WHO IS BEHIND AGROPOLITAN LOGGING?

Dear Editor,

FOR THE PAST few weeks, I have received disturbing reports from various kampungs in the vicinity of the proposed Lalampas Agropolitan project in Kuamut.

The reports concerned the carpet felling of all logs in the proposed Lalampas Agropolitan area. Heavy machines and lorries are plying the kampungs in the area everyday, felling logs and ferrying out the timber.

I have come to the area to check and found out that these people were ferrying out logs as though they are in a hurry to finish their jobs, to clear the lands for an agropolitan project, supposedly for palm oil and rubber plantation.

What I am questioning here is that these logging activities were never discussed with the kampung people who are to participate in the agropolitan project which would be carried out under a Communal Title arrangement.

Now while under communal title, these natives would have been the stakeholders also of the timber, why deny them of their rights to this economic wealth? Who is really benefitting from this project here?

This is a kind of stealing from these simple-minded people.

It is an act of inconsiderate capitalist and irresponsible leadership of the UMNO-led Barisan Nasional state government.

We would like the people representatives there to enlighten us on this issue. The pictures I attached here speak volumes of the issue at hand.

Best Regards,

JAMES AIT

- Sabahkini