MACC report against Masing and Dagang

Despite objections from more than 50% of the native landowners, senior minister James Masing and Assistant Agriculture Minister Mong Dagang had pushed the land deal through.

KUCHING: The Sarawak PKR women’s wing has lodged a report with the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) against State Land Development Minister James Masing and State Assistant Agriculture Minister Mong Dagang for alleged misuse and abuse of power in a land deal in Sri Aman.

Masing is Parti Rakyat Sarawak (PRS) president while Dagang is a vice-president. Dagang is Bukit Begunan assemblyman.

Yesterday, a women’s wing chief Nurhanim Mokshen handed over some documents, letters and reports in relation to the alleged land deal.

She called on MACC to investigate the allegation to take necessary actions to clear the names of the minister and the assistant minister or to commence the process of cleaning up “our public offices”.

She was accompanied by a lawyer, Simon Siah.

The MACC told them that the commission was aware of the case and had been instructed to look into the matter.

Nurhanim’s report was in response to online exposé by investigative portal Sarawak Report. The portal published a letter, allegedly signed by Dagang, asking for “kickbacks” amounting to RM70 million from the sale of 70,000 acres of land belonging to his own constituents.

The land at Kelingkang Range, Bukit Begunan, Sri Aman, was to be developed into an oil palm plantation.

Masing, Dagang’s ‘nominees’

In a letter dated June 18, 1997, Dagang allegedly asked for RM1,000 per acre from Megarume Sdn Bhd.

The letter also “directed” that “any of the three companies – Noble Reserves Sdn Bhd, Noble Resources Sdn Bhd or Noble Rewards Sdn Bhd – to be used for the joint venture with the “investors”.

Dagang had also allegedly included details of his name and personal details and “also three photocopies of our nominees’ identity cards”.

The “nominees” listed in the letter were Dagang’s wife, Bawang Ak Deru, Masing’s personal secretary’s wife, Leyta Kupa and Masing’s brother Henry Yan.

All the three are directors of Noble Rewards.

The claim of alleged “kickbacks” came to light following a revelation that Dagang had revoked government welfare aid and subsidies to a disabled farmer simply because he had openly supported the opposition in last April’s state election.

Masing’s defence of Dagang merely added more fuel to the controversy, with Sarawakians angered over the former’s advice to voters to “jangan lawan towkay” (alluding that they – Masing and Dagang –were the bosses and their decisions should not be challenged.

Case in court

Meanwhile, when contacted, native customary rights (NCR) land lawyer See Chee How confirmed that the area in question was already subject to a court case initiated by native landowners.

See, who is also the Batu Lintang assemblyman, said that more than 50% of the landowners had rejected the plantation and many had also turned down the paltry RM1,000 per family offered by these politicians.

Nevertheless, Masing and Dagang have as pushed through the project on the basis that the local people would benefit.

“It surely comes as a surprise that the native landowners are yet to receive any dividends from the enterprise after the first six years.

“This qualifies as fraud,” See said, adding this is because Dagang and Masing had been trying to convince people they would be able to take a 30% share of the joint venture and share the profits in return for their land.

“They tell the people ‘let the LCDA [Land Custody and Development Authority] develop your land and you will get 30% of the joint venture and profit. However, the people were not told about this huge kickbacks, ” he said.

“Under the joint venture, the money should have been shared among the people, not paid to nominees of the very politicians who were talking them into the scheme,” See said.