SIMUNJAN: More than 120 native landowners from Kpg.
Keniong, Kpg. Tebun, Kpg. Temiang and Kpg Sungai Raya in Simunjan
District have every reason to celebrate Gawai Dayak. Just before Gawai a cheque
for RM11,000 was paid to each family.
A few weeks earlier, each family had
been paid RM16,000. The money was part of the RM12 million paid by a company as
compensation for their fruit trees, cash crops, farm land, pulau galau and
pemakai menua destroyed by the company.
Each family is expected to receive
between RM50,000 and RM100,000 depending on the size of their NCR land.
When the company was given licence to
extract timber form their "pulau galau" and "pemakai menua" which are part of their
NCR land more than six years ago, the natives initiated a legal suit against
the company. Recently they won the case.
On the other hand, more than 200 other
landowners from the four kampungs willingly surrendered their land to the same
company and each family was paid RM150.
In the morning they received the amount
and later in the evening most of the landowners spent all the RM150. Not only
that, they lost their land also.
For these landowners who prefer quick money will not only regret for the rest of their
life, but will be condemned by their children’s children.
This should serve as a lesson to all
landowners.
