When a leading Orang Ulu community leader went public on Thursday and raised some issues connected to the Bakun hydro-electric project that had stalled and stopped in 1998, it must have created a lot of red faces in the government and sent many politicians scurrying around looking for some answers.
In its bold headline, Sarawak's latest English daily Malaysia Today summed up former state minister Nyipa Bato's comments clearly: 'Help The Bakun Bankrupts: Halted project made 2,000 bankrupts, not 200 millionaires'.
It would not be difficult to figure out who would be quick to capitalise on this in the forthcoming Sarawak state elections.
Ironically, Nyipa Bato, a Kayan from the Belaga area, is the father-in-law of the Minister of Social Development and Urbanisation, Dr James Masing, who also happens to be chairman of the Bakun Trust Fund (BTF). Nyipa is chairman of the Bakun Hydro-electric Development Committee (BDC), a private group set up years ago to gather Orang Ulu entrepreneurs together to make a bid for the many contract works in Bakun.
Millionaires lure
When the original RM13.4 billion Bakun dam stalled and work stopped, many of these Orang Ulu entrepreneurs found themselves greatly in debt to banks and finance companies over the purchase of heavy machinery and plants. One man was said to have signed guarantees for close to RM80 million.
They had earlier apparently heeded the government's call to take advantage of the new opportunities for making money and had thus made all the necessary preparations and investments. They had clearly been lured by politicians' claim that the Bakun dam, once implemented, would create at least 200 millionaires.
Now many of them are in dire straits, unable to service loans, and many have been declared bankrupts. Nyipa Bato's latest appeal is for the government to do something to help these people by distributing contracts to the 32 companies that have been set up under the auspices of BDC once work in Bakun resumes on a large scale
At a press conference in Kuching to which only several newspapers were invited, the BDC chairman asked the government to form a committee to urgently look into ways of helping the Orang Ulu and to make sure they would not again be left out as the last time.
Nyipa also asked the Bakun Hydro-electric Corporation Bhd (BHEC) to make good on its promise, without delay, to donate RM5 million to the Bakun Trust Fund (BTF). Ekran Bhd boss Ting Pek Khing had promised to make the BHEC donation when he took over the project.
Dr James Masing in his capacity as BTF chairman had also repeatedly asked for the donation to be paid, on top of the RM10 million that the federal and state governments had already given to help with the education of Orang Ulu children.
Foreign expertise
Energy, Telecommunications and Multimedia Minister Leo Moggie made a special flight to Kuching last weekend "to give local journalists the opportunity to raise questions concerning the revived Bakun project" after the federal government's earlier announcement in Kuala Lumpur.
According to Moggie, the project which would now cost a little less at around RM9 billion, although its generating capacity would remain at 2400 megawatts. The undersea cables would no longer be part of it and the project would be divided into three components - dam construction, mechanical engineering works (purchase and installation of turbines and other equipment) and overhead transmission lines.
He said the dam construction work would go largely to locals while foreign expertise would be needed for the other two components, namely, the purchase and installation of the generating equipment and the transmission lines to carry power to different parts of Borneo where it is required.
The statement had prompted BDC officials to go public last week with a statement which is seen basically as pointing out to the government the dire financial straits facing many Orang Ulu entrepreneurs after the project was last stopped and why the government should now make sure they do something to help these people.
Serious repercussions
The statement, coming as it did so close to the state elections, has clearly caused a lot of red faces, and put a great deal of pressure on the authorities about doing something. Failure to address the issue could cost the Barisan Nasional votes - something which it would want to avoid, especially in areas where the opposition is seen to be making good grounds.
According to observers, Bakun could be a major issue for the BN government to decide when the elections are to be held.
"If they don't handle this one well, it could have serious repercussions in a lot of areas," according to one political observer.
TONY THIEN is a freelance journalist based in Kuching.
