NATIVE communities living in the forests of Baram, Kapit and Belaga have taken Sarawak Premier Tan Sri Abang Johari Openg to task for claiming that they had asked for hydroelectric dams to be constructed in their districts.
They are challenging him to publicly disclose the names of those among them who have asked for the structures, failing which they would call his statement a big bluff.
Senator Abun Sui Anyit, who is the Sarawak PKR deputy chairman, said that ever since Abang Johari made the statement that his Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) government will proceed to build three new dams because of demands from local communities, local villagers have denied ever asking for this.
He said that the state PKR and the party Belaga division which he heads have been receiving messages and calls from various quarters among the local communities.
"They are all shocked with what Johari had announced. Not a single one of them has said that they want a new dam to be built.
"In fact, everyone who called or messaged us told us they have always objected to the building of any more dams,” he said recently.
"They now want to know who exactly Johari was referring to when he said that the local communities are the ones who had asked him to approve the new dams."
A lawyer by profession, Sui is also Sarawak Pakatan Harapan information chief.
He stressed that Johari must immediately disclose the identities of those who had supposedly asked him and the state government to build the new dams.
"We Sarawak PKR wants Johari to immediately convene a dialogue with us and we will call all the affected communities to attend.
"Johari will then have the opportunity to tell everyone present who are the ones asking him to construct the new dams," said Sui.
Abang Johari recently confirmed that the government will go ahead with the construction of three more hydroelectric dams in the state. All of them will be built based on cascading designs.
In doing so, he claimed that locals were keen to see the projects which would enable them to have power supply.
“The local communities in Baram, Kapit and Belaga have wanted these new dams to be constructed to supply electricity for them," he said.
They will be built by private companies across Sungai Gaat at Kapit district (in central Sarawak), Sungai Tutoh at Baram district (in northern Sarawak), and Sungai Belaga at Belaga district (central Sarawak).
He did not disclose how much money will be spent on the projects or when construction will start.
He also did not disclose how large an area will be flooded by each dam.
Sarawak already has five huge dams – Bakun, Batang Ai, Murum, Baleh and Bengoh.
There have been protests staged by native groups since the announcement was made on February 15.
Save Rivers Network chairman Peter Kallang said the communities around the Tutoh-Apoh areas denied that they ever gave Abang Johari or any state government agency consent to build any dams.
He also warned that the Tutoh Dam if built will impact on part of the Mulu National Park.
In October last year, Abang Johari had said that the state wanted to generate up to 20,000 megawatts of electricity through hydro dams plus another 15,000 megawatts through gas-turbine power plants.
“We want to eventually have at least 35,000 megawatts for local use and for export to neighbouring countries,” he had said. – The Vibes, January 19, 2024
