The Penan longhouse community of Rumah Ugos at Jambatan Suai in Suai, Niah, Miri Division of Sarawak this morning gave notice to senior Dayak state ministers that they will take back their native customary rights (NCR) land which has been developed into an oil palm plantation based on what is called the “ Konsep Baru ” or New Concept Joint Venture Development Agreement in 1998.

alfred jabu The two state leaders are Deputy Chief Minister and Minister for Rural and Infrastructure Development Alfred Jabu ( left ) and State Land Development Mnister Dr James Jemut Masing.

Led by their village chief Ugos Sugon, 78, and ex-councillor Jadam Eken, 58, they met Kayan lawyer, environmentalist and former Baram member of parliament, Harrison Ngau Laing, in his office complaining that they have been totally kept in the dark by their joint venture partners, the Ministry of Land Development and Ministry of Rural and Infrastructure Development as to what is going on with the joint venture project.

According to Jadam, the joint venture project involved 2,128 hectares of their NCR land and during the negotiation in 1998, it was agreed that the Penans will have 30 percent stake and the Sarawak Land Development Board (SLDB) which shall be their trustee will have 10 percent shares and the remaining 60 percent shares will be held by the private investor.

“During the official launching of the JV (joint-venture) project in Miri in 2000 by Jabu, we were paid 10 percent of the value of our 2,128 hectares of NCR land valued at RM1,250.00 per hectare. We were also told that the balance will be invested on our behalf in the Amanah Saham Sarawak (Assar) by SLDB,” said Jadam.

According to Jadam, during the parliamentary election in March 2008, Chief Minister Taib Mahmud handed a cheque for RM500,000.00 through his (Jadam’s) brother Hasan Sui which was supposed to be their dividends from the JV project.

The right to see statement of accounts

“We have asked how this sum of exactly RM500,000.00, not more and not less of our dividends for our 2,128 hectares of NCR land was calculated or arrived at but no one was able to tell us,” added Jadam.in a statement to Malaysiakini.

Ugos and Jadam also said that they and the other NCR landowners have not seen the statement of accounts of the JV project until today.

“As such, how do we know whether the NCR-JV project has made a profit or not,” said Ugos.

An angry Jadam said: “Being owners of the NCR land involved and shareholders in the project, surely we have the right to ask for and to see the statement of accounts.”

Jadam also complained that the official record on the size of the land of the individual NCR landowners including a copy of the JV agreement on the project have not been given to them.

Some of the NCR landowners have died and without such records, how are their children able to know that their parents have NCR land involved in the JV project.

The duo demanded that “since our JV partners are not prepared to disclose the relevant information on this project, we call upon Jabu and Masing as the ministers responsible for this matter to take immediate action failing which we shall take appropriate action to take our NCR land back or shall evict our JV partners therefrom.”

Harrison Ngau said he supported the demands made by the Penans, including their proposal to take back their NCR lands from the JV project or to evict the JV partners from the land.

'Kick them out in the coming election'

He said: “This is the same sad story of NCR landowners being cheated, we have heard this over and over again throughout Sarawak.

"It just confirmed once again the failure, incompetence and the betrayal by the BN leaders especially the so-called bumiputera or Dayak leaders in the state BN of the poor longhouse folks and Penans who have voted for them in the previous elections.

"I just hope that our people will remember this repeated and continuous betrayal by the BN leaders and that the people will kick them out in the coming election.”

The well-known Kayan NCR lawyer referred to the recent case of the Ibans of Rumah Ranggong and Rumah Belili in Ulu Niah whose NCR lands was also developed based on the same “Konsep Baru” with SLDB and Bintulu Lumber Development Sdn Bhd through their JV company, Niamas Istimewa Sdn Bhd, in 1999.

The deal was abruptly terminated in 2008 or after nine years allegedly on the ground that there was no NCR over the land involved in the said project. In that particular case, the JV project was also officially launched by Jabu in 2001.

“It is therefore not surprising that the Dayaks in particular have now lost faith and confidence in Jabu,” Harrison added.

He also mentioned that he and a few other lawyers together with several non-governmental organisations (NGOs) will be launching a campaign against the proposed 12 dams which the Sarawak government has planned to build in the state.