MIRI – Natives of the Bakun region in central Sarawak who were forced to leave their forests due to the massive RM15 bil hydro-electric dam project in 1997 have hit out at state and federal government leaders for failing to fulfil 25 years of empty promises to upgrade their resettlement longhouses, eight of these which were destroyed by fires.
The latest fire was only four days ago that destroyed Block B of the Uma Nyaving longhouse.
“Eight out of the 15 longhouses that the government had relocated us to in the Sg Asap Resettlement Scheme in 1997 have burnt down because the wooden structure and wiring system had rotted and had not been upgraded despite numerous promises,” said social activist Harry Wing, who lives in the resettlement scheme.
Wing told The Vibes today that the eight longhouses already destroyed included his relatives’ homes in Uma Nyaving Block B that was razed to the ground on September 11.
“These fire tragedies in the Sg Asap Resettlement Scheme near Bakun Dam is another testimony of the miseries that native folk have to suffer because of unfulfilled promises by the government.
“The 15 original longhouses accommodating 15,000 Bakun natives uprooted during the construction of the Bakun Dam were built hastily in 1997 to enable the Bakun Dam reservoir to be flooded (64,000 acres of forests eventually drowned).
“The resettlement longhouses were built totally of wood.
“The structures and the wiring system have been rotting, and year after year, we (Bakun resettled folk) keep hearing from the government that they will find the budget to upgrade our homes.
“No major upgrading had been done until now.
“The original population of 15,000 has now more than doubled, and eight of the longhouses have been burnt down already.
“This situation in Bakun is yet another testimony of unfulfilled promises from both the state and federal governments, as Bakun Dam was a project constructed jointly by them,” he said.
Wing said the eight destroyed longhouses are Uma Lahanan, Uma Balui Liko, Uma Badeng, Uma Ukit, Uma Bakah, Uma Kulit, Uma Bawang and Uma Nyaving Block B.
“More than 30,000 Bakun natives now living in the resettlement scheme need new houses and farmland to accommodate the increased population.
“The government must fulfil their promises to repair and upgrade our homes, or else the wooden walls and ceilings and stilt poles will rot further and increase the risks of fires,” he said.
Wing proposed that the state government build a phase two for the resettlement scheme, made up of concrete longhouses, with new farmlands nearby for the increased population.
On September 11, Block B Uma Nyaving was reduced to ashes in the blaze that took place mid-morning.
Block B houses more than 150 people in 15 double-storey living quarters built adjoining one another.
The Sg Asap Resettlement Scheme is located about 50km downstream of the Bakun Dam in the Belaga district in central Sarawak.
July 12 last year also saw the Uma Sambop longhouse razed to the ground, leaving more than 700 homeless. – The Vibes, September 15, 2023
