Could Taib Mahmud the CM of Sarawak be taking drugs? He was reported to say that he envision a future Sarawak so bright that it qualify as a Guiness Book of Records’ entry-powered by the 600% excess of electricity generated by his 12-dam supply! Sad to say: even with 40% excess electricity currently Taib still cannot supply electricity to most natives’ houses around the operating dams now!
The Batang Ai dam is still surrounded by resettled residents who don’t have electricity supply-though it will continue to be Sarawak’s biggest dam till Bakun dam come on stream-if it ever will.
The claim that there will not be a corner in Sarawak which is not lit is only so much claim. Same as Taib’s claim that he has, for the last 30 years of his rule, brought `development’ to Sarawak-the 4th poorest state in Malaysia!
Similarly he tried to scare the Sarawakians of the `outsiders’ -forgetting to mention that his closest allies are all from the Semenanjung-who keep their eyes closed on the overflowing wealth he squeezed from the vast (natives’) lands calculated by the square KM!
Another way to look at the `bright’ future for Sarawak is when all the trees have been cut down and all the logs hauled to overseas market. It will be so bright every day that Sarawakians will remember fondly the days with shades from trees in Sarawak’s world renown tropical rain forests!
The future can be so damn bright that Taib will have to put up a few more palaces in Sarawak to shelter from the strong gaze of Sarawakians, who are forever puzzled by this old man who is always too shy to do sun-bathing!In fact he may suffer some sun burn from it!
democracy4now
lucia
TP
sicnewsmirisite
timchoo
Sarawak does not depend on how many dams she has to satisfy Taib’s obsession for dams, but its justifications, costs and benefits, its economy of scale, social, cultural and ecological impacts,risk factors and safety issues are all relevant and interdependent.
So too are the larger concerns: who benefits most? how are communities benefiting? The bitter lessons of Batang Ai and Bakun hydros are sufficient pointers to the many things that can and have gone wrong when politicians get involved and put others at risk. EPF was thrown in to save Bakun Dam.
This is crazy and we can no longer go on like this.