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

www.thebrokenshield.blogspot.com

Naroden - Simunjan’s oil palm king

For most of our elected representatives be they MPs or DUN members, they do not want to antagonize the Chief Minister, Abdul Taib Mahmud because they know the consequences. In fact almost all of them heaping praises on him hoping that their voices can be heard. Once he notices you and becomes his confidant, you are on the way to a millionaire’s club.

Look at the State Assemblyman for Simunjan, YB Haji Mohd Naroden bin Haji Majais, who comes from an average family in Gedong. Since he became YB in the 1991 State election, he not only becomes a confidant of the Chief Minister and is now an assistant minister in the Chief Minister’s department, but also he is locally known as the “king of oil palm” in Simunjan owning among the largest areas of oil palm.

According to the Land and Survey Department’s Laporan Statistic Suku Ketiga Tahun 2005 (Statistic Report for Third quarter 2005) his companies have now owned seven areas in Simunjan consisting of 16,486 hectares (roughly 41,215 acres) of land for the planting of oil palm.

The breakdown is as follows:-

• Tanjong Midin, Batang Kerang, Simunjan/Serian, Lot 2984 Melikin land district of 4555 hectares approved in 1996 under the Pelita Nirwana Muhibbah Sdn Bhd;
• Batang Kerang, Simunjan/Serian, Lot 2981 Melikin land district with 3770 hectares approved in 1988 under the Gedong Plantation Sdn Bhd;
• Batang Kerang, Simunjan/Serian, Lot 2980 Melikin land district with 3480 hectares approved in 1988 under the Gedong Plantation Sdn Bhd;
• Between Batang Sadong and Sungai Simunjan, Lot 1226 Sedilu Gedong land district with 2182 hectares approved in 2004 under the Hydroflow Sdn Bhd;
• Between Lubuk Teba and Sungai Sentok, Gedong, Lot 1227 Sedilu Gedong land district with 593 hectares approved in 2004 under the Hydroflow Sdn Bhd;
• Tanjung Embang, Simunjan, Lot 1228 Sedilu Gedong land district with 189 hectares approved in 2003 under the Indranika Jaya Sdn Bhd;
• Between Tanjung Sap and Sunhgai Benat B, Simunjan, Lot 1229 with 1717 hectares approved in 2003 under Indranika Sdn Bhd.

This list is only up to the third quarter of 2005, but what about from thereon to this day? Imagine the amount of money his companies have earned all this while when CPO (Crude Palm Oil) was RM3,000 in March this year from the matured oil palms.

We do not envy him, or jealous of him (incase Alfred Jabu says so,) and how can we envy him when we, as voters, also contribute to his wealth. But what we – Malay and Iban voters – ask of him is that he should leave our NCR land alone. - The Broken Shield

Source: www.thebrokenshield.blogspot.com

Divine intervention on NCR Land development?

Prices of palm oil which is one of the principal exports from Malaysia have dropped sharply from RM4,330 a tonne to RM1,460 a tonne. Crude palm oil (CPO) futures prices on Bursa Malaysia Derivatives Berhad were down for the third straight day amid growing pessimism over the global economic outlook this week.

Reports say that global financial problems and uncertainties over the economic climate was dampening demand and keeping buyers away. Many importers had opted to default on their contracts as the prices of CPO had dropped sharply and banks importing countries are more cautious in extending credit facilities.

Hence some importers of the commodity faced difficulties obtaining credit line from their banks, thus they cannot open LCs.

“If the prices continue to drop below RM1,300 a tonne, many planters will suffer heavy losses and may ‘ngiling their tikai’ (roll their mats),” says an economist.

In Sarawak, some two million hectares of lands have been approved for oil palm plantations, the bulks of these lands are Native Customary Rights (NCR) land which has been seized from the natives.

While the State government and big oil palm estate planters are having sleepless nights over the down trend of prices of CPO, the native land owners are jumping with joy and even consider it as “divine intervention”.

“God knows how to stop these big companies from further taking away our NCR land and destroying flora and fauna. It is one way God stops them from destroying His creations,” said an NCR land owner, hoping that many of them would abandon their estates.

Since the amendments to the Land Code in May 2000, the owners of the NCR land have been having not only nightmares, but have also been criminalized for owning the land; many have been jailed in defending their ancestral lands and many have taken the government to courts.

But taking the government to courts is very expensive affair. First, the landowners have to deposit RM10,000 to the court. Second, they have to come up with the legal fees (fortunately a few of the lawyers do not ask for legal fees.) Third, the burden of proof is on the landowners. The only ones who can help the landowners with the proof are the headmen, and community leaders, but here again the government has already warned them not to be witnesses.

Using private surveyors to survey their land with the aim of providing the proof is not allowed after the government passed amendments to the Land Surveyors Ordinance in 2001 which essentially remove the ability of natives to prove the extent of land on which they exercise NCR via increasingly popular communal effort – the community mapping.

It is obvious that the land owners have to pass so many hurdles, legal or otherwise, to prove that their lands belong to them. And as they are helpless, God has mercy on them and hears their prayers. Praise is to the Lord my God. Amen.