Sarawak cabinet member Awang Tengah Ali Hassan has been urged to visit the site of the blockade by indigenous people who are protesting against the Murum Dam project.

In a press release today, Sarawak Conservation Alliance for Natural Environment (SCANE) said this was necessary to dispel his belief that those behind the blockade are instigated by NGOs.

NONE “SCANE strongly urges Awang Tengah ( left ) to visit the Penans as soon as possible and find out for himself the reasons behind the Penans’ move to erect the road blockade.

“We trust the Penans will welcome him as long as he is ready to genuinely listen and understand their predicament.

“SCANE believes that the Penans will tell him the truth on everything that inspired them to erect the blockade, which is the collective action of the Penan communities in the Murum area,” said SCANE coordinator Raymond Abin.

Dam nearly complete

The Murum Dam, which cost RM3 billion, is located at the uppermost part of the Rajang River. Construction is now 70 percent complete.

The dam is part of the ambitious Sarawak Corridor of Renewable Energy (Score) project - a network of electricity generation projects designed to power economic development in central Sarawak.

Like the Bakun Dam, the Murum Dam will displace thousands of indigenous people once completed and the total flooded area is estimated at 250 square kilometres, about the size of Kenyir Lake.

NONE The blockade, manned by about 300 people mostly from the Penan tribes, began on Sept 26 and this had affected construction works as heavy vehicles are unable to enter or leave the area.

Protesters are demanding 25 acres of land for each of the 300 households in the area and 10 percent royalty payments from revenues generated by the Murum Dam.

Thus far, the Murum Dam protesters have found a sole voice in the government supporting their cause - Sarawak Assistant Minister for Culture and Heritage Liwan Lagang, who is also the Belaga state assemblyperson.

Many outstanding problems

Abin said it was unreasonable for Awang Tengah to question the timing of the blockade because the Murum area indigenous people were mostly in the dark about the project until construction started.

NONE Abin ( left ) said Awang Tengah’s suspicions were “totally irrelevant” because those affected by the Murum Dam project had been sidelined and not consulted before the project took off.

“As far as the Penans are concerned there are lots of outstanding problems, issues and promises that the state government has yet to resolve and fulfill.

“Thus, Awang Tengah’s claim that the state government had ironed things out with the affected Penan communities is totally misleading.

“Otherwise the Penans would not have protested and staged the road blockade to assert their rights to be heard regarding their problems, issues and demands,” he said.

Abin also suggested that Awang Tengah consult also his BN colleague Liwan on why the latter gave RM6,000 to nine villages meant for provisions for those manning the blockade.