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A Call For Urgent Action - The Bakun Resettlement Scheme Natives submerged in harsh waters The Bakun Hydroelectric Project in Sarawak, Malaysia, was so ostentatious, it took an almost divine intervention to arrest its development. The economic downturn saw to it that the dam's energy capacity was reduced from 2,400 MW to 500 MW, the absurd submarine cables gone and the Federal Government is now using the taxpayers' money to sustain it. Despite the 80% scaling down of the dam, the execution of the entire resettlement programme for the natives staying by the dam-fated Balui River was still insisted on by the State. Native Customary Rights (NCR) on the natives' ancestral land were totally extinguished as originally intended even if the dam would now inundate a much smaller area. So by September 1999, approximately 9,000 natives from the Kayan, Kenyah, Lahanan, Ukit and Penan ethnic groups from 15 longhouses were uprooted from their homes along the eventful upriver Balui to join the "forces of development" in a strange land - Sungai Asap, about 30km from the dam site. This displacement was of course accompanied by numerous promises about how good the resettlement scheme would be for the natives. However recently, when Sahabat Alam Malaysia (SAM) officials visited Asap, they were totally shocked by what they saw. Asap's "development" so far has proven itself to be only a myth. Today, the once self-sufficient people are suffering from distress, dispossession, remorse and poverty. Their predicament in Asap needs an urgent redress; or else malnutrition and hunger can become a reality. Cloudy survey methods - inadequate compensation amount Many of the natives alleged that their plots of land were not accurately surveyed before the extinguishment of their Native Customary Rights (NCR) on the land. Some received thousands. Some much less. One individual received RM29.60. There was little transparency in the survey methods, which were also prejudicial against them in many ways as listed below:
Natives forced to move Full compensation payment for their land (another 70%) would be withheld unless they move - and move to Asap only. Those who move to a communally chosen location would be deprived of this right. (Some indeed resisted moving to Asap since Bakun's downsizing. Some have moved upstream). Then, vital services like schools and clinics were terminated. Clearly, the natives were not given their right to choice. The houses that were built in Asap did not come free. They were valued at RM52,000, double the price of a low-cost home in some major cities in Peninsular Malaysia. The people did not receive cash for the compensation of their old houses - the value was offset against the RM52,000. Should their stronger and bigger old homes be deemed cheaper - then welcome to Debtland. To receive the promised 70% balance of the land compensation payment - some residents had to further sign written documents in English, a language that very few are well-versed in, when they first arrived in Asap. No signature, no keys, no compensation. After 13 hours of travelling to move, you would sign it too. Else you would not have a house.
Longhouses poorly built Instead of involving the natives in the construction of the new longhouses, a Birmingham multinational, Bucknalls, was contracted to build the homes and infrastructure. Here are the results:
Inadequate infrastructure
Insufficient land for food production Each family is given only 3 acres of land to work on, a disgraceful grant to the self-sustainable swidden farmers. Beyond the village, thousands of hectares were given to private plantation companies. To put food on the plate, some have begun planting on any available land, even if it belongs to the state. Sometimes the people hear rumours about "private companies and joint ventures". Without the grasp of legal parlance, their land may be at risk. But then again, New Poverty may one day force the sale of their 3 acres of land anyway. Eating only rice and salt The natives claimed that when they first came, food items were even more expensive. Although prices of the foodstuff have now decreased, the huge burden is still felt - this is the first time in their lives that they have to buy rice, meat, fish, vegetables, electricity and water. Then, the cash ran out and the jobs did not come. (Oil palm companies only offer RM8-10 a day.) Still - Asap citizens need to buy and buy. But when they can no longer buy, they would have to make do. Previously, the Ukits (the only Ukits in the world) claimed that they were even able to sell their fish and meat at logging camps. A one-day trip out could at least bring a RM50 profit home. Now the people cultivate, rear, gather and hunt what they can but when times are hard, some would have to subsist on rice with salt or Monosodium Glutamate. And times are often hard, especially to those who have moved there the earliest. Malnutrition and hunger Traditionally the people were practitioners of the organic and sustainable shifting agriculture. The danger is that their 3 acres of land today may not be able to withstand rice cultivation continuously. There is also little aid for them - no fishponds, chicken coops or ample hunting-gathering forests. Should there be poor rice yield and other food shortages in the future, the occurrence of malnutrition and hunger in Asap is certain. The three rivers - Asap, Koyan and Penyuan, upriver tributaries of Belaga, cannot sustain under the population pressure. Fish is scarce. Soon, it would not be suitable for drinking, washing and bathing. Untreated sewage effluents flow into them. The surrounding oil palm plantations may further pollute the waters with pesticides and pollutants. Hence the scarce fish resource may soon vanish altogether. Destruction of social fabric Women lose independence Independent Balui women are building on a new dependence to the male breadwinners. They no longer can gather, farm, fish, weave, heal, plan and participate in cultural events. They don't drive and boats are almost obsolete. Idling away at home, cooking and washing - Asap women are bored, excluded and frustrated. Conflicts In Asap, communal sharing cannot be practised freely. Food cannot be given away to neighbours. Cultural events are expensive. People fight - food is little, cash is scarce and they are desperate. In the future, they may fight over land sizes and boundaries. Families may fight over leaving or staying. Husbands may leave to find work. Children may compete for land inheritance in bitterness. Alcoholism Many Asap citizens have begun to seek refuge in alcohol - men and women (not traditionally heavy drinkers!), young and old. However, rice, a main tuak ingredient, is now no longer free and plenty. When alcohol supply decreases and the demand increases - crimes and violence will surely be prevalent. Vulnerable youngsters
Loafing youngsters are drinking and smoking too early, not necessarily indulging in home-made substances. Deprived of secondary education and traditional skills, with time to kill, distressed parents and the lure of the commercial world, they are indeed vulnerable to self-destruction. 1994 commissioned review warned against Asap A review of the socio-economic studies and preliminary recommendations of the resettlement, submitted to the Sarawak State Government in 1994 has warned the Government sufficiently of the resettlement problems that would occur in Asap. According to the study, the soil quality of Asap is mediocre, unsuitable for cash crops. The area is too small. (About 7,000 hectares for what used to be at least 35,000 hectares of land use.) There is no plan for population increase. There is little supply of jungle produce and hunting land. It warns against forcing the community into a full cash economy and concentrating them into a few large villages. Allocate RM750 million for resettlement costs. Plan for substitute protein sources. Resettle-ment must be land based with access to forest. There must be plenty of consultations. Best of all, it blatantly argues for the relocation to take place in upper Balui itself because there is no need to move to Asap at all. "While the catchment area will flood existing village sites and fields, much land is still available. Hence, from an agricultural viewpoint, there is no reason to resettle the people of Balui to another area." Now with the downsizing of the dam, surely the resettlement programme in Asap is even more unnecessary. "The right planning approach is first to establish the people's needs, and then to find a site compatible with it. The reverse has been done here." Way back in 1994, the Malaysian Government was cautioned that the people should be allowed to stay along the enlarged Balui River or its nearby tributaries and yet, this was ignored. Call for action SAM calls on the Malaysian Government and the Sarawak State Government to set up an Independent Commission of Inquiry to do the following:
The Independent Commission must comprise of credible members of the public and professionals who will act without fear or favour. It must also ensure that the inquiry is conducted in a transparent and democratic manner, with full and unhindered participation from the native communities. Its findings must be made public. In the meantime, the shortage of food supply must be quickly dealt with. We urge the Sarawak State Government to look into these matters:
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