Remote communities now into high-yielding rubber planting

http://www.theborneopost.com/2013/08/16/remote-communities-now-into-high-yielding-rubber-planting/

by Karen Bong, reporters@theborneopost.com. Posted on August 16, 2013, Friday

KUCHING: The Penan and Kelabit communities in the most remote settlements in Baram have already started with the planting of high-yielding rubber.

This was disclosed by Modernisation of Agriculture Minister Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Dr Alfred Jabu yesterday, who also said a total of 72 Penan families in Long Beruang and 60 Kelabit families in Long Peluan participated in the scheme on 520 hectares of land. Jabu, who is also Rural Development Minister, pointed out that the project is part of the state government’s Rural Transformation Programme to eradicate poverty.

“The government’s aim is to help lift people out of poverty, especially those in the remotest interior of Sarawak, through agriculture,” he added.

Jabu was at the Kuching Borneo Convention Centre (BCCK) here to open the Sarawak Land Consolidation and Rehabilitation Authority (Salcra) Farm Development Committee Members Seminar.

“Backed by biotechnology advancement, we have now started planting the high quality rubber trees,” he said.

“We hope that the participants can generate sustainable income through the rubber plantation after four years (maturity). It is hoped that they can earn at least RM2,000 per month per family once the rubber trees reach maturity for tapping,” he emphasised. The project, introduced early last year, was launched by Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin.

The first phase of the project involved the clearing of land, building of infrastructure such as road to the estate and nursery for rubber saplings, followed by planting.

As rural development minister, Jabu said he would not be deterred by the unique challenges and difficulties faced in the rural interiors.

“Understandably, Baram located about 15 hours drive from Miri in good weather, is hardly accessible but despite the difficulties, I still choose to start the project,” he said. Thus, Jabu hopes that the participants can see the fruits of their hard work after four or five years and in turn change their negative perception of the Barisan Nasional (BN) government.

“We hope to give the opportunities to the nomadic Penans, especially those who have been negatively influenced by certain non-governmental organisations (NGOs), to see the commitment of the BN government,” he said.

Swiss NGO warns Taib’s London lawyers

http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2013/03/29/swiss-ngo-warns-taibs-london-lawyers/

FMT Staff | March 29, 2013 

 

Bruno Manser Fund is also urging the Companies Commission of Malaysia to deregister two companies mentioned in the Global Witness video.

KUCHING: An international NGO has challenged Chief Minister Taib Mahmud’s British lawyers to explain their statement that the Sarawak government “issues licenses for land under very controlled circumstances”.

The London-based lawyers had, in response to an article published earlier this week in British daily The Independent, linking Taib to the massive deforestation in Sarawak, said: “The government of Sarawak issues licences for land in very controlled circumstances… This is an administrative exercise, not political patronage.

“Our client never demands or accepts bribes for the grant of licences and leases.”

Mishcon de Reya represents Taib, his Canadian son-in-law Sean Murray and their extensive global businesses network.

But Swiss-based Bruno Manser Fund (BMF), which is in the forefront of the ‘Freeze Taib’s assets’ and ‘Stop Timber Corruption’ campaigns, today challenged Mishcon deReya to clarify what it meant by “government of Sarawak issues licences for land in very controlled circumstances…”

BMF research had shown that Taib and his family members are reportedly sitting on 31 companies in Sarawak and have been allotted 200,000 hectares of land – equivalent to the size of Singapore.

“(We) challenge Mishcon de Reya to explain why, in these “very controlled circumstances”, close to 200,000 hectares of Sarawak state land ended up in the hands of oil palm plantation companies in which Taib family members have a known business interests.”

BMF noted that in the wake of Global Witness ‘sting’ video release exposing the level of corruption linked to Taib, Mishcon de Reya “is coming into the spotlight over their dodgy role”.

“The Bruno Manser Fund calls on Mishcon de Reya to drop the Sarawak Chief Minister and his family members as their customers,” it said in a statement.

Deregister companies

Earlier this week BMF had also urged the Companies Commission of Malaysia to deregister two Sarawak companies for their alleged involvement in criminal activities.

The two companies – Billion Venture Sdn Bhd and Ample Agro Sdn Bhd – were exposed last week by Global Witness in a secretly recorded video.

In the film, Taib’s cousins – Fatimah and Norlia Rahman Yakub who owned Ample Agro – and two Sarawak lawyers “blatantly admitted that the two companies are being used to illegally” enrich the family and a Taib crony by selling off state-owned land to foreign investors.

Billion Venture which was issued a provisional lease is currently being sued by natives who are claiming that the land is their native customary right.

“Billion Venture is a defendant in Sarawak’s biggest land rights litigation which was jointly filed by Kelabit, Penan and Lun Bawang plaintiffs in March 2011.

“The natives’ land claim has been struck out by the High Court of Sarawak on formal grounds but is currently on appeal.”

In view of this, BMF said the “companies should be deregistered immediately to prevent their assets from being sold off to third parties by illegal means.”

Commando Semut Ops, part of Bario’s history

 http://www.theborneopost.com/2013/03/28/commando-semut-ops-part-of-barios-history/#ixzz2OrfC8e18

 Posted on March 28, 2013, Thursday

KUCHING: Commando Semut Operation, undertaken by the Z Special Unit on May 25, 1945 during World War II in Bario, was one of the most important events that has shaped the history of the Sarawak, according to an Australian war veteran.

Jack Tredrea, a 93-year-old retired warrant officer from South Australia and the only surviving member of the unit, said that the landing was a significant step by the Allied forces against the Japanese army in Borneo during the war.

“Back then, Bario was an ideal place for the attack as it was a low key and unassuming place to for us to be in,” he said when relating his war experience during the Bicara Warisan, organised by the Sarawak Museum, here yesterday, on the secret Semut Operation.

That historic day when he parachuted down to the plains of Bario, off the plane in the early hours of the morning, he recalled being pleasantly surprised by the warm reception received from the locals there.

Following the first landing, more than 80 operations were carried out with the help of more than 2,000 indigenous people, including the Kelabits, Ibans and Penan, who killed more than 1,846 Japanese soldiers, he said. — Bernama

Undercover sting exposes Malaysia land-grab

http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/features/2013/03/2013318131755948174.html

Allegations of corruption get louder following secret tapes showing plunder of resource-rich Sarawak province.

 

Florence Looi Last Modified: 19 Mar 2013 09:12

 

(video)

 

Long Napir, Malaysia - Plantations and logging are ravaging Malaysia's majestic Borneo region and indigenous people who have lived for centuries here say they are increasingly being uprooted from their once-pristine lands.  But as the timber and palm oil companies swarm over the rugged landscape of resplendent rivers and ancient rainforests, villagers in Long Napir in the country's biggest state Sarawak have vowed to thwart any further land-grabs.  The village is a settlement of longhouses, the traditional communal housing favoured by indigenous people in eastern Malaysia's Borneo island. Under the Sarawak Land Law, indigenous people have rights over areas as long as they can prove they have lived in or used the lands prior to January 1, 1958. "We have no land to farm, our rivers have become muddy, there's hardly any fish left anymore." - Tamin Sepuluh Ribu, villager But the surrounding ancient rainforests that are so essential to their traditional way of life is under threat because of logging and plantation companies. Over the past 30 years, Sarawak - one of the richest Malaysian states - has become one of the largest exporters of tropical timber.  Despite its wealth, profits have failed to trickle down, and the people here are some of the poorest in the country. Long Napir villagers lay the blame for their plight squarely on one man: the state's powerful chief minister, Abdul Mahmud Taib, who is in charge of all land classification and the allocation of lucrative forestry and plantation licenses.  "He lives, the rest of us suffer," Tamin Sepuluh Ribu, a former village headman, told Al Jazeera. "We have no land to farm, our rivers have become muddy, there's hardly any fish left anymore."  'Coterie of cronies'  Global Witness, a non-governmental organisation working against environmental exploitation, has investigated and exposed the situation in remote eastern Malaysia.   An undercover Global Witness investigator posing as an investor was offered several opportunities to purchase land in Sarawak by company officials linked to Chief Minister Taib. In each instance, the land in question was occupied by indigenous communities, who have valid claims to ownership rights under Malaysian law.  Global Witness said the indigenous areas were being sold by companies with close personal or political ties to the chief minister.  Taib has held the post since 1981, and has been repeatedly accused of corruption during his nearly 32-year rule. The US Embassy in Kuala Lumpur noted in one cable released by WikiLeaks: "Chief Minister Taib Mahmud … doles out timber-cutting permits while patrolling the underdeveloped state using 14 helicopters, and his family's companies control much of the economy."  The American cable added that, "All major contracts and a significant portion of land to be converted to palm oil plantations [including on indigenous 'customary land rights' that the state government has refused to recognize] are given to these three companies." People in Sarawak are "fed up" with Taib's administration, "seen as only enriching his family and a small coterie of cronies", it said. A Penan girl deep in the Borneo rainforests [EPA] Under investigation Global Witness released a November 2012 report titled, "In the future, there will be no forests."  "Taib's powerful executive position and personal responsibility for the issuance of lucrative logging and plantation licences has enabled him to systematically extract 'unofficial payments' from the state's timber tycoons for the enrichment of himself and his family," the report said. Taib, meanwhile, denied the corruption allegations as "wholly untrue and malicious", said the report. In 2011, the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission launched an official investigation into Taib, which continues at present. In secretly taped negotiations provided to Al Jazeera, the Global Witness investigator discussed buying land with company shareholders Fatimah Abdul Rahman and Norlia Abdul Rahman - Taib's first cousins. Fatimah admitted the parcel of land under discussion had been transferred to them by Chief Minister Taib. "Yeah, he's the one who gave us the land. He's my cousin," Fatimah said, laughing.  In 2011, Taib gave his cousins 5,000 hectares of land for about $300,000 dollars, according to leaked land registry documents. Having secured agriculture and timber licences, they were trying to sell it a year later for more than $16mn. Later, discussing the ease of receiving a forestry license, Fatimah told the Global Witness investigator: "The Land and Survey Department, they are the ones that issue this licence. Of course, this is from the CM's [Chief Minister's] directive, but I can speak to the CM very easily." Fatimah and Norlia did not respond to Al Jazeera's requests for comment. 'Naughty people' Chief Minister Abdul Taib Mahmud is accused of graft [Reuters] Over the years, Taib's government has sought to limit the exercise of indigenous land rights. More than 200 land dispute cases are now before Sarawak courts, brought on behalf of claimants from indigenous communities. Jannie Lasimbang, Malaysia’s National Human Rights Commissioner, told Al Jazeera that numerous amendments have eroded indigenous land rights over the years. “The commission is concerned about the high degree of frustration, anger and desperation among indigenous peoples,” Lasimbang said.  In 1994, the Sarawak government gave the minister in charge of land the power to extinguish Native Customary Rights to land. Two years later, it was legislated that land dispute cases were automatically to presume the land belongs to the state, and the burden of proof was shifted to the claimant. In 2011, the definition of "native" was amended to include "any party entering into a joint-venture plantation deal with the Land Custody and Development Authority".  In the secretly recorded conversations with Global Witness, Taib's cousins Fatimah and Norlia showed disdain and contempt for indigenous rights, describing local villagers as "naughty people".  "So the minute they hear this land has been given, has been titled to this company to do oil palm and what-not, they'll plonk themselves there," said Fatimah.  Her sister Norlia added, "They may harass you, that's all. They are actually squatters on the land, because the land doesn't belong to them. It's government land. So they're squatting." Scratching the surface The secret dealings caught on tape only scratch the surface of the Taib family's business interests. "I know people are talking about him [Taib] being corrupted and all, but I think who isn't in this world when they're leaders?" - Fatimah Abdul Rahman, Taib's cousin Leaked land registry documents analysed by Swiss non-governmental organisation Bruno Manser Fonds suggest that companies linked to Taib's family control about 200,000 hectares of land in Sarawak - an area twice the size of Hong Kong. Global Witness estimates it has a market value of $500mn.  Divorce settlement proceedings in Malaysia between one of Taib's son, Mahmud Abu Bakir Abdul Taib and his first wife Shahnaz Abdul Majid, also highlight the vast wealth of the family. The ex-wife testified that Mahmud had an estimated $233 million deposited in more than 100 bank accounts around the world.   In June 2011, the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission said it had launched an investigation into Chief Minister Taib, but gave no further details.  When Al Jazeera inquired about the progress of the case last month, the commission said it had "no comment on the matter".  Taib's office did not respond to Al Jazeera's request for an interview, but he has consistently denied allegations of corruption.  The family appears not view the accusations with much seriousness. As Taib's cousin Fatimah declared on tape: "I know people are talking about him [Taib] being corrupted and all, but I think who isn't in this world when they're leaders?" One villager in Sarawak promised not to allow the status quo to continue.  "We will fight on at all costs,” farmer Vincent Balingau told Al Jazeera. “We let them take timber in the past, but we had no idea they were planning to take our land."

Source: Al Jazeera

 

Global Witness video:  http://www.globalwitness.org/insideshadowstate/index.html

PKR leadership split over Baram candidate?

http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2013/02/18/pkr-leadership-split-over-baram-candidate/

Joseph Tawie | February 18, 2013 

 

In the Baram parliamentary constituency, Ibans are the 'kingmakers' and Anwar Ibrahim should quickly realise this, says a grassroots PKR leader.

KUCHING: Barisan Nasional may retain – by default – its hold over the Baram parliamentary constituency given the confusion over who PKR will field in the coming general election.

Given the fact that 42% of Baram’s 29,000 strong electorate are Ibans, it seems most plausible that the opposition fields an Iban, but PKR de facto leader Anwar Ibrahim, however, seems to think otherwise.

Anwar allegedly announced a candidate – Roland Engan, a lawyer – from the Kenyah tribe as a candidate for Baram and this has not gone down well with the Kapit PKR wing which has been actively supporting Iban-boy Patrick Sibat Sujang.

According to Kapit PKR deputy chairman Baginda Minda, sidelining the Ibans “will be at our own risk”.

“You can’t ignore the Iban-factor. This is because the Ibans constitute 12,000 voters or about 42% of the 29,000-strong electorate as compared with Kayans of 6,800 voters, Kenyahs 4,700 and Penans and Kelabit 1,000 voters.

“Chinese and Malay comprise 2,600 and 1,700 voters respectively. If we ignore or sideline the Ibans, it will be at our own risk,” said Baginda, who is Sujang’s chief campaigner.

He was commenting on “unsettling” reports that Anwar had allegedly announced, on Feb 11 in Beluru, that Engan would be the candidate for Baram.

“(Now) the people in Baram are not only confused, but also want answers as to why Roland (Engah) is so special that he is the first PKR candidate to be confirmed ahead of about 70 other PKR candidates throughout the country.

“Is the hasty announcement an indication of trouble within the PKR?

“Was Anwar pressured to announce it in an impromptu manner as an attempt to pre-empt the growing influence of Patrick Sibat, especially among the Iban voters? Or was it an attempt to sideline the Iban voters?” asked Baginda.

Ibans are ‘kingmakers’

Baginda said if indeed Anwar had made the announcement then it would “offend the Ibans” and would be “a fatal mistake.”

Explaining further, Baginda said that although on the surface it may appear than the Ibans are “insignificant” given that they are not directly affected by the Baram dam issue, they were nonetheless “kingmakers”.

Citing examples, Baginda said in the 1990 parliamentary election, Harrison Ngau as an independent candidate contested against Luhat Wan of BN-Sarawak National Party (SNAP) in a three-cornered fight.

But with strong support from the Iban community from Marudi, Harrison won the seat with a majority of 839 votes. Sujang was one of those campaigned for Harrison.

If Ngau had depended solely on Kayan, Kenyah and Penan voters he would have lost.

Baginda said a similar scenario had occurred in Telang Usan constituency in the 2011 state election.

Here too, he said, Ibans played an important role.

He said in the 2011 state election, it was clear that the Kayan, Kenyah and Penan communities were split into two – 49% voted for a Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu-BN candidate Denis Ngau, while 51% voted for Ngau.

“The kingmakers here were some 3,000 Iban voters from Puyut and Lubok Nibong polling districts, and in the last state election, they threw their support to Dennis Ngau.

“Denis Ngau won by a majority of 845 votes,” Baginda said.

He expects a similar situation in the 13th general election.

Dam, a non-issue with Ibans

According to him whilst the proposed construction of the Baram dam might be a major issue among the Kayan, Kenyah and Penan communities, it was a non-issue with the Ibans, who were more concerned about infrastructure developments like roads and their native customary rights (NCR).

He said the 2011 state election clearly showed that although the proposed dam was likely to displace some 20,000 inhabitants from 26 Kayan, Kenyah and Penan longhouses and villagers, some 50% of the people from these three communities had not opposed the government and its plan.

Hence, keeping the Ibans happy is all the more important, said Baginda.

“For the Ibans, roads and NCR issues are most important…These are the issues that we [Sujang's group] are highlighting.

“Was Anwar misled into believing Roland [Engah] has the support of the Ibans? Personally, I believe that Roland will have an uphill task in Baram constituency.

“[Because] every time he holds a gathering, his crowd of about 300 or 400 is the same people who are members of the non-governmental organisations [NGOs].

“He [Engah] needs to have the support of the Iban voters.

“But will the Iban voters support him?” Baginda said.

Learning from the Penans in Mulu

http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2012/12/7/sarawak/12424502&sec=sarawak

By Constance Vanessa Victor

Friday December 7, 2012

Off we go: The participating communities all set to embark on their journey to Long Iman, Mulu.

 

KUCHING: A “Traditional Knowledge (TK) Documentation Workshop 2012” was held recently in a Penan village at Long Iman, Mulu, 45 minutes by boat up the Tutoh River (towards the Melinau River), just outside the boundary of Gunung Mulu National Park.

One of the reasons the 31-door settlement was chosen was the villagers’ vast knowledge of the forest and its rich resources.

Organised by the Sarawak Biodiversity Centre (SBC), the workshop targets the state’s indigenous communities that have participated in the centre’s documentation programme.

Held annually, the workshop functions as a platform where participating communities come together and report on the progress of the project within their respective communities.

The workshop is also aimed at reinforcing the awareness of the community’s representatives of the importance of conserving their traditional knowledge and biological resources, and emphasising the communities’ capacity in documenting their traditional knowledge of useful plants.

This year, an additional component was added to the workshop – the communities were also introduced to how they can identify components in developing homestay programme incorporating conservation of their traditional knowledge.

Taking note: The participating communities preparing for their group presentation.

 

An officer from the Ministry of Tourism and Heritage, Joachim Paggang Jabong, introduced the basics of establishing a village homestay programme, while Jeffrey Simun from Mulu National Park spoke on ecotourism and cultural activities that could be incorporated into such programmes.

The community representatives also heard from an operator of a successful community homestay programme, Dawson Ringin, of Kampung Annah Rais near Kuching.

The 36 participating communities came from all over the state - Kampung Semadang (Padawan), Kampung Kiding (Penrissen), Kampung Duyoh Jagoi (Bau), Rumah Changgai (Sg. Tekalit Song), Rumah Joseph Melayu (Balingian), Rumah Skatap (Betong), Long Iman (Mulu), Batu Bungan (Mulu), Palungan (Bario), Pa’ukat (Bario), Long Pelutan (Julau), Ba’Kelalan (Bario), Long Kerabangan (Lawas), Long Telingan (Lawas), Kampung Jebungan (Mukah), Kampung Jemoreng (Matu), Long Ikang (Marudi), Rumah Ajan (Merapok), and Kampung Sual (Simunjan).

The participants were of various ethnic groups such as Iban, Bidayuh, Melanau, Orang Ulu and Penan.

Deputy Undersecretary for Biodiversity and Forest Management in the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, K Nagulendran, officiated at the opening of the workshop.

For Nagulendran, the function would hold special memories as it was the first time that he participated in the workshop in Sarawak.

In his opening address, he stated that the workshop was crucial as it allowed communities to be fully involved in activities and share their experiences with other participants.

Interactive: Mr K. Nagulendran (third from the right) and the participants carrying out the activities during the Traditional Knowledge Documentation Workshop 2012

 

He also commended SBC for organising the workshop in a participating village as it enabled the different communities to carry out hands-on activities and also exposed them to the importance of documenting useful plants.

Carrying out such a workshop within a community also enabled the participation of the younger generation.

He called for similar workshops to be held in other participating villages as well.

Throughout the three-day workshop, the participants were exposed to the components of documenting useful traditional plants found at Long Iman.

They were also tasked to identify elements needed to establish a homestay programme that incorporates traditional knowledge.

Most of the participants found the workshop informative and beneficial.

A first-timer in the workshop, Ketua Kampung Ajan Renang from the Iban community of Rumah Ajan in Lawas, found the workshop an eye-opener and felt that similar workshops should be conducted yearly.

According to Ajan, he had learned a lot from the workshop as he was able to share useful experiences on documenting traditional knowledge with the other participants.

“I will encourage the younger generation in my community to participate in the programme which is facilitated by the Sarawak Biodiversity Centre”, he said.

Meanwhile, Denny Sebom from Rumah Joseph Melayu at Sungai Chenanun Tepus in Balingian observed that traditional knowledge had always been handed down verbally and through observations of practices.

He agreed that proper documentation is vital in order to preserve such knowledge which is very much an integral part of a community’s heritage, other than potentially holding leads to new discoveries in pharmaceutical development and other uses.

Like Ajan, Denny felt that the younger generation should play an active role and pledged to encourage teenagers in his village to come on board the programme, particularly during school holidays.

Raymond Lejau from Long Iman reported that his community had been actively participating in collecting, documenting and propagating plants that they use for food, materials and medicine, since they were introduced to the programme in 2003.

The Long Iman community has established an Interpretative Centre and a garden of useful plants. The documentation committee collects a minimal entrance fee of RM5 per person from tourists who wish to visit the garden. A part of the collection is used to maintain the garden, while the rest is put aside as emergency fund.

The garden also serves the community as an educational centre for their younger generation and acts as their “green pharmacy”.

The green pharmacy cuts down on the time needed to locate and gather plants from the forest when needed. This effort also helps the community to conserve these plants.

According to Raymond, “it is still a long process for the community to document the useful plants as there are still many more plants that were traditionally used by the Penans in the forest of Long Iman”.

Since the inception of the documentation programme in 2001, there are now 13 indigenous communities in 58 locations throughout the state involved in documenting their traditional knowledge.

Those who wish to know more about the programme can call Sarawak Biodiversity Centre on 082-610 610 or send email to biosar@sbc.org.my. — Article contributed by Sarawak Biodiversity Centre

 

 

On the road

http://www.theborneopost.com/2012/10/21/248759/

by Chang Yi. Posted on October 21, 2012, Sunday


Penan mothers and early childhood learning 

THE tebung (hollow wood drum) of Bario sounds the wake-up call at 5.30am like clockwork everyday. And indeed it is the clock of the Highlands.

FOR A BETTER FUTURE: A Penan mother walking her child to school in the early hours of the morning.

The beautiful rainforest sound resonates through the forest, rousing the late wakers among the fauna as well as the little children of Bario Asal and the surrounding villages.

The tebung (at least one in each Highland village) also belts out the same wake-up call in the other settlements although not all at 5.30am like Bario. For example, at Pa Adang (a Penan settlement) in the upper reaches of the Lawas valley, the wake-up call is at 6am.

Usually, by this time, many Penan mothers from Aral Dalan will be walking along the lonely path to Bario Asal where their children attend pre-school and primary classes. They walk for one hour (from six to seven) and surprisingly – to many urbanites – will arrive at school fresh and happy. This is a feat not many city people can easily fathom.

After placing their children safely at school, the Penan mothers walk for another hour home. Their next journey (on foot) to Bario is at 11am to pick up their children. After that, it’s another hour’s walk home. Walking long distances is part of Penan life from time immemorial.

Pre-school education in Sarawak and Malaysia in general provides a simple meal cooked by the teachers and teaching assistants. Hence, the Penan mothers do not have to bring lunch packs to their children. Most of the Penan children are underweight. Some even look just three years old – not five!

According to medical doctors serving in Sarawak, Penan children may be small due to various factors like lack of proper nutrition and good healthcare. Genetically, the Penans are small in stature and very fine-boned.

In the early mornings at the Bario Highlands, the temperatures can be as cool as 23 degrees celcius or lower. And it used to be even lower when luxuriant tall trees covered the mountains and no roads were known to the Penans.

The Penan mothers and children who walk to Bario, wear wind breakers or warm woollen clothes. And some of the children are so used to being barefooted that they don’t necessarily wear shoes (most cannot afford shoes anyway).

WAITING FOR MUM: A Penan boy waiting for his mother to pick him up from school.

The mothers I met said they were from Aral Dalan, a Kelabit village now giving them generous space and shelter. Some of these Penans are actually building their huts near the National Park of Pulong Tau. Being nomadic in the past, they cannot say exactly where their original settlement was because they were free to roam and hunt a long time ago.

So far, upon settling down, they are co-existing well with their Kelabit neighbours in Aral Dalan and Bario Asal.

The state government and its various agencies have long been finding ways to identify suitable areas for the Penans, “locate” them and “resettle” them like at Batu Bungan in the Baram.

Geographically, the Penans used to be known or classified as nomadic tribes who moved from place to place in the north eastern parts of Sarawak and the upper reaches of the Limbang and Lawas Rivers. Further south, they were found in the Kelabit Highlands and the Belaga region or the upper Rajang.

Last nomadic tribes

Today, some remnant groups are known to be the last of the nomadic tribes of Sarawak. Several groups have settled down and are receiving good education. About 100 Penans have obtained diplomas and degrees since the formation of Malaysia while one or two are already millionaires.

Bario is a special case because more than 20 Penan families have settled at Aral Dalan, a village about one hour from Bario. According to some villagers, the Penans have moved to this part because their children can attend school at neaby Bario. Besides, the environment near the National Park of Pulong Tau also seems most viable to their lifestyle.

Young Penan parents are sending their children to pre-primary and primary schools in Bario. Moreover, many are fairly comfortable with the kind Kelabits who share the same religious beliefs.

The Penan parents also like the primary school teachers from all parts of the state – Kapit and Sibu, for example. According to a little Penan boy, these teachers are not only caring but can also teach very well.

PART TIME JOB: This Penan girl is working temporarily for the primary school in Bario.

For the very first time, they are interacting and having good social life in school. Furthermore, they can broaden their outlook by participating in everyday learning in the classrooms with children from the other communities such as Malays and even Bidayuhs (children from the Army Camp at Bario).

Several children at the Bario Primary School are of mixed parentage – Kelabit-Chinese and Lun-Bawang-Kelabit.

It is from their primary school experience that the Penan children are able to have a wider world view.

One young Penan girl, now working temporarily at the primary school, said she hoped to get a permanent job with the government. This, she added, would give her and her family a steady income.
She is looking forward to the day when she either goes for further studies or gets a permanent job with the government. She is not afraid to leave Bario for other parts of the world.

THUMBS-UP: These two Penan children walk long distances everyday to attend pre-school in Bario.

According to a professional in Marudi, many of the myths about the Penans are not being debunked. He noted that with better government facilities being provided in the remote areas, more and more Penans are settling down.

Penan parents now realise the importance of keeping their children in school throughout the whole school year as opposed to the common perception that Penan parents will take their children out of school during the fruit season.

Perhaps, this is still being done by some Penan parents in the remotest parts of the state but it is very rare because of changes to their lifestyle, good advice from the community leaders and better educational facilities provided by the government in the interior.

More and more Penans want their children to be educated and get permanent jobs as teachers and government servants after leaving school.

As one Penan mother puts it: That’s why I’m willing to walk four hours everyday to send my two children to school. It’s their future. It’s also my future.

Whispering Hope

http://www.theborneopost.com/2012/10/14/whispering-hope/

by Chang Yi. Posted on October 14, 2012, Sunday


A YOUNG Kelabit girl cried for days when she could not further her education in Marudi. Elsewhere, the Bario Government Secondary School had been set up and she was to join the first Form 1 batch in the new school with the rest of her Bario Primary 6 peers.

NEW HOPE: Rokiah with the Penan children she met while they were walking to the school.

She felt as if her dream of joining older relatives in Marudi and Miri were dashed. However, three years later, upon completion of her Form 3 in Bario, she moved further afield – to study at St Teresa’s School in Kuching.

Her life from thence would be fairytale-like. And dearest to her heart, she was able to help her family in ways she never dreamed of. Instead of becoming a doctor herself, she married a doctor and not only brought up all her younger siblings but put them through college and university. Now, after bringing up her own two children it is time for her to do something for her community in the Bario Highlands.

This is the story of a Bario-born Kelabit lady, PDNR Datin Pearl Jai Mohan (PJK) and District Extension chairman (2012-2013) of Inner Wheel District 330. In West Malaysia, she is often mistaken for a North Indian lady because of her name and their unfamiliarity with the Kelabit ethnic group.

Recently, she and her friends went to Bario to carry out an Inner Wheel Whispering Hope project. They donated six large boxes of materials, including pencil cases and other items, to the Bario Primary School students.The excess luggage (for the donation) charged by MAS was RM300.

Headmistress Dora Tigang was delighted to host a special morning assembly to welcome the three Inner Wheel members – Pearl herself, Rokiah Abdul from the Kota Kinabalu branch and Florence Enau, president of Sarawak Inner Wheel. In Bario, they were joined by Inner Wheeler Joanna Joy.

CARING GESTURE: The Inner Wheel members handing over presents for the students of Bario Primary School to headmistress Dora.

The morning assembly gave the ladies the opportunity to speak from their hearts to the children.
Pearl told her own story of how she aimed high and how she has been able to give back to her beloved homeland.

Why was she giving pencils, for instance? When she was in primary school, she had to be creative in using pencils down to the last centimetre by using the stalk of ‘resam’ to extend her pencil. She had blisters in her little finger because she was writing with short pencils. Nowadays, she values pencils more than ever.

The disciplined primary school children, all sitting cross legged on the floor of the wooden Astaka (open assembly hall), were awestruck by her gracious presence and her short but effective speech.

Rokiah advised the students to study hard so that they could become pilots and doctors. She advised them to stay healthy and be active.

TEA BREAK: Having afternoon tea with Marilyn, sister of popular Kelabit doctor Dr Roland Mattu whose children are working in KL.

Florence, who spoke in English, advised them to learn English and go far, saying anyone could do this if they worked and studied hard and believed in themselves.

According to Dora, the children were very good in both Bahasa Malaysia and English because they and their parents were very enthusiastic about learning English. Tourists who come to Bario also help to open the minds of the people to the outside world.

At the end of the assembly, the students showed their appreciation in the Bario student way – clap clap clap clap … muah muah muah muah.

Still barefoot

“Many of the Penan students are still not wearing shoes,” remarked the observant Pearl.

She was already thinking of how to send school shoes to them.

The Penan students, in particular at the primary school level, are boarders. School mothers or student hostel administrators look after them and give them a good boarding programme of food and accommodation.

Food is prepared by a local Kelabit cook in the employ of the Sarawak government who has worked here for six years. By 11 o’clock, he has already prepared a balanced meal of curry chicken and a local vegetable with fragrant rice. Rice is fresh from the farm whenever parents bring extra rice to share.

Lovely children

The ladies also visited the pre-school department and met the lovely little Penan and Kelabit children – almost all of them undersized and dressed in a variety of clothing.

The favourite garb was long pants with an overly long dress and a sweat shirt on top. Pink is definitely the ‘in’ colour for the girls and blue of various shades for the boys. The pre-school teachers see to their snacks and the cleanliness of the classroom. There are 28 of them. Many of these Penan kids have walked one hour with their mothers to the school and they do that for more than 200 days a year!

In a separate project, the Miri Inner Wheel Club, headed by Florence, made a special charity drive and collected items to be donated to the Penans in the village of Arul Dalan. Home essentials like kettles and cooking pots are very much needed by the Penans who live in Arul Dalan, a newly set up Penan settlement about one hour’s walking distance from Bario Asal. Other donations include baby clothes and even a parang. A great essential is canvas which the Penan villagers appreciate.

The Penan children need more clothes and perhaps even special tuition to help them master their lessons in the primary school.

The Penan pre-schoolers have to walk one hour to school and one hour back. Their mothers walk one hour to bring them to school, then one hour back to their homes to do their chores. After that, they walk another one hour to school again, then one more hour to bring their children back home.

It is no wonder these Penan women are pencil-slim. They walk four hours a day just to make sure their children are safe in school and are back home in time to be with the family. Many modern city women don’t do so much on their treadmills!

Pearl and her friends are definitely thinking of more ways in which the Inner wheelers can help. They might see another project coming to Bario in November.

Categorise SK Long Napir as Penan school

http://www.theborneopost.com/?p=73334

Categorise SK Long Napir as Penan school — Batu Danau repCategorise SK Long Napir as Penan school — Batu Danau rep

Posted on November 6, 2010, Saturday

PAULUS Palu Gumbang (BN-Batu Danau) has called for SK Long Napir to be recognised as a Penan school so that all its students could receive allowances as those in other Penan schools in the state.

At the moment, the school, located deep in Ulu Limbang has about 81 students including pre-schoolers.

From the number, 57 students (80.2 per cent) are Penans while the 24 others are Kelabits.

“Now that the Penan students in SK Long Napir are more than 80 per cent, it is only just that the school received recognition. Furthermore, it is to help the people,” said the Batu Danau assemblyman when debating during the State 2011 Budget at the State Legislative Assembly yesterday.

Gumbang also mentioned that the school used to be dominated by the Kelabits but as the Penans became more aware of the importance of education, more of their young have entered school.

On another note, he urged the government to implement as soon as possible the community’s much needed Batu Danau-Nanga Medamit-Tedungan water supply project under the national key result area (NKRA).

“I understand that no less than 49 settlements including longhouses and villages along the said areas will benefit from these projects.

“In addition, I also hope that the clean water supply projects could be extended to Kubong-Ulu Pandaruan areas comprising of Rumah Bujang, 12 1/2 Mile Kubong road, Rumah Ungkil, Kampung Reda, Rumah James Jimbau, Kampung Semabat, Rumah Baba Ajit, SK Penganan, Rumah Sintau, Lubok Kepayang and Rumah Manai.”

Regarding the rural electricity supply (RES), Gumbang said 12 projects costing RM4.7 million under the NKRA was supposed to be implemented in 2009-2010.

The contractor for the projects covering Kampung Anak Bukit/Kuala Awang, Tanjung Riman, Tanjong, Ranggu/Pengkalan Jawa, Pengkalan Gurah, Lembuak Tedungan, Nanga Medamit (including its health clinic), Tanjung Ungar (Limbang), Bawang Ubor and Pengkalan Madang have been identified and it was hoped that the implementation would commenced soon.

“Apart from the said areas, there are many more villages and longhouses in Batu Danau that do not have 24-hour electricity.

“The villagers are so accustomed to generate their own electricity but due to the increase in diesel cost, it has become a burden for the people.

“Therefore, I hoped that the government would speed up the implementation of the projects and I hope that these said areas could be included.”

The areas are Kelati, Teban, Tubai, Ensurai, Sungai Lumbong, Pulau Brunei, Ensungei, Staie and Nanga Merit.

Managing the Penans

http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2010/9/25/sarawak/7099507&sec=sarawak

Saturday September 25, 2010

Managing the Penans

By KERNI PUAH
sarawakstar@thestar.com.my

THE Penan community is very co-operative and their affairs can easily be managed if the right strategies are applied.

Social Development and Urbanisation Minister Datuk Sri William Mawan Ikom said this had been proven many times even by outsiders like Bruno Manser and also through his own experience.

“If a foreigner like Bruno Manser can influenced them to follow his way, I see no reason why the local officers are unable to do the same,” he said.

He also shared his experience meeting the Penan community in Long Lelang in Miri division and how he came to assist them through a community project there.


Mawan: Bestowed the ‘Balang Mawan’ title by the Kelabit community.
Mawan, who is also Sarawak Progressive Democratic Party (SPDP) president, said he visited the Penans in Long Lelang about 14 years ago to see for himself their lifestyle and also to understand their problems.

“After the visit, the Penans seemed to like me and kept asking about me, so I made another visit to their place last year,” said Mawan when asked about the Penan community.

He said during his visit to Long Lelang last year, the Penans and Kelabit informed him that they needed a rest house near Sekolah Rendah Kebangsaan (SRK) Long Lelang for the pupils and their parents who accompanied them to the school to stay.

He said a Kelabit there was kind enough to donate his piece of land for the construction of the rest house.

“SPDP members helped to raise the money. We also held a golf tournament (the annual Datuk Sri William Mawan Challenge Trophy) and managed to raise RM17,000 while the ministry contributed a matching grant,” he said.

Mawan said the Kelabit community of Long Lelang also contributed by organising a fund-raising dinner in Miri last year.

According to Mawan, with the completion of the rest house, the number of Penan pupils studying in SRK Long Lelang has increased to 80% from 20% previously. Another 20% of the pupils are Kelabit. The Kelabit enrolment in the primary school declined because most had migrated to Miri town.

Mawan said the rest house is being managed by a committee set-up for the purpose, a mix of Kelabit and Penan members.

The facilities at the rest house include a kitchen, mattresses, pillows and blankets.

“Before the rest house was constructed, parents who accompany their children to school had no place to stay.”

During a fund raising dinner in Miri last year, Mawan was bestowed the “Balang Mawan” title by the Kelabit community for his contributions to them and the Penans.