Bakun resettlement issues: Taib blames Putrajaya

Sarawak Chief Minister Taib Mahmud has admitted that the government had made mistakes during the implementation of the Bakun Hydroelectric Dam project.

MIRI: Why is the Sarawak government meeting with and talking to community leaders and representatives who are neither from Baram nor affected by the proposed hydroelectric dam project?

Asking this pertinent question, Save Sarawak Rivers Network (Save Rivers), a local coalition of NGOs here, said in a recent dialogue with Chief Minister Taib Mahmud that only one representative, Lucas Kallang, was from the affected village Long Julan.

The rest, Save Rivers said, were “not directly affected” by the proposed hydroelectric dam.

Said Save Rivers chairman Peter Kallang: “Most of the participants who were at a dialogue session with the chief minister in Miri last Friday were from the Federation of Orang Ulu Associations Malaysia (Forum) and civil servants.

“Not all of the community leaders directly affected by the proposed dam were present and for those community leaders who were present, they are not directly affected by the proposed dam.”

Kallang said that the dialogue was arranged in such a way that only selected people were given the chance to speak and it was orchestrated to give the impression that all those who spoke agreed with the proposed the dam.

Those who spoke were Hassan Sui, a wealthy Penan oil palm developer, Forum president Gerawat Gala, community chief Temenggong Pahang Ding, businessman Charlie Avit and Lucas, who is a civil servant and football coach under the Social Development Ministry.

“These speakers are not directly affected or are not from Baram district. They cannot and should not speak on behalf of the people affected by the dam,” said Kallang.

He also pointed out that Taib had, during the dialogue, admitted that the government had made mistakes during the implementation of the Bakun Hydroelectric Dam project.

But he put the blame on the federal government, saying that it did not provide the state with enough funds for the resettlement exercise.

Taib said the state government is learning from past mistakes and this time around it would make the proposed Baram Dam project better.

Taib making same mistake

But Save Rivers is sceptical.

“We are very sceptical of Taib’s statement as the state government is repeating the same mistakes in the Bengoh and Murum Dam projects.

“There is no guarantee that it will not repeat the same mistakes in the proposed Baram Dam, “ Kallang said.

He said the Taib administration had already made the same mistakes in the proposed Baram Dam project.

“The government has failed to provide information about the proposed project and there was no proper consultation with the people directly affected.

“There was no social and environmental Impact assessment (SEIA) done, but construction of the access road to Baram Dam has already begun and people directly affected are being asked to fill in forms with ‘pencil’ . They have no or limited knowledge about whats stated in the form, “added Kallang.

He also said that even after the Friday dialogue session with Taib, there was no indication from the floor that the participants had given the proposed dam a “thumbs up”.

“It is wrong to assume that the participants’ attendance list is a gauge for the people’s support for the project,” he said.

Meanwhile, even as the dialogue with Taib was underway at a prominent hotel in Miri, some 70 Orang Ulu natives from the affected Baram, Suai and Niah areas were protesting.

Kallang said the protesters shouted “Stop Baram Dam”, “Don’t grab our lands” and also demanded the government to look into the issue of undocumented citizens (those with no birth certificates and identity cards).

Kallang also criticised Deputy Chief Minister Alfred Jabu Numpang for being in cahoots with Gala and deliberately misleading the people by implying that the community leaders in Baram and the neighbouring villagers were supportive of the dam project.

“Save Rivers is refuting Jabu’s statement as we know that the majority of the people are against the construction of the proposed dam,” he said.

Last year, Jabu together with Gala and Pahang had also tried to mislead the people of Baram by making similar sweeping statements.

Their statements were roundly criticised by the people directly affected by the proposed dam as well as civil society organisations, said Kallang.