Written by: Dr. john Brian Anthony
No body seem to know what SCORE is.
I asked around people in town, government servants, private company’s managers, local level BN politicians, ordinary folks in coffee shop if they know what SCORE is all about.
Everybody seemed to have heard of it, but really non (not one) knows what is the concept of SCORE and what is going on in SCORE. If no body knows what SCORE is all about, how can they participated and contribute to the success of SCORE.
Personally, I have seen SCORE brochure prepared by “foreign experts / consultants”. The brochure really explain nothing or even contain useful information.
Read more here: http://dayakbaru.com/weblog08/2010/05/27/what-score/#more-8118
Sunday, May 30, 2010
Monday, May 24, 2010
Sarawak natives fear threat of palm oil estates
Sunday, May 23, 2010
FRI, 21 MAY 2010 20:05 By Anil Netto - FMT
GEORGE TOWN: A increasing number of natives in Sarawak state in north Borneo are alarmed at encroaching forest and oil palm plantations, which are taking over their native customary land and destroying their traditional lifestyles and biodiversity.
In Long Terawan, a village in the north of the state, a community of a thousand Berawan and Tering indigenous people who live in longhouses is worried about plans by a reforestation and plantation group to take over 80,000 hectares of native land. And there are other villages and communities similarly affected. "The land is being given to the big companies to do the plantations in our area," says Dennis Along, a villager who comes from a traditional farming family. "In future, it will be very hard for the longhouse people to do farming. There is no free land for us to do farming any more, because the company is taking over the land."
The villagers here used to cultivate paddy, plant rubber trees and grow a variety of local fruit trees — as part of a shifting cultivation tradition that goes back hundreds of years. "We move to a new area every year because we want to make the ground more fertile," explains Along.
"When we move our rice fields, we plant fruit trees — rambutan, durian, langsat, jackfruit — to help replenish the soil." Their land is also home to wildlife such as wild boar, monkeys, deer and all kinds of local fish varieties.
Now, they are going to lose all that as plantation companies have taken over their land, laments Along.
Similar large forest plantation projects are slated for the Kakus and Belaga regions.
The loss of biodiversity when land is cleared for plantations is alarming. "When a huge area is cleared for plantations, all the plants will be cleared, because they are clearing up the land," explains Raymond Abin, coordinator of the Sarawak Conservation Action Network, which consists of environmental and indigenous rights groups in Sarawak.
"After that, they will do the excavating work in order for them to plant the oil palm. This will invariably lead to serious soil erosion that would flow into the streams and rivers and kill a lot of fish.
"In addition, foreign workers hired by the plantation firms are often concerned about their own survival and extract as much fish from the rivers as they can. "There will be little wildlife once the forest is gone and replaced by tree or oil palm plantation," says Abin.
The immediate impact on surrounding communities is water pollution and flash floods.
In Sarawak, forest plantations are mainly of fast maturing tree species such as acacia mangium and rubberwood (timber latex clones). Acacia mangium is a highly invasive species regarded as a threat to natural forests and the natural environment.
Forest plantations too
Whatever the condition of the existing forest, planting fast-growing acacia involves prior clear-felling and removal of stumps, resulting in a denuded landscape ready for replanting. It is also a sterile monocrop that allows little to grow beneath it. Acacia plantations thus cannot support the rainforests' original faunal diversity.
The ‘Global Biodiversity Outlook 3’ report released by the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity — an international treaty adopted in Rio de Janeiro in June 1992 — earlier this month noted that the 2010 biodiversity target agreed to by the world's governments in 2002 has not been met at the global level.
"The loss of biodiversity is an issue of profound concern for its own sake. Biodiversity also underpins the functioning of ecosystems, which provide a wide range of services to human societies. Its continued loss, therefore, has major implications for current and future human well-being," the report said.
According to the website of the Malaysian Timber Industry Board, the Plantation Industries Ministry aims to develop 375,000 hectares of forest plantation for timber at an annual planting rate of 25,000 hectares per year for the next 15 years.
This is part of an aggressive programme that includes providing soft loans to companies for the development of such plantations "to reduce pressure on native forest as a source for raw materials and to ensure its continuous availability for the domestic timber industry." Sarawak also plans to double its oil palm coverage to one million hectares by this year.
The loss of biodiversity in tree plantations in Sarawak is significant in the global equation, says political economist Andrew Aeria. "But don't expect Sarawak politicians to be bothered by all this. All they are interested in is the profit margin of their crony companies and their family-linked companies involved in tree plantation projects."
Meanwhile, the villagers in Long Terawan are still engaged in farming using their traditional practices & dash; but for how much longer?
"When the plantations come — and they are starting work now..." Along’s voice trails off. "Now they are doing work in the jungle, and after the jungle, the native customary land, and after that, the whole place, and definitely our farms will go."
The Baram natives concerns not only on above issue, but they are also fear a repeat of Bakun fiasco as the government had been proposed to build another hydro power in upper Baram.
The residents voiced concerns of their fate once the dam is built. They are wondering what will happen to their land once its waters inundate their villages… how are they going to be resettled and how much it will cost them. Baram peoples should look at Bakun case as a lesson learnt. Probably it is time for them to say good bye to the government that seems to be not sensitive to their peoples concerned.
FRI, 21 MAY 2010 20:05 By Anil Netto - FMT
GEORGE TOWN: A increasing number of natives in Sarawak state in north Borneo are alarmed at encroaching forest and oil palm plantations, which are taking over their native customary land and destroying their traditional lifestyles and biodiversity.
In Long Terawan, a village in the north of the state, a community of a thousand Berawan and Tering indigenous people who live in longhouses is worried about plans by a reforestation and plantation group to take over 80,000 hectares of native land. And there are other villages and communities similarly affected. "The land is being given to the big companies to do the plantations in our area," says Dennis Along, a villager who comes from a traditional farming family. "In future, it will be very hard for the longhouse people to do farming. There is no free land for us to do farming any more, because the company is taking over the land."
The villagers here used to cultivate paddy, plant rubber trees and grow a variety of local fruit trees — as part of a shifting cultivation tradition that goes back hundreds of years. "We move to a new area every year because we want to make the ground more fertile," explains Along.
"When we move our rice fields, we plant fruit trees — rambutan, durian, langsat, jackfruit — to help replenish the soil." Their land is also home to wildlife such as wild boar, monkeys, deer and all kinds of local fish varieties.
Now, they are going to lose all that as plantation companies have taken over their land, laments Along.
Similar large forest plantation projects are slated for the Kakus and Belaga regions.
The loss of biodiversity when land is cleared for plantations is alarming. "When a huge area is cleared for plantations, all the plants will be cleared, because they are clearing up the land," explains Raymond Abin, coordinator of the Sarawak Conservation Action Network, which consists of environmental and indigenous rights groups in Sarawak.
"After that, they will do the excavating work in order for them to plant the oil palm. This will invariably lead to serious soil erosion that would flow into the streams and rivers and kill a lot of fish.
"In addition, foreign workers hired by the plantation firms are often concerned about their own survival and extract as much fish from the rivers as they can. "There will be little wildlife once the forest is gone and replaced by tree or oil palm plantation," says Abin.
The immediate impact on surrounding communities is water pollution and flash floods.
In Sarawak, forest plantations are mainly of fast maturing tree species such as acacia mangium and rubberwood (timber latex clones). Acacia mangium is a highly invasive species regarded as a threat to natural forests and the natural environment.
Forest plantations too
Whatever the condition of the existing forest, planting fast-growing acacia involves prior clear-felling and removal of stumps, resulting in a denuded landscape ready for replanting. It is also a sterile monocrop that allows little to grow beneath it. Acacia plantations thus cannot support the rainforests' original faunal diversity.
The ‘Global Biodiversity Outlook 3’ report released by the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity — an international treaty adopted in Rio de Janeiro in June 1992 — earlier this month noted that the 2010 biodiversity target agreed to by the world's governments in 2002 has not been met at the global level.
"The loss of biodiversity is an issue of profound concern for its own sake. Biodiversity also underpins the functioning of ecosystems, which provide a wide range of services to human societies. Its continued loss, therefore, has major implications for current and future human well-being," the report said.
According to the website of the Malaysian Timber Industry Board, the Plantation Industries Ministry aims to develop 375,000 hectares of forest plantation for timber at an annual planting rate of 25,000 hectares per year for the next 15 years.
This is part of an aggressive programme that includes providing soft loans to companies for the development of such plantations "to reduce pressure on native forest as a source for raw materials and to ensure its continuous availability for the domestic timber industry." Sarawak also plans to double its oil palm coverage to one million hectares by this year.
The loss of biodiversity in tree plantations in Sarawak is significant in the global equation, says political economist Andrew Aeria. "But don't expect Sarawak politicians to be bothered by all this. All they are interested in is the profit margin of their crony companies and their family-linked companies involved in tree plantation projects."
Meanwhile, the villagers in Long Terawan are still engaged in farming using their traditional practices & dash; but for how much longer?
"When the plantations come — and they are starting work now..." Along’s voice trails off. "Now they are doing work in the jungle, and after the jungle, the native customary land, and after that, the whole place, and definitely our farms will go."
The Baram natives concerns not only on above issue, but they are also fear a repeat of Bakun fiasco as the government had been proposed to build another hydro power in upper Baram.
The residents voiced concerns of their fate once the dam is built. They are wondering what will happen to their land once its waters inundate their villages… how are they going to be resettled and how much it will cost them. Baram peoples should look at Bakun case as a lesson learnt. Probably it is time for them to say good bye to the government that seems to be not sensitive to their peoples concerned.
Thursday, May 20, 2010
Residents affected by Baram Dam want to study EIA and SEIA reports before it is approved
19 May 2010
MIRI – Representative of residents from longhouses affected directly by the proposed Baram Dam have applied for a copy of the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA), the Social Environmental Impact Assessment Report or any other report(s) on studies currently being carried out before it is approved by the relevant agencies or authorities.
In a letter signed by representatives of the residents and concerned citizens and address to the Controller of the Sarawak Natural Resources and Environmental Board (NREB), they requested that they should be given an opportunity and sufficient time to verify, study, comment and/or make objections on the EIA, SEIA or any other report(s) before it is being approved and works on the proposed dam can begin.
The letter also states that, the group objects against the commencement of any work including construction of any access roads to the site of the proposed dam and also the extinguishment of their native customary rights (NCR) over their native customary land pending their scrutiny of the reports.
On the 22 -23 April, a group of concerned residents attended a two day seminar entitled “Mega Dam Projects: Happiness or a Disaster?” organised by the Baram Residents Action Committee (JTPB) at Telang Usan Hotel, Miri.
During the seminar, it was clear that all of the residents that attended do not agree to the proposed building of the Baram Dam.
Among the main concerns of the residents are what will happen to their land once the dam is build and water starts inundating their villages. Where are they going to be resettled? How much will the people be burdened by the cost of the dams?
The residents also do not want a repeat of the Bakun resettlement fiasco and they want this project to be scrapped altogether as there is clearly no justification for it to be built as the energy generated by the 2,400 MW Bakun Dam is more than sufficient for the energy needs of Sarawak for many years to come.
Released by:
Mark Bujang
Executive Director, BRIMAS
MIRI – Representative of residents from longhouses affected directly by the proposed Baram Dam have applied for a copy of the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA), the Social Environmental Impact Assessment Report or any other report(s) on studies currently being carried out before it is approved by the relevant agencies or authorities.
In a letter signed by representatives of the residents and concerned citizens and address to the Controller of the Sarawak Natural Resources and Environmental Board (NREB), they requested that they should be given an opportunity and sufficient time to verify, study, comment and/or make objections on the EIA, SEIA or any other report(s) before it is being approved and works on the proposed dam can begin.
The letter also states that, the group objects against the commencement of any work including construction of any access roads to the site of the proposed dam and also the extinguishment of their native customary rights (NCR) over their native customary land pending their scrutiny of the reports.
On the 22 -23 April, a group of concerned residents attended a two day seminar entitled “Mega Dam Projects: Happiness or a Disaster?” organised by the Baram Residents Action Committee (JTPB) at Telang Usan Hotel, Miri.
During the seminar, it was clear that all of the residents that attended do not agree to the proposed building of the Baram Dam.
Among the main concerns of the residents are what will happen to their land once the dam is build and water starts inundating their villages. Where are they going to be resettled? How much will the people be burdened by the cost of the dams?
The residents also do not want a repeat of the Bakun resettlement fiasco and they want this project to be scrapped altogether as there is clearly no justification for it to be built as the energy generated by the 2,400 MW Bakun Dam is more than sufficient for the energy needs of Sarawak for many years to come.
Released by:
Mark Bujang
Executive Director, BRIMAS
Indigenous Tribesmen Storm Brazilian Congress
In a dramatic scene of protest today in the Brazilian Capitol Building, several dozen indigenous tribesmen clashed with security outside the chamber of the House of Representatives--some armed with batons and sticks. Capitol Police managed to hold back the protesters, most of whom were dressed in traditional garb, from their attempts "to invade the House." The leader of the indigenous group, however, claims their motives were peaceful, and that they wanted simply their voices to be heard by the governing body over issues of encroachment on their native lands.
A Peaceful Protest Turns Violent
According to a report from the news agency Globo, despite the peaceful intention of the demonstration, several of the protesters reported injuries--including the group's leader, Anto. He said that his people relinquished their archery tools upon entering the building, but were still assaulted by House security. Even an 80-year-old indigenous man injured, says Anto, and that he "was punched in the ribs and many people were beaten."
Read more at: http://www.treehugger.com/files/2010/05/indigenous-tribesmen-storm-brazilian-congress.php?campaign=th_rss&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+treehuggersite+%28Treehugger%29
Sime Darby debacle: Share the blame, says Dr M
Thursday, 20 May 2010
KUALA LUMPUR – Former Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad said responsibility in the Sime Darby debacle should be shared by all involved in the Bakun hydro project and not just place the blame on CEO Ahmad Zubir Murshid.Read More: http://www.malaysianmirror.com/nationaldetail/6-national/40435-sime-darby-debacle-share-the-blame-says-dr-m
Source: Malaysian Mirror
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
Sime Darby probes Bakun Dam losses
6 May 2010
Sime Darby Bhd has confirmed that a taskforce is investigating all aspects of its energy and utilities division's operations in an effort to address the tough and challenging situation it faced.
"The taskforce has yet to complete its investigations. Once completed, the group will make all relevant disclosures, during the third quarter results on May 27," it said in a statement here today.
Sime Darby said the taskforce is looking at all aspects of the division, including its engineering works in Qatar and civil works on the Bakun hydro-electric dam.
It also said the management is aware of the difficulties and challenges besetting the division, especially with regards to operational efficiency and project management.
The group is currently addressing the situation by implementing appropriate measures.
According to a recent news report, Sime Darby reportedly recorded more than RM1 billion in total cost overruns from civil works on the Bakun hydro-electric project.
The energy and utilities division also recorded an operating loss of RM110 million in the second half of 2009 compared with a profit of RM56.3 million previously.
- Bernama
Source: http://www.malaysiakini.com/news/131156
Sime Darby Bhd has confirmed that a taskforce is investigating all aspects of its energy and utilities division's operations in an effort to address the tough and challenging situation it faced.
"The taskforce has yet to complete its investigations. Once completed, the group will make all relevant disclosures, during the third quarter results on May 27," it said in a statement here today.
Sime Darby said the taskforce is looking at all aspects of the division, including its engineering works in Qatar and civil works on the Bakun hydro-electric dam.
It also said the management is aware of the difficulties and challenges besetting the division, especially with regards to operational efficiency and project management.
The group is currently addressing the situation by implementing appropriate measures.
According to a recent news report, Sime Darby reportedly recorded more than RM1 billion in total cost overruns from civil works on the Bakun hydro-electric project.
The energy and utilities division also recorded an operating loss of RM110 million in the second half of 2009 compared with a profit of RM56.3 million previously.
- Bernama
Source: http://www.malaysiakini.com/news/131156
Sunday, May 9, 2010
Life after Bakun
Story and pictures by DIANA ROSE
drose@thestar.com.my
SPORTING a cowboy hat, checked shirt, heavy duty boots and donning a pair of faded jeans, Kenyah Tony Kulleh, 50, is all brawn and determined to tap the countless opportunities when South-East Asia’s largest hydro dam, the Bakun dam, starts full operations next year.
The ex-teacher and entrepreneur hails from Uma Bakah and is one of the 9,400 indigenous people who were resettled 12 years ago to make way for the construction of the dam.
Under the Bakun Resettlement Scheme, their new homes are located in Sungai Asap, Belaga district, with an undulating valley of some 6,000ha entirely bounded by steep hills, state land and privately-owned oil palm plantations and is accessible by timber roads.
For Tony, he understands only too well that those who can alter their mindset to quickly adapt to the modern life are the ones who will survive and thrive.
Most of the Orang Ulu communities, including the Melanau, practice the stratified social structure, which is still very entrenched also among the Kenyah, Kayan and Kajang tribes.
Read more at: http://biz.thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2010/5/1/business/6027520&sec=business
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