Penan disputes with timber companies are real.
28th August 2000

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 issue 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 frontally, 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 had 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 assist in publicising 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,
President
Sahabat Alam Malaysia