Joseph Tawie
Political parties in Sarawak have also been urged to state their stand on the seizure of bibles from the Sibu prison.
The issue of “Allah” and the Malay Bible is far from over. It has cropped up again when prison authorities seized hundreds of Malay and Iban-language Bibles with the word “Allah” from a prison in Sibu over the past few weeks.
This has not gone down well with the Christians who make up 44% of the state’s population. (more…)
Sarawak Report
Inside his Rolls Royce – fear is opening Taib’s tight purse….
What better sign of BN’s panic that they may lose this election than the frantic handouts and sudden promises of ‘projects’ that we have been seeing this week?
In 2008 the average election bribe that BN paid to poor rural folk per vote was a mere RM10. Yet this week the timber tycoon MP Tiong Thai King was going round offering a fat RM1,000 each!
So, now people are starting to learn what these politicians can really afford and why it pays to stand up to the bullies in BN. (more…)
KJ John
I asked a niece, “Do you know the candidates who are standing in your constituency?” The real reason for my question was to know if they, the younger generation, was aware that in most locations, every citizen registered to vote had to make two choices? The only exceptions are in the Federal Territories and the state of Sarawak.
In Sarawak it is because they had their state elections about two years ago and in the Federal Territories because we are not democratic enough to offer a local issues concerns of residents a choice.
In the FT, I believe, they should be given a choice of who represents us in the City Hall governance based on the “number of precincts under the jurisdiction of the City Council in cases of Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya, and some equitable criterion for the case of Labuan. But, alas, that may only happen when we can some have real change in the leadership of Putrajaya. (more…)
Sarawak Chief Minister Abdul Taib Mahmud was non-committal over a retirement date, despite promising in April 2011 to step down in two years.
Met at a function in Sibu today, Taib was asked about his retirement plans, to which he replied with another question.
“You want me to retire? When are you going to retire? You tell me,” he said. “I decide when is the best time to leave.”
Throughout the Sarawak state legislative assembly election campaign in 2011, Taib was dogged with the question of when he would step down which was a major campaign issue for Pakatan Rakyat. (more…)
CLARA CHOOI
The Financial Times reported that the prime minister declined to address the expose by Global Witness directly during the interview.
Barisan Nasional (BN) is “equally as concerned about corruption” as its critics but the problem cannot go away overnight, Datuk Seri Najib Razak said in a Financial Times (FT) interview carried today, in the wake of a damning expose on Sarawak’s timber scandals.
The international financial daily reported that the prime minister declined to address the expose by Global Witness (GW) directly during the interview, pointing out that Malaysian graftbusters were already investigating the allegations against Sarawak Chief Minister Tan Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud. (more…)
K Pragalath
With a pivotal general election in the near horizon and opposition’s inaccessibility to the traditional media, a new online radio station akin to the successful Radio Free Sarawak is set to add to Najib Tun Razak and Umno’s headaches.
Radio Free Malaysia (RFM) will hit the airwaves tonight at 9pm on medium wave at 1359kHz, showcasing an interview which Opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim had with business radio station BFM. The interview never got aired due to “concerns” over Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission regulations. (more…)
Kim Quek
The embarrassingly weak retort by Sarawak Chief Minister Abdul Taib Mahmud to the recent crystal-clear Global Witness video expose of his timber corruption virtually confirms his guilt.
The video produced by the London-based NGO Global Witness captures the conversation between its undercover investigator and Taib’s first cousins,.
It stunningly reveals the truth about how Taib and his family make illicit fortunes from the illegal disposal of Sarawak’s vast timber land. The video was posted on YouTube, and featured in global TV network Al Jazeera on March 18. (more…)
See Chee How
Video Link I am appalled by the statement made by the Serian police chief DSP Mohd Jamali Umi to the press, appearing in a local English daily yesterday, when he was asked to comment on the brutal assault of 66-years old Iban farmer Surik Anak Muntai.
The Serian police chief was quoted as saying that as the 4 attackers were wearing masks during the assault, neither the victim nor the witness could identify them. He further stated: “The victim does not know the attackers. He could not identify them …”
These statements are a far cry from the recorded statements and testimonies given to the police by Surik Anak Muntai and his wife Rosni Anak Langap. (more…)
Joe Fernandez
The ultimate benefit for the people of Sabah and Sarawak will come when no party or coalition in Parliament can put together 112 seats to form the Federal Government with a simple majority.
In the Bible, Matthew 13:10-17, it’s stated that Jesus said: “For whoever has, to him more shall be given, and he will have abundance; but whoever does not have, even what he has shall be taken away from him.”
In 1963, Malaya had a lot. Yet, more was given to them when Sabah and Sarawak were taken away from the people, the Orang Asal in particular. (more…)
Sarawak Report
Digging in. Taib visits with empty suitcases for the purpose
One of the penalties of being a top timber tycoon is that your Chinese New Year celebrations are each year ruined by the arrival of Taib Mahmud, demanding his usual ‘Ang Pow’.
This year as Taib makes his annual descent on Sibu the Chief Minister will be demanding double dues to pay for an election that can no longer be delayed.
And of course he will want big presents for his family and hangers-on as well.
The publicity will be all about how Taib will also be making short visits to “ordinary people”, who will be expected to show themselves grateful and delighted that Sarawak’s corruption Godfather has troubled to pass by. (more…)
G Vinod
An anti-Sabah and Sarawak Facebook page, created on Dec 19 last year, has raised the ire of social networking page users.
Named the Semenanjung Malaya Anti-Sabah dan Sarawak page, the site is created to criticise the East Malaysian states and even referred to residents there as “ungrateful”.
“Peninsula doesn’t need Sabah and Sarawak for 1Malaysia. The East Malaysians have no brains, stupid and love to encroach into other’s territory. What a shame for Malaysia,” read the description. (more…)
Joseph Tawie
Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin may have returned to his safe room in Putrajaya but he’s left behind a cloud of uncertainty in Sarawak.
Muhyiddin’s statement that there will be “no direct BN candidate” and that no candidates ‘outside’ of the BN coalition would be allowed to contest under its “dacing” symbol in the 13th parliamentary election has struck down diehard supporters of Chief Minister Taib Mahmud. (more…)
Joseph Tawie
Thousands of natives are stateless in Sarawak bcause there are those ‘who make the rules and directives’ and those ‘who take it upon themselves to decide who deserves citizenships’.
The ongoing Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) hearing on illegal immigrants in Sabah has rankled many people in Sarawak.
Former civil servants who served under then prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad, illegal immigrants and refugees have all revealed how citizenships had been given out clandestinely.
These revelations have left a bitter taste in Sarawak where thousands of Christian natives are still stateless. (more…)
Malaysiakini
The authorities must immediately investigate former Sabah Election Commission (EC) director Wan Ahmad Wan Yusof for allegedly instructing the state EC to provide unqualified immigrants with identity card numbers in the 1990s.
Sarawak PKR chairperson Baru Bian (left) said Wan Ahmad’s role in this “scandalous treachery” in altering Sabah’s electoral demography, if indeed true, only served to justify the rakyat’s distrust of the EC.
“The rakyat’s distrust of the EC has been justified by revelations on Project IC.
“Bersih’s demands now take on an even more urgent note and the EC must implement the measures demanded before GE13,” Baru Bian said in a statement. (more…)
Dukau Papau
“Their job is to teach our children,” said Sarawak Parti Keadilan Rakyat chief Baru Bian, adding that they should be neutral when it came to politics.BN must not use teachers as part of BN campaign teams in Sarawak in the coming election.
Bian, who is the Ba’Kelalan State Assemblyman, was commenting on a statement made by the MP for Serian, Richard Riot, also the Foreign Affairs Deputy Minister.
He had called on teachers to give their full support to BN in the coming election, given their strong influence among the rural people. (more…)
Lee Way Loon
This is mainly because PAS will be contesting only a handful of seats in Sabah and Sarawak.While the PAS syura council stand on the use of ‘Allah’ was roundly condemned by many non-Muslims, analysts argued that it would not do much harm to Pakatan Rakyat at the looming general election.
As for the peninsula, the majority of voters have already made up their minds, and the about-turn by the Islamic party would not be a big enough factor to change their decisions.
Nevertheless, the support for PAS’ partners – PKR and DAP – may be affected in Sabah and Sarawak as the majority of the Christian population live there. (more…)
Sarawak Report
Caught! – Sepawi was targetting a million hectares of native lands in Liberia!
Taib’s cousin, the logging tycoon and key political figure Hamed Sepawi, has been booted out of the African country Liberia by a Presidential decree to halt corrupt and illegal logging.
It makes for another blow to the Sarawak potentate’s international reputation, following condemnation this week in the Swiss Parliament.
Sepawi’s company Perkapalan Damai Timar (PDT) is a 60% shareholder of Atlantic Resources Limited, which has been exposed as a major culprit involved in corrupt practices and illegal logging that was set to destroy a quarter of Africa’s most heavily forested country. (more…)
FMT Staff
A Sarawak Chinese community leader has advised the prime minister to take a serious view of the ground signals from the people.
The Chinese community in Sarawak which has been closely monitoring the developments in the peninsula have called on Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak to “wise” up to the sentiments on the ground.
Reacting to Saturday’s Himpunan Kebangkitan Rakyat rally which saw a reported 100,000 people gathering in and around the Stadium Merdeka vicinity, local Chinese community leader Lu Kim Yong said the turnout indicated that many wanted change in the country. (more…)
Joceline Tan, The Star
Religion has moved to the political centrestage again with the revival of the kalimah Allah’ controversy.
POLITICS runs through Lim Guan Eng’s veins and his speeches at almost every event, including religious occasions, is about politics, politics and more politics. The Penang Chief Minister’s Christmas message last month was no different – he mentioned Lynas, the AES issue and money scandals. (more…)
Joseph Tawie
The “impressive” turnout of Malays at PKR’s recent ceramah at one of Chief Minister Taib Mahmud’s strongholds – Samarahan – appears to have rattled the corridors of power in Parti Pesaka Bumiputera (PBB).
Some 3,000 Malays were said to have attended PKR de facto chief Anwar Ibrahim’s talk last Sunday. The numbers have shocked PBB leaders. (more…)
Luke Rintod
UK-based NGO, Borneo’s Plight in Malaysia (BoPiMaFo) believes the only reason Malaya based parties are desperate to retain Sabah and ‘invade’ Sarawak is so that they can continue to decide which Umno leader would become the Prime Minister.
Daniel Jambun, who leads BoPiMaFo, said: “Umno wanted to go to Sarawak but its dream was shattered not because of Sarawak BN parties’ refusal but because of the people. (more…)
June Rubis
Peter Kallang and family (Petrus Kallang is in the white suit, Peter is next to him).
It isn’t easy to be in the forefront of a controversial home-grown campaign to stop the 12 mega-dams from being built in Sarawak. After all, you would have to stand up against the most paramount leader in the State, and as most Sarawakians know, this is a pretty big deal.
For Peter Kallang, however, being the chairman of SAVE Rivers network, a coalition of indigenous peoples, and NGOs to stop the 12 mega-dams in Sarawak, was a no-brainer. (more…)
Reuters
The trucks that ply the rough road to the Murum dam under construction in Sarawak kick up clouds of dust that obscure the trail and make driving treacherous. Within an hour, at least 40 of them go by, laden with freshly-cut timber.
The dam on a tributary of the Rajang River is just the start of a staggeringly ambitious plan to block many of the state’s major waterways by 2020 to tap cheap energy and turn one of Malaysia’s poorest states into a Southeast Asian industrial and energy hub. (more…)
FMT Staff
A bristling Sarawak Energy Berhad (SEB) claims that Hydro Tasmania was not “pulling out of Sarawak” and that their exit was “planned from the beginning”.
“This phased reduction has been planned from the beginning. It has not been influenced in any way by the regrettable misinformation campaign by foreign detractors,” SEB said alluding to a national level campaign launched in Australia two weeks ago to compel Australian government-owned Hydro Tasmania to withdraw its participation in the controversial development of dams in Sarawak. (more…)
Jeswan Kaur
It is a tragedy in the making if the race-based Barisan Nasional coalition wins the 13th general election, contrary to the constant assurances by its leaders that only it can determine the fate of this country.
Claims after claims were made by Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak who is also chairman of BN and Umno president respectively about the feats BN can achieve for the rakyat if only it is given the mandate to rule the country yet again. (more…)
Sarawak Report
Capitulation – Roy Adair, Hydro Tasmania CEO confirmed the company’s “diminishing role” in Sarawak on Monday
Sarawak Report has learnt that campaigners can claim victory after statements yesterday by Hydro Tasmania boss, Roy Adair, pledging that the company is withdrawing from its guiding role over Taib’s mega-dam projects.
Adair, who had till recently enthused over Hydro Tasmania’s partnership with Sarawak Energy’s programme of up to 50 dams to power Taib’s ambitious ‘industrialisation’ project (SCORE), made clear there will be no more staff from the company involved in the project beyond the end of 2013. (more…)
Why is the majority ethnic group of Sarawak, the Iban, easily divided and ruled? The answer is found within the Iban mindset and psyche.
By numbers alone, the Iban should be leading the state. This is not racist politics, this is not factionalism. This is plain mathematics and statistics. Yet, the Iban are found in EVERY political party in Sarawak; divided and ruled.
The closest the Iban have ever been united was in SNAP, and then later in PBDS. Yet both experiments failed miserably, despite a glorious start. Why? Again, the answer is found within the Iban mindset and psyche. (more…)
Charles Santiago
The rakyat are now vocally airing their demands, their rights and their aspirations.
Perhaps those were his chosen moments. The moment when tens of thousands of people turned Dataran Merdeka green.
The moment when hundreds of Indians called for the rights of the minority community to be protected.
The moment when scores more turned up at the field in Petaling Jaya to demonstrate against the National Education Blueprint. (more…)
The assembly is in its final sitting for the year.
Assisted by Federal Reserve Unit, a road block was mounted by the police about one kilometre from the assembly building. (more…)
The Sarawak government took away their forest and land to build dams but left the community in Sungai Asap with ‘chicken feeds and crumbs’, claims an assemblyman.
KUCHING: The government has failed to look after the needs of more than 10,000 people who were resettled in Sungai Asap as a result of being displaced by the Bakun Dam.
Said Sarawak PKR chief Baru Bian: “It’s shocking… there is no public toilet in Sungai Asap despite the fact that there are markets and shops. I was shocked when told about this.
“I asked an elderly woman who was selling vegetables where I could pee. She told me that since there is no public toilet, I could pee in the bush. (more…)
KUCHING: The estimated 100,000 hardcore members of the deregistered Parti Bansa Dayak Sarawak (PBDS) should not “look back into their past” and push for the revival of the race-based party.
Former PBDS supreme council member Baru Bian said the days of race and community based politics were no longer relevant in a new era of politics in Sarawak and Malaysia.
“I do recognise that political parties in Malaysia started by representing various communities such as MIC representing the Indian community, Umno the Malays, MCA the Chinese, and PBDS the Dayaks, and even PBB. (more…)
Vernon Kedit
We had to travel in four-wheel drive vehicles from the airport to the first point of departure. Yes, the roads are that bad; pot-holes every few metres caused by trucks overloaded either with timber or oil-palm for the mega-companies. A journey that should take less than two hours took us an incredibly bumpy four hours.
We finally arrived our point of departure and you can see one of our four-wheel drives parked right at the water’s edge, dislodging supplies. The men are extracting gasoline from yellow drums to power our boats’ motors. (more…)
Sarawak Report
The real satellite image information produced by Global Witness shows the contrast between Brunei and “logged and degraded” Sarawak
Last year Mahmud made a big fuss, calling Sarawak Report liars for drawing attention to the fact that he has destroyed nearly all of Sarawak’s rainforest.
We had said that less than 5% of the primary jungle remains and even that is now being cut down.
But the Chief Minister went on record to deny it and claimed that over 70% of Sarawak’s rainforest remains virgin and untouched! (more…)
Kua Kia Soong
Sarawak Energy Berhad (SEB), contractors and private companies involved in the project have been forced to use ferryboats or tugboats through the Bakun Dam reservoir to transport goods, machines, building materials etc. to the Murum Dam site. (more…)
Jahabar Sadiq
The ruling Barisan Nasional (BN) expects to win more than the 140 federal seats it took in Election 2008 despite the onslaught and talk by Pakatan Rakyat (PR) that it can capture Putrajaya in the next general election which must be called by the end of April 2013, say government sources.
But BN politicians concede that as many as seven parliamentary seats in Sarawak and six in Sabah are vulnerable to PR but maintain that their stronghold on rural areas remain strong. There are 222 parliamentary constituencies and 505 state seats up for grabs in the coming 13th general election.
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Vernon Kedit
Joseph Tawie
Joseph Tawie
Joseph Tawie
