Message from Bujang Berani Festival 2000
January 2001

"If you want to enter sombody else's house, you must first knock at the door…"

Tuai Rumah Abang, Balingian
Our problem has always been about our land that has been exploited by the companies. The major problem in Balingian now is created by the development of Borneo Pulp and Paper. Our temuda land has to be properly surveyed and assessed, if not, we will lose rights on our ancestral land. I hope that we can defend our rights on our customary land. We must sit together, discuss and make our own decisions. I request that civil groups to come forward and assist us to find a way to solve these problems.

Tuai Rumah Bangga Anak Andap, Sg, Sebukut, Bakong
In 1995, four logging companies entered our area. Before they began their logging activities, they had come earlier on and surveyed our traditional land without our permission. In 1994, I put up a blockade in the area they were surveying.
The shooting in my longhouse occurred when we were performing miring (a traditional ceremony). The police first arrived, then a fight ensued between them and the villagers, then shooting. A member of our longhouse died during the confrontation.

I am saddened by the actions of the police. We were only defending our land, we have rights on them, but why are we being treated like we are in the wrong?

I beg all of you here to continue defending our land, I fear that our grandchildren in the future will have no land to depend on.

Tuai Ketua Hasan Jalong, Long Malim, Belaga
We have been having trouble with one company in our home. We have been requesting for a Village Reserve Forest, but to no avail. We have demanded for compensation for our fruit trees and graveyards, but all our demands were ignored.

They have also been intimidating us by employing gangsters to confront us because of our requests for compensation. We have been writing letters to the company but they have not bothered to reply at all.
I have even gone to see the District Officer twice to discuss our problems, but nothing has been done. But my people have not given up yet.

We seek help from other groups and people to help us in drafting letters in order to pursue our concerns and requests. But, the company has been most arrogant.
I say this to all of you, my friends, my fellow countrymen, I don't know when the timber licence has been issued to this company, but it does not seem to require licence to consult the people in the area that they are operating in.

Tuai Ketua Wat Danum
We have the same problem with our neighbours in Long Malim. Although logging is one of the problems we are facing now and it is destroying our resources, our main problem today is the opening up of oil palm plantations.

Since we depend on forest resources, if they open oil palm plantations, all these will be gone, even firewood. Four companies are already carrying out clear cutting in the surrounding areas. We would like to seek your help, ideas and suggestions so that we could do something to overcome this problem.

Tuai Ketua Ajeng Kiew, Long Sayan (President, Penan Association of Sarawak)
In Apoh and Tutoh, there are more than 20 Penan settlements there. Our people in this area have been trying to defend their rights to their land and resources by putting up several blockades since 1987. In the process, many were arrested.

They like to say that we Penan have no rights to our land because we are like people who only lodge in other people's place. But I think we should not give up.

Myself, I have been putting up blockades almost every year. I don't mean to boast, what I did was only to protect my land. The companies cannot just enter our land as if there were nobody in the area. For every destruction and damage that they have caused, they have to pay us compensation. If they simply bulldoze their way through our land, we should stop them. The companies know our rights but they never bothered to consult us before they carry out their activities.

There is also this logging company, it is the worst; they have even told us that if we put up blockades, they will bring in gangsters to deal with us. To them we replied, "you can bring in as many gangsters as you want, we want to tell you. We did not go to Miri to disturb your property. Had we been afraid, we would not have continued our protests."
However, every time before you protest, you must go to the police beforehand and properly report on things that have been damaged by the companies and things you want them to act on. We should not be afraid.

People may accuse us of being instigated by SAM and foreigners, but as far as we are concerned, we do it on our own will and initiative to defend our rights. After all, it is not only Penan who have put up blockades; the Kayan and Kenyah have also put up protests. So can we say that they too were instigated by other parties?

You see these leaves in my hand? I found this in abundance here in Long Lawen. This is the reason I'm defending my land. In my home, it is difficult to find them anymore. This leaf is our medicine.

Dari Sigan, Ulu Tinjar, Kapit
When you enter somebody else's area, you must recognise that this is their area. I told the manager of the company, "if you do not want to consult us, if you want to resort to aggressive tactics, if you do not want to discuss this matter, you are not going to be here for a day. If you want to enter somebody else's house, you must first knock at the door, correct?" We must make them respect our rights.

If you show your fear to people, they will act like tigers. But these tigers, if we dare to look them straight in the eye, they will chicken out.

Don't fear the gangsters. They have their own interests. But we have our interests - our rights to be defended. We should not fear them.

But we must not resort to violence. We must take actions according to our principles, let them be the aggressive ones. We may seem soft, but that doesn't mean that we are cowards.

You know leeches? They are soft, small and toothless, we think they are stupid. But they will only let go of their grip when they are full.

Just remember the important issue here - who entered whose properties? Is it us entering their land or vice versa? If you want to enter somebody else's house, surely you would have to knock first and request for permission. If permission is granted, then only can you climb up the house.