Scandalous story about the Lacau mini hydro!

Politics of mini hydro in Lacau-hidden story revealed!

 

Barnie Lasimbang(L) and Niloh(R) in BB Cafe in KK

We published a story of a mini hydro in Kg Abok Mawang, Lachau previously. It was reportedly a story of community self-help and gotong royong. There was more to this story that met the eyes, according to Banie Lasimbang, an laternative energy consultant who has installed more than a couple of dozens of mini hydros before in Sabah and Sarawak in the last decade. The story was shocking: the original beneficiary of the mini hydro project was another kampong (Kg Apin?) -but due to the `generous’ contribution by local `YBs’ the power was supplied to Kg Abok Mawang-which was as far as the YB’s generosity could reach! The people involved ignored the consultant’s suggestion to modify the design slightly so that there would be enough power to supply to both villagers!

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Bernama put this news under `general’ category instead of `political’ -why?

The tax-payers supported news agency has a glaring problem of not being able to differentiate what is political news-such that many such news appear under its `general news’ category! This may camouflage the real extent of political news than its appearance.Judge for yourself how a news that praise BN as the best choice of government is not a political news! Bernama has undergone a so called rebranding exercise-but the rebranded identity is still the same ie a BN’s party organ that somehow want the non-party tax-payers to foot its bills!

October 30, 2011 19:00 PM

BN Best Choice For People As Ruling Government – Muhyiddin

KOTA KINABALU, 30 Oct (Bernama) — The people have no better choice than Barisan Nasional (BN) as the government for this country, said Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin.

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Will it be BN or Government machineries working hard at 13th GE?

BN and its component parties are singing the same tune: the parties must work hard and cooperate to win 13th General Elections! However from all past elections the party that work the hardest is the government-or more specifically, its civil servants!The civil servants of 1.4mil is about 10% of Malaysian workforce-all paid for by the tax payers who number less than them!The civil servants make up the number for the BN party events, prepare programs to support the BN’s campaign eg poco-poco; the civil servants allow allocations from their own department to be used for buying votes for BN eg giving away free lap tops to students! civil servants also go as far as accompanying the BN politicians to campaign in the interior area-giving the rural folks that the BN is the party endorsed by the civil servants-including many who serve as the Returning Officers!! Who now work harder than these civil servants before, during and after general elections????

BN Machinery Must Work Hard To Win General Election – Zahid

PANGKOR, Oct 30 (Bernama) – The Barisan Nasional (BN) machinery especially Umno must work hard to retain parliamentary and state seats and regain seats at the next general election.

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Bengoh film start public fundraising for mini hydro project!

Joachim Leong recording for a video `Make your vote count’

The Bengoh film finally is exposed to the public in Sarawak itself via a report in Borneo Post today! (See attachment below). It is the only film about Sarawak -and made by Kuching born director Joachim Leong, Niloh Ason of Simunjan and also Lee Zhi Eng of Bintulu! A quible by the director on the report is that he did not quite put choice of candidate as `the major’ factor’ behind the voters choosing a dam-supporting candidate in Bengoh. He clarified that he only said that the factor could be a reason for that happening, in a context where there is little information on how democracy can work for voters benefits.

Update one: public fundraising for Bengoh villagers’ mini hydro is now open! Please contact organiser through meonet2010@gmail.com

Update two: as of now the gross amount of fundraised is closed to Rm4k!

So: Malaysians -do come forward to show you care to take Bengoh villagers out of the darkness that engulfed them thus far!

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Why postal voters for only few sectors?

EC Proposes Early Or Postal Voting For Several Sectors
Saturday, 29 October 2011 06:59
IPOH — The Election Commission (EC) has proposed to allow for early or postal voting for sectors such as the media, medical, airlines and offshore oil and gas, as is the norm with the police and armed forces, for the 13th General Election.

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Expose by Auditor General’s report: Bengoh dam hit by cost overrun!

Truth on Bengoh emerge from Auditor General’s report!

 

Re-settlement site still not ready for Bengoh folks.

Earlier there was a report that the government selected re-settlement site was not suitable-but now fuller details from the much missed report reveal more problems with the dam: cost over-run!

Acquisition, resettlement send Bengoh cost spiralling

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Taib’s unholy alliances exposed!

EXCLUSIVE: Bruno Manser Fund names Taib’s foreign helpers

(BASEL, SWITZERLAND) Thirty individuals from nine countries have today been named and shamed by the Swiss Bruno Manser Fund for being business partners, proxies or other helpers of Malaysian potentate Abdul Taib Mahmud (“Taib”) and his family. Taib, Chief Minister of Malaysia’s largest state since 1981, has for a long time been accused of destructive logging of the Borneo rainforest and the massive abuse of his public office for personal gain. With his family members involved in global business operations estimated at several billion US dollars, Taib is believed to be one of South East Asia’s richest and most corrupt politicians.

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Why villagers displaced by Bengoh dam driven to `unsuitable’ re-settlement site?

Scandal:Auditor General report exposed Bengoh re-settlement site as `unsuitable’!

 

Kg Semadang re-settlement area has just been started-but its unsuitability could have been known 2 years back!

According to the Auditor General’s report just released at Parliament the government’s re-settlement for villagers displaced by the Bengoh dam has been found to be `unsuitable’, as quoted by journalist Sulok Tawie. The disclosure is scadalous: the AG report is usually dated 2 years back; so why is the developer still proceeding with the building of the new re-settlement scheme at Kampong Semadang while the `unsuitability’ of the site has already been known 2 years back? Are they forging ahead following the same pattern that they had been building the dam ie keep the villagers in the dark?

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100 Ibans screamed to stop arrest of Agnes Daya!

Agnes Daya escaped arrest by the screams from her Iban neighbours!

Sarawak’s joint ventures in oil palm plantations tend to end in dissappointment for the natives partners. A joint venture in Kg Dijih, Selangau saw the natives receiving merely Rm70.00 for some villagers since the plantation run by Pelita Holidings started in 1999. Dissatisfied natives started to harvest the oil palm fruits themselves. The company applied for a court injunction to stop that. Agnes Daya defied the order since she did not get what is due to her since the beginning of the project. When police wanted to arrest her at Sibu High Court her 100 Iban neighbours screamed to stop the police.

The struggle caused the court to adjourned a hearing to feb 2012 to determine how the profits from the plantation were to be delivered to the natives. It was a victory to this usually timid natives in Sarawak’s interior! See a video of the screams here.

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Sarawakians mobilising!

Oct 21st-Antidam meeting in Miri, attended by people affected by Baram and other dams. The anti-dam sentiments which was brought to the open at the Baram Regatta is burning bright again!

oct 22nd-Sarawakians’ brunch in KL’s Central Market. Many Sarawakians and supporters turn up to meet the Barefoot Mercy organisers and PKR Sarawak’s cheif Baru Bian.

Sarawakians are mobilising. What can others help to keep the momentum going?

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