Kicks Off Campaign PKR

Malaysiakini report PKR kicks off campaign to win Sarawak

Does Sarawak need a new party, given the fact that if PKR forms the next state government, this will open the door to other Malayan parties like Umno to come in? Can the present state PKR leadership garner the support of the Dayaks, the Orang Ulu and the Malay/Melanaus, given that most of the Chinese majority seats will be contested by DAP? Is it capable of doing so?

If PKR or Pakatan Rakyat comes to power in Sarawak, this will mean that for the first time, Sarawak politics will be directly determined by Malayan-based political parties (PKR and DAP, maybe even PAS) instead of Sarawak-based political parties themselves. Is this a better alternative to the present situation where even Umno cannot come into Sarawak directly? Sarawakians have to ask themselves whether Sabahans are better off under direct Umno rule? The answer is probably ‘no’.

Sarawakians will therefore also have to ask themselves whether Sarawak will be better off under direct PKR rule or under a new Sarawak-based party which will take the place of PBB, Snap, MDC, PRS and SPDP as part of Pakatan Rakyat? I have a preference for the latter because this will mean that to a great extent Sarawak's autonomy will be better preserved than having to kowtow to the Malayans, even under Anwar Ibrahim.

At the same time, Sarawak will still have a say in the federal government through Pakatan Rakyat. Otherwise, independence is or should be the ultimate solution. Based on feedback, I will soon be coming out with an open letter to all Sarawakians to determine the direction Sarawakians should or want to take to achieve the goal of political, business, economic, administrative and land reform (amongst others) for Sarawak.

Once this is determined, then Sarawakians can discuss constructively and decide the strategies and practical policies and moves to be implemented to achieve a change of government for the betterment of all Sarawakians, irrespective of race, creed or religion.

Gramong Frustrated

NGO officials instigate landowners, leaders to pull out from Kanowit oil palm project: Gramong

KANOWIT: Some individuals who are officials of a local non-governmental organisation (NGO) are said to be involved in a conspiracy to close down Sarawak’s first commercial oil palm plantation on native customary land (NCL) here. Assistant Rural Development Minister Datuk Gramong Juna said they had met and instigated landowners, longhouse chiefs and other grassroots leaders to pull out from the Kanowit Oil Palm Project (KOPP), which started in October 1996.

“They have demonised me over the failure to pay them their expected bonus and dividends from the project. They have also told the people not to support me if I am re-nominated to defend the Machan state seat in the next state election,” he told Bernama here yesterday. Gramong, who is credited with the implementation of KOPP, said he was very disappointed with the accusations and threats.

Embrose Blikau Enturan, Gramong Juna (Man In Black) & Joseph Entulu

“I am not easily intimidated politically. I am prepared to go, but please do not close down the plantation. The NCL development concept was not my decision alone. The Dayak top leaders, intellectuals and grassroots leaders had deliberated repeatedly on it in forums, meetings and workshops. They all agreed it was good for the community,” he said. He said as far as he was concerned it was the best way to eradicate poverty within the Dayak community and to bring better infrastructure and amenities into the rural areas.

Under the NCR development concept sanctioned by the state government, the developer holds 60 per cent equity, the landowners 30 per cent and the state Land Custody and Development Authority (LCDA), as the monitoring body representing the landowners, the remaining 10 per cent in such joint venture projects. After a period of 60 years, which is to allow the developer to recoup their capital and make some profit, the lands used will be returned to their respective owners.

Gramong blamed poor work ethics, negative attitude, and misunderstanding on the part of the landowners for the failure of KOPP to produce bonus and dividends as expected. “You have caused the problems yet you expect the profits. No business or management gurus in the world can tell you that you can make profit without any dedicated or committed hard work,” he said. He said he had brought up the matter with the state government and Boustead Holdings, which is developing such lands through Kuala Sidim Bhd.

He advised the landowners comprising some 1,685 families in 111 longhouses that although they had rights over their lands, they should not abuse them. It was not too late to turn the project around based on the current market price of crude palm oil provided all parties involved were prepared and sincere to come together to seek solutions to the problems, he said, adding that Kuala Sidim Bhd had spent more than RM200 million to develop the project plus another RM35 million on a mill.

Merger easy at Grassroots uncertainty at Top

KUCHING: May 17, 2008 Parti Rakyat Sarawak (PRS) president Dato Sri Dr James Jemut Masing yesterday said the biggest challenge to a merger between his party and Sarawak Progressive Democratic Party (SPDP) is to convince the grassroots. Masing claimed that the merger process was “progressing smoothly”, but refused to divulge much information, except to reiterate that both party leaderships were taking the matter seriously”. Asked regarding grassroots feedback, the PRS president said: “Not yet, I’ll tell you when the time comes. I know what their position is, but I will not reveal it now”.

Dr. Masing, Tajem and Salang

Masing brushed aside a reporter’s comment that the merger “at the top” (leadership) was the hardest part, saying: “The merger at the top is the easiest at the moment. I can tell you that. “Now we have to go to the grassroots. We have to explain to them why we need to merge. Once we have their support, then only can the merger last.” He said to him the merger was akin to a marriage. “If we don’t get the grassroots support, the marriage will end up in divorce in no time should we not be careful.”

So far a committee has been set up to facilitate the merger, and according to Masing, the committee is given full authority “but up to a certain extent”. “The committee will still have to get the endorsement of both supreme councils of PRS and SPDP. But we give them all the authority to decide what they want to do, pending the endorsements.”

Dayak Chamber of Commerce and Industry

KUCHING: Dayak entrepreneurs with the knowledge and means to compete in a globalised environment will soon make their presence felt if the Dayak Chamber of Commerce and Industry (DCCI) realises its goal of drawing more aggressive members of the community to go into big time business.

Ujang, Moggie and Linggi

Towards this end, DCCI has set up various sub-committees to be headed by vice presidents and senior members who will submit to the supreme council reports of their respective programmes by next month. DCCI president Tan Sri Datuk Amar Leo Moggie told a press conference here yesterday that bringing more Dayaks into business was a challenge to the chamber, and called for greater efforts done to realise the objective. He admitted that the Dayaks still had limited experience in the business field.

“DCCI being an umbrella body to encourage greater participation of the community (Dayak) in commerce and industry will always find ways to help and prepare the community to go into business,” Moggie said after a supreme council meeting, yesterday. Arranging more business courses and disseminating information pertaining to loan facilities available from the government were among steps to be undertaken by the DCCI to help its members, he added. Established in 2003, DCCI now has about 430 members, and Moggie urged more young people from the community to join them.

He added that DCCI’s main function was similar to other race-based chambers in the country, which was to help their communities to prosper in business. He said that since its set-up many Dayaks were now doing quite well in various business endeavours such as construction, and oil and gas industries. With the implementation of Sarawak Corridor of Renewable Energy (SCORE), and large-scale planting of rice in the state, he called on the community to grab all opportunities available. Deputy president Dato Sri Celestine Ujang and a member of the advisory panel Datuk Amar Leonard Linggi Jugah were also present at the meeting.

Be The Largest

KUCHING: May 9, 2008 The merged Sarawak Progressive Democratic Party (SPDP) and Parti Rakyat Sarawak (PRS) will become the second largest party in Sarawak going by the number of its elected representatives. SPDP president William Mawan said: “It’s going to be the second biggest entity to represent Dayak, and probably bigger than what you can mathematically perceive when it merge with Pesaka Wing of PBB.”

Mawan Anak Ikom

Apart from SPDP and PRS there are two other Barisan Nasional parties in the coalition, with Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB - consist of Bumiputera Wing and Dayak's Pesaka Wing) as the backbone party, and Sarawak United Chinese People’s Party (SUPP) as the second largest party now. PRS and SPDP have eight assemblymen each, while SUPP has 11. In Parliament, PRS has six members, SPDP (4) and SUPP (6).

“We see it as a process of consolidating unity amongs the Dayak as a whole and also strengthening or reduction PBB and SUPP,” he said when met at the Dewan Undangan Negeri yesterday. Mawan and PRS president Dr James Masing yesterday unanimously agreed that the committee undertaking the merger exercise had to garner ground support to realise the (merger) plan.

Dr. Jemut Anak Masing

“We must go to the ground because merger at the top won’t last. Merger on the ground is more vital though it may take longer time to realise,” said Masing. The Minister of Land Development said no time frame had been set though leaders of the merger committee - SPDP deputy president Peter Nyarok Entrie and PRS vice-president Dublin Unting - on Wednesday said the merger would be realised by end of this year or before the next state election at the latest

“Merger is not easy. I cannot tell how soon it will be completed as it’s going to take a while to convince the grassroots to agree to the merger. It depends on the effort of Dublin Unting and Peter Nyarok on the ground to explain why they want to merge. This will definitely take some time and that is why we don’t give any timeframe,” he said. The top leadership of the two parties could talk about anything but if the ground support was not there, it would be pointless, he added. On the merged entity, Masing said: “It will play a role to consolidate rural areas and this is what we must strive to do.”

Unting and Nyaruk

Concurring with Masing, Mawan said: “We’ll leave it to the committee to work on the mechanism that unites not only people at the top but also at the ground.” He asserted that they had to let go of the old names once the merger was completed. “A new name is not a problem. Once we are one, we shall look forward to new things and begin with an open heart. It will take time and we don’t have to rush.

“When you merge the two parties, there must be far-reaching political outlook and programmes for it to have more impact on the political scenes,” he said. Mawan, also Minister of Social Development and Urbanisation, reckoned that members of the two parties must set aside vested interest and place the party above all after the merger. “The idea seems to be very good but let the committee work out the details.” He said the merger was a process of trying to put the interest of the people and government beyond the party, and this involved sacrifices and understanding.

“We are very happy that we are able to rise up and it will be explained to all our members at the grassroots. I guess after the due process is completed, we will be able to realise the merger objective, which is to consolidate the two groups that came from the same origin,” he said. He said a lot of personal re-engineering needed to be done and members must never put their own interest above the community and the BN’s interest.