dam as the “gift of God”.

His remarks irked the voters.