A Long Hard Journey to School

By Chee How

The persistent international outcry over the alleged rape of Penan women and schoolgirls by logging company workers seems to have spurred the Sarawak government to take steps to improve the safety of Penan schoolgirls traveling to and from schools.

Deputy Chief Minister, and Chairman of the Steering Committee on Penan Affairs, Alfred Jabu, continues to dismiss allegations that Penan women and girls were sexually abused by workers from two local logging companies.

But at the same time, the state authorities have apparently bowed to international and local pressure from women and rights groups. Since early this year, transportation has been arranged to pick up Penan students from one school, before school term commences, and to return them home when the school term ends.

However, much still needs to be done. It appears that such transportation is only arranged for several Penan students studying in SMK Long Lama, but not for other schools. All students of other communities have to rely on the vehicles of logging companies, unless their families can afford the hefty costs of chartered private vehicles.

Schoolgirl says she was raped on her way to school

Long Kawi is one of the Penan settlements caught in the middle of last year’s sexual abuse controversy.

In 2007, a 16-year-old student from this Penan settlement alleged she became pregnant after being raped, while returning to SMK Long Lama, her boarding school. She gave birth last year.

As reported in the Star newspaper, the schoolgirl had hitched a ride with a logging company vehicle on the last day of the school holiday. She was forced to stay a night in a logging camp. She says that night, she was dragged to some bushes behind the camp and raped by a man, whom she believed had been drinking.

Long Kawi, and its neighbour Long Item, have received much unsolicited attention from certain police and government officers, since the Star reported the abuse. The authorities have been monitoring the movements of friends and guests of the communities.

Long Item was made notorious by one Ah Heng. Ah Heng, a timber camp worker, had a police report lodged against him by a girl from Long Item. The girl said Ah Heng had raped her. Later, Ah Heng claimed in the Borneo Post to be the husband of the girl.

A visit to old friends

I have just returned from a trip to Middle Baram, visiting old friends and acquaintances.

As usual, we exchanged and shared information. Not unexpectedly, the local communities were confused with some news reports that I had sent them earlier. They were especially confused with statements from state officials, which appeared at times to be blatant lies.

I was most concerned whether there had been any improvement in the security of schoolchildren traveling to and from their schools, after the widespread publicity on the alleged rape cases.

Among the local people, a statement by Ose Murang, the Miri Resident Officer at the time of the rape reports, came to mind immediately. Ose Murang has recently been promoted to the post of the Deputy State Secretary.

Ose Murang, a knowledgeable Orang Ulu himself, has never failed to amaze me, being one of the most obedient and submissive government officers alive. He is always the first to jump to the defence of the state BN government, when his political masters are accused of neglecting the interests and welfare of the Penans.

In customary fashion, Ose Murang was quoted as saying in an interview with the Borneo Post (19.10.2008):

“… This year (2008), the government has allocated over RM230,000 for Penan student management in Miri Division, including RM187,000 for transportation between their settlements to schools, and scholarships.

The list of schools entitled to such aid in the sprawling district last year were SMK Bario, SMK Temengong Datuk Lawai Jau at Long San, SK Long Kevok, SK Long Bedian, SK Batu Bungan (Mulu), SK Long Beruang, SK Long Baya …”

One friend, a Sarawak Administrative Officer (SAO), himself an Orang Ulu, said he had spent a long time looking for the records of such expenditure, but could not find any.

“Though the amount was not substantial, considering the vastness of the Baram district and remoteness of the Penan settlements, if Penan students are ferried from their settlements and schools, their safety and security would be much improved,” the SAO said.

Concerned parents deny receiving “assistance”

Jeffery, ( Photo Left ) an assistant to the headman of Long Kawi, has two children studying in SMK Long Lama. For the first time ever, his children came back for the school term break, in a vehicle arranged by the school. The same vehicle came to bring his children back to Long Lama when the school re-opened. Jeffery knows the driver.

“We are relieved. We can’t afford to charter a private vehicle to send our children to school. The four hour journey would cost us RM400,” Jeffery said.

“However, I was told by the driver that his contract with the school is only for two return journeys of our children, for the school term holidays. For the short holidays, we have to find our own way to ferry our children to and from Long Lama.

“The school principal has promised to look for further support, though. Hopefully, the state government will help. We really don’t want to depend on the (logging) company vehicles to ferry our children to and from their school”, he said.

John Pun, ( Photo Left )another resident of Long Kawi, and father of two children studying in Long Lama, confirmed the driver had promised to provide transport for at least two school holidays.

When asked regarding Ose Murang’s announcement of the state assistance, they were puzzled, even confused.

“There had been no such transport arrangement last year, or any time before this,” they said.

“All our primary schoolchildren are studying in SK Long Kevok. There has been no transportation assistance, even this year,” said John, “Maybe the Resident (Ose Murang) was talking about other Penan settlements. But to my knowledge, I don’t think there has been any such transportation given to our neighbouring Penan settlements (either).”

“We were very distressed with the revelation of the rape cases and the unwanted pregnancies, by the media last year. The police and government officers are still questioning us about people coming into Long Kawi.”

“The unpleasant attention given to Long Kawi is helpful in a way. This transportation assistance to our schoolchildren is certainly a response to the exposure.”

“I hope the state government will keep its word and help to ferry our primary schoolchildren to SK Long Kevok. Furthermore, the transportation for our children to and from SMK Long Lama should not be limited to twice a year. There are other week-long school holidays when our children will be returning from their school,” Jeffery hoped.

Balan John of Long Item was, however, not so optimistic. His daughter, a Form 5 student at Long San, has to travel two days to reach her school.

He said: “We have to wait by the roadside, sometimes for many hours, (and) sometimes return the next day, for a (logging) company vehicle passing by Long Item and Ba Abang.

“The vehicle does not take us to the kampung. From the junction, we have to walk almost an hour to reach the village of Ba Abang, (then stay) overnight in Ba Abang. She then joins the other school-going children from Ba Abang, to walk two hours and travel by boat for another two hours, to reach Long San.”

Lah Unan, another local community leader of Long Item, has two boys studying in Long Lama. He was perplexed with Ose Murang’s claim of a state allocation to transport Penan children to school.

“From Long Item, seven of our children are studying in SMK Long Lama, including my two sons. There was no transportation being arranged to ferry them to school last year or before, there is none this year,” he said.

“All our younger children are studying in the primary school, SK Long Kevok. No, there has never been any supporting state effort to ferry them to school or back.”

“The journeys from Long Item to Long Kevok and Long Lama are about the same. Traveling by chartered vehicle on the logging road, it will take two hours to drive to either destination. On foot, it will take more than two days to arrive at Long Lama or Long Kevok.”

Jalong Wat, ( Photo right )of the Penan settlement in Long Lilim, revealed that there are 14 children from Long Lilim studying in Long Lama.

“We have not heard about any transportation assistance from the government. Maybe they have just started it?” he asked.

“That will be a great help. To charter a vehicle to Long Lama is costing us RM500 per trip. Our primary schoolchildren are studying in Long Lutin and Long Kevok. To charter a vehicle to send them to school there is RM400 each way, or the children will have to walk for almost two days to reach Long Lutin and Long Kevok.”

A long journey

It has been a worthwhile trip, though my body is still sore from the gruelling journey. I am heartened to note that all the Penan parents I met send their children to school, against the odds.

Does the BN government care?

Misfortune has befallen many Penan schoolgirls. Schooling had to end abruptly no thanks to the unwanted pregnancy.

The international community is infuriated. BN leaders lied to cover up. Ose Murang said his piece as the most obedient servant of his political masters, and moved on and up. As is the usual custom, investigations into the heinous crimes have hit a snag.

The Penans are our fellow human beings, and not – as the Malaysian or Sarawak BN government may regard them, or portray them – lesser beings.

Postscript

The Bruno Manser Foundation (BMF), a Swiss NGO, shocked the international community by publishing on its website an accusation that  workers from two logging companies had harassed and raped Penan women, including schoolgirls.

The Penan schoolgirls depended on logging company vehicles to get to and from school. Otherwise they would have had to walk for days on end.  The schoolgirls alleged that unscrupulous workers forced the girls to stay overnight at a logging camp, and the workers sexually abused the girls.

The BMF alleged there is an alarming number of resulting pregnancies amongst the Penan victims.

In a series of exclusive reports published on 6 October 2008, a Star journalist talked to the victims, their parents and community leaders, and confirmed BMF’s allegations. The articles caused an uproar amongst the Malaysian public.

Sarawak state leaders denied the reports and claimed there was an international conspiracy to discredit the Sarawak government.

The Federal Ministry of Women, Family and Community Development sent a team to the interior heartland of Sarawak in November 2008 to investigate the allegations.

The investigation report has been completed. However the report has been with-held by the BN government, despite a promise by the Minister at the time, Ng Yen Yen, to release the report to the public. Ng was moved to Ministry of Tourism during Najib’s reign.