PKR Ampang MP Zuraida Kamaruddin submitted an emergency motion today to discuss whether the damning report by NGO Penan Support Group (PSG) alleging the sexual abuse of Penans in the Baram valley is symptomatic of a larger pattern of exploitation of the indigenous community.

bukit antarabangsa landslide 071209 zuraida kamaruddin The PKR representative spoke at a press conference in the parliament lobby, saying Parliament needed to address the issue as it was a matter of public import.

“This has implications on the image of our country, and involves the rights of indigenous people which must be protected,” she added.

Zuraida ( left ) is also pressing for the emergency motion because justice needs to be served on those responsible for the alleged crimes.

“Until today no one has been held responsible for the abuse,” she said.

Zuraida's motion comes in the footsteps of the PSG report ‘A Wider Context of Sexual Exploitation of Penan Women and Girls in Middle and Ulu Baram, Sarawak, Malaysia’ presented to Parliament last week.

Tip of the iceberg

The report, the result of the NGO’s fact-finding mission in conjunction with Forum-Asia and the Asian Indigenous Women’s Network (AIWN), revealed that the actual extent of the alleged sexual exploitation of the Penan is more widespread and systematic than was previously thought.

The problem, the fact-finding mission found, was endemic to the Middle and Ulu Baram regions where logging companies continue to exploit the local Penan communities.

The companies maintain their grip by controlling the Penans’ access to basic needs, in blatant disregard of the rights of the community.

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