KUCHING – President of Indigenous Peoples Network of Malaysia, Adrian Banie Lasimbang condemned the discriminating act by the Prime Minister’s Department in preventing Nicholas Mujah, a community representative, from participating in the public forum that was organised by the department.
The aim of the forum held at a leading hotel was to gather information and feedback on numerous issues so as to understand and resolve the perennial problems of the people.
The forum, part of the national circuit, was chaired by Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Idris Jala.
Participants included senior government officers from various ministries, Resident and District officers, Sarawak Attorney General, representatives of plantation companies, community leaders and private individuals.
Mujah, Secretary General of Sarawak Dayak Iban Association (SADIA) which has been in the forefront of defending native customary rights lands against encroachment by companies and Pelita was chased out from the land forum on Tuesday, 9 February 2010.
Commenting on the incident, Lasimbang said: “The organisers of the forum were wrong in ejecting Mujah out, a well known community representative and NCR activist who has been advocating Orang Asal rights. He plays an important role in providing feedback as well as recommendations for the public forum.
“Mujah should not be stopped from attending the forum, unless the Prime Minister’s Department is not serious in addressing the NCR land issues and that this event is just another window dressing for the public,” he said.
Mujah who is also a member of Peoples Network had already participated in the first part of the forum in the morning session. During the morning break, he was pulled by one of the organisers to a room and was told to leave the forum as participation was only by invitation.
“Until the government moves forward towards a meaningful solution with the full and effective participation of the Orang Asal, NCR land disputes will continue to take place throughout the state, and to the detriment of the rights of the indigenous peoples of Sarawak,” Lasimbang added.
According to Mujah: “When they saw me attending the meeting, I was called by a member of the organising committee and asked me which organisation I was from.
“I told them I am from the Sarawak Dayak Iban Association. He told me to leave as I was not invited to attend,” Mujah said.
He claimed that he was invited to attend in order to represent a non-governmental organisation.
Mujah said that an organisation such as SADIA which has deeply involved in NCR land issues should be invited to explain the “real truth” and the roots of the problems.
“The government must be given the truths and the correct facts if they are really serious of solving the problems. There is nothing g to hide.
“And why should they be scared of SADIA?” he asked.
All this while, he added, the federal government has been misled by the State authorities and it is high time the federal government be told the truth.
Mujah said that SADIA would write to Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak and Minister in the Prime Minister Department, Idris Jala on the NCR land problems.
Meanwhile, Deputy Chief Minister Alfred Jabu Anak Numpang blamed non-governmental organisations for “cocking up” NCR land issues which were compounded by their claims and allegations that the government was out to steal native customary land, particularly those belonging to the Ibans.
“If the land is rightly theirs the government would return it to them. In fact in many cases the government has returned many NCL to their owners.
“These NGOs have made the issues a platform from which to manipulate the people as well as make attempts to topple the government,” he said.
He said the Land Code in Sarawak recognised by the State and the Federal Government and therefore the rights of the natives are indeed protected.
“So it is not correct for the people to say that the government had stolen their NCL,” Jabu stressed. – The Broken Shield
www.thebrokenshield.blogspot.com
The aim of the forum held at a leading hotel was to gather information and feedback on numerous issues so as to understand and resolve the perennial problems of the people.
The forum, part of the national circuit, was chaired by Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Idris Jala.
Participants included senior government officers from various ministries, Resident and District officers, Sarawak Attorney General, representatives of plantation companies, community leaders and private individuals.
Mujah, Secretary General of Sarawak Dayak Iban Association (SADIA) which has been in the forefront of defending native customary rights lands against encroachment by companies and Pelita was chased out from the land forum on Tuesday, 9 February 2010.
Commenting on the incident, Lasimbang said: “The organisers of the forum were wrong in ejecting Mujah out, a well known community representative and NCR activist who has been advocating Orang Asal rights. He plays an important role in providing feedback as well as recommendations for the public forum.
“Mujah should not be stopped from attending the forum, unless the Prime Minister’s Department is not serious in addressing the NCR land issues and that this event is just another window dressing for the public,” he said.
Mujah who is also a member of Peoples Network had already participated in the first part of the forum in the morning session. During the morning break, he was pulled by one of the organisers to a room and was told to leave the forum as participation was only by invitation.
“Until the government moves forward towards a meaningful solution with the full and effective participation of the Orang Asal, NCR land disputes will continue to take place throughout the state, and to the detriment of the rights of the indigenous peoples of Sarawak,” Lasimbang added.
According to Mujah: “When they saw me attending the meeting, I was called by a member of the organising committee and asked me which organisation I was from.
“I told them I am from the Sarawak Dayak Iban Association. He told me to leave as I was not invited to attend,” Mujah said.
He claimed that he was invited to attend in order to represent a non-governmental organisation.
Mujah said that an organisation such as SADIA which has deeply involved in NCR land issues should be invited to explain the “real truth” and the roots of the problems.
“The government must be given the truths and the correct facts if they are really serious of solving the problems. There is nothing g to hide.
“And why should they be scared of SADIA?” he asked.
All this while, he added, the federal government has been misled by the State authorities and it is high time the federal government be told the truth.
Mujah said that SADIA would write to Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak and Minister in the Prime Minister Department, Idris Jala on the NCR land problems.
Meanwhile, Deputy Chief Minister Alfred Jabu Anak Numpang blamed non-governmental organisations for “cocking up” NCR land issues which were compounded by their claims and allegations that the government was out to steal native customary land, particularly those belonging to the Ibans.
“If the land is rightly theirs the government would return it to them. In fact in many cases the government has returned many NCL to their owners.
“These NGOs have made the issues a platform from which to manipulate the people as well as make attempts to topple the government,” he said.
He said the Land Code in Sarawak recognised by the State and the Federal Government and therefore the rights of the natives are indeed protected.
“So it is not correct for the people to say that the government had stolen their NCL,” Jabu stressed. – The Broken Shield
www.thebrokenshield.blogspot.com
