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updated 2001-01-31
Press Release: 22/8/2000
Penan Disputes with Logging Companies are Real
Sahabat Alam Malaysia (SAM) refers to the statements made by the State
Minister In Charge of Penan Affairs, Datuk Abang Johari Tun Abang Haji
Openg which was reported in several news dailies today.
SAM deeply regrets Datuk Abang's remarks that members of the Penan communities
in the Apoh/Tutoh area, who proceeding with a peaceful protest against
several timber companies, are being used by SAM "for its own agenda".
SAM regards such an accusation as wild, frivolous, and baseless. Such
an accusation appears to have been made primarily to divert the public's
attention from the real issues at hand. The problems faced by the Penan
communities in the Apoh/Tutoh area are nothing new.
There have been long and ongoing disputes between the affected Penans
and the timber companies as a result of indiscriminate logging activities
carried out in the forest areas inhabited by the Penans.
Instead of addressing this issue head on, the Government of Sarawak appears
to be finding all kinds of excuses to blame organisations like SAM and
insult the Penan communities as if they do not have minds of their own.
The fundamental issue that has to be addressed and resolved by the Government
is the recognition and protection of the customary rights of the native
Penans to their land and forest resources in and around their settlements
and their traditional territories.
To say that the Penans have been influenced and being used all along by
activists and NGOs is an insult to their intelligence. They have the capacity
to think and to determine their own destiny.
In fact, SAM only came to know of the protests or blockade four days after
it was put up. They informed SAM about the reasons why they resorted to
such actions and requested SAM to highlight their problems as they were
already fed up with the way they have been treated by certain timber companies
all these years. The Penans are fully aware of what is happening around
them and how it affects them, their livelihood and their survival. They
may be simple people but they are not ignorant!
The Penans have informed SAM that they fully appreciate the assistance
rendered to them by the relevant authorities at the district level such
as by the District Office and the Police, whenever they complained about
their problems with the timber companies. The timber companies however,
simply continued to ignore their claims and any attempt to resolve such
disputes. Since the authorities have been unable to resolve their grievances
and the timber companies continue to disregard their claims, the Penans
put up the blockade and informed SAM about their action, so that we could
assist in publicizing the matter. This was how we got involved and at
no time did we instigate the protests.
Further, we would like to place on record that SAM has no "hidden
agenda" other than that of helping communities in distress.
The Honourable Minister should visit the affected Penans and ask them
personally about their problems and look at it from the affected peoples'
perspective, if he is indeed concerned about their plight.
S.M.Mohd Idris,
Sahabat Alam Malaysia President