MIRI – The presence of non-local environmentalists will only complicate the conflict between the native Penans and logging operators in the forests of the Baram district in northern Sarawak, said an assemblyman.
Telung Usan representative Dennis Ngau said the presence of the “outside” non-governmental organisations will only worsen the situation involving the current timber blockades staged by the Penan protesters.
“I want to know who are the actual NGOs on the ground who are with the Penan group in the blockade sites,” he told The Vibes when contacted.
“If they are there to instigate even more protests among the Penans, then these NGOs are just making life more difficult for all.
“My past experience shows that NGOs only make the situation worse, especially if they are from outside Sarawak or from foreign organisations.”
Ngau was expressing his concerns over the protests taking place in the upper reaches of the Baram district that have been going on for several weeks.
Ngau said he hoped the situation would not escalate and not spill over into his constituency from the current sites in the Mulu area.
“I am willing to meet the Penans and NGOs involved if they want to meet me,” he said.
On August 18, activists said they were worried that the increasingly rainy weather will add to the suffering of the Penan indigenous people staging timber blockades against the logging operations.
Sahabat Alam Malaysia’s Sarawak coordinator Jok Jau Evong said the forests that have been severely depleted of trees and vegetation on the ground are potential flash flood danger zones.
The Penan activists in remote northern Sarawak are joining hands with environmental and native rights organisations in the state and country to whip up a resistance movement against the further logging of the forests in northern Sarawak.
The activists and NGOs recently started what they dubbed their “Acts of Resistance” campaign.
The activists involved are from Keruan Sarawak, a Penan organisation in Ulu Baram, northern Sarawak; Miri-based Save Sarawak Rivers; the Kuala Lumpur-based Centre for Orang Asli Concerns; Akademi Demokrasi Malaysia; and Jaringan Hak Asasi Manusia Malaysia; and others.
Save Sarawak Rivers chairman Peter Kallang recently told The Vibes that these state and national bodies are throwing their support for the Penans of interior Baram, some 300km inland of Miri, who are setting up blockades in their forests against loggers working for a timber logging giant.
On May 13, the Sarawakian natives who are fighting against large-scale logging in Sarawak brought their protests to the Dutch Parliament in Holland.
They staged a peaceful demonstration at the building of the Netherland government complex, Kallang had told The Vibes then after he took part in the Europe trip.
Earlier this year, Kallang had also expressed fears that the Sarawak government will issue licences to clear huge, forested areas along the Sarawak-Kalimantan border very soon.
Kallang had told The Vibes then that his fears are based on the latest news that Sarawak wants to develop the Sarawak-Kalimantan border, ahead of Indonesia’s move to relocate its capital to Kalimantan. – The Vibes, August 22, 2022
