Several thousand residents of three villages in the Ranau district of Sabah - Kampung Malinsau, Kampung Wayan and Kampung Sinurai - collectively known as Mawasi, now stand to lose millions of ringgit in earnings per month.

 

This is the result of the destruction of their rubber plantations by a company that says the native lands have been alienated to it by the Sabah government.

“Each family earns between RM500 and RM7,000 a month from the rubber plantations. It is from these earnings that they are able to buy their daily needs.

“They buy medicines for the sick, raise their children and their families as well as spend on their children’s education with this income,” Sepakat Satu Perjuangan Ranau (SSPR) chairperson Jalibin Paidi said in a statement yesterday.

“In more recent times, thanks to the income from rubber, the villagers have been able to send their children for tertiary education,” Jalibin.

Illegals used to chase villagers away

He said this in reference to the eviction of residents of the three villages and the destruction of their rubber trees, fruit trees, padi plants, oil palm trees and cash crops in an action by the  company last week.

The company used some 100 illegals to chase away the villagers.

“If their income sources are now destroyed, what will happen to the residents of Mawasi?” Jalibin asked.

Luckily, he said, the company’s efforts to cut down more rubber trees were successfully prevented by the villagers through human barriers they erected.

He said time would be needed to find an amicable solution for the thousands of the villagers affected by outsiders encroaching into their NCR lands.

On a statement by the MP for Ranau and Science, Technology and Innovation Minister Ewon Ebin ( right ), who urged the residents of the three villages to be patient, Jalibin said the problem has been dragging unresolved for decades now.

'Elected representatives must be proactive'

“How long more can they endure the problems?” he asked, and went on to accuse the elected representatives, although given the mandate by the people, of failing in their duty to protect the rights of the people.

“The elected representatives need to be more proactive in taking action to defend the people. Each complaint and problem of the people ought to be taken seriously, with transparency, and not be covered up.”

Jalibin said he and several SSPR members spent three days to gather information in order to understand the land dispute between the villagers and the company.

“During our research and from interviews with the residents, we found out that more than 80 percent of the affected Mawasi village lands have been planted with rubber, fruits, rice and some oil palm.

“Some of the families earn as much as RM7,000 a month.

“Also within the lands there are watershed areas and water supply sources, which if destroyed by the company later, will create a severe water crisis for the people in the surrounding areas,” he said.

Jalibin also said he had learnt that the NCR land issues have been outstanding since 1990s, and that the people's cries for help continued to fall on deaf ears.

Fortunately, their plight was highlighted by media, otherwise nobody would know of their problems, he lamented.