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updated 2001-01-31
The Star, September 10, 2000
30 Penan chiefs gather in Marudi
By Stephen Then
MARUDI: A group of about 30 senior tribal leaders from 12 different communities of semi-nomadic Penans yesterday gathered in central Baram here to voice their plight and grievances to the highest authorities in the country.
The meeting, rarely held on such a collective scale, was attended by semi-nomadic Penan paramount chief Ajang Kiew, 12 longhouse chiefs and about 20 community elders, some of whom had travelled from as far as areas bordering Kalimantan which is a 10-hour journey by land and boat.
Ajang, who is the Sarawak Penans Association chairman, told The Star the gathering was held as a result of various pressing issues affecting the community.
Leading the list were timber blockades by the tribes against logging companies in the interior.
Another important agenda, he said, was to discuss the recent statement by Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (Suhakam) chairman Tan Sri Musa Hitam that the Penans should lodge a formal complaint to the commission if they believe their rights have been violated.
"For years, we have tried our best to voice our feelings to the authorities, to tell them our problems and our needs but to no avail.
"We are here today (yesterday) to put down in writing the problems faced by the different groups of our community scattered all over the Baram region and to come up with a common stand on what we need to do.
"I feel this is the best chance for us to be heard by those at the highest level," he said during an interview after the meeting which was held at the Sahabat Alam Malaysia office here.
Ajang, who speaks Bahasa Malaysia fluently, said the semi-nomadic Penans were upset the state and timber companies had ignored their ancestral land rights.
He said his people wanted their native customary rights recognised by the Government, want the authorities to investigate their claims and complaints and want to be allowed to continue using the forests for their daily sustenance.
Asked why his people have refused to give up their wandering lifestyle or heed the state's call to settle down, Ajang said: "The state promised us land but up till now, no leaders have even visited us to tell us what to do. Nobody came to assist us.
"They promised to set up a RM1mil fund to assist us years ago but until today, nothing has been done. What else can we do? We have no permanent place of our own so we have to continue living in the forests," he said.