A member of the Sarawak opposition today slammed caretaker Chief Minister Abdul Taib Mahmud for allegedly taking away three million hectares of land which they claimed rightfully belonged to the people.

Keadilan candidate for Satok, Zulrusdhi Mohd Hol said the party had "credible evidence" to show that Taib was the "main culprit" behind the "plunder of state land".

Since 1993, he said, the Barisan Nasional Sarawak government has provided 1.4 million and 1.6 million hectares of land respectively for agriculture and forest plantation.

However, he added, the land which included Native Customary Rights land and Malay Reserve land is shared by 121 'crony' companies throughout different areas in Sarawak.

Some of these areas, he lamented, were considered sacred to the natives, who represented 70 percent of the state's population.

"In fact, the three million hectares of land has 'disappeared' through various questionable transactions involving companies closely related to the Barisan Nasional component parties," he said.

"The main issue here is the insidious and systematic taking of land which rightfully belongs to the people," he added.

Zulrusdhi said the natives have been striving for recognition of their customary rights to the 1.6 million hectares but failed miserably as their pleas for justice have fallen on deaf ears.

Website

This information was revealed this morning at the Batu Tiga circle, which is the biggest and busiest in Kuching where roads from Batu Lintang, Batu Kawa and Satok intersect.

Zulrusdhi, who is also the party's youth leader will contest against Abang Abdul Rahman Zohari Tun Openg of Parti Pesaka Bersatu Bumiputera, a component of the incumbent Barisan Nasional.

About 100 people gathered by the roadside to listen to the Keadilan candidate while several policemen stood watch.

The party also erected a banner with the slogan 'Taib Must Go' and distributed the names of companies and businessmen allegedly involved in the transaction.

Among the companies listed are Sarawak Oil Palm Bhd, Limbang Aquaculture Industries Sdn Bhd, Rimbunan Hijau Group and Ekran Bhd.

Some of the allegations that have been directed at Taib for the past months are contained in an anonymous website which listed several development projects that the chief minister and his family were alleged to be involved in.

The Sayot Taib website also attached various scanned documents, including what it claimed were letters from government departments, linking Taib and his family to the projects.

In an interview with national news agency Bernama on Jan 14, Taib had condemned the reported accusations of nepotism, describing them as lies and rumours. "I have never helped my children ... I have been the fairest chief minister around," he said.

Miri Port white elephant

Meanwhile, the Keadilan candidate for Senadin, Dr TeoYu Keng has promised to raise the issue of the Miri Port white elephant in the state assembly if he is elected.

Costing RM350 million, the port has been drastically underused since its completion in 1998 because of the shallow, 10-foot depth of water resulting from poor planning and construction.

Today is the last weekend before polling day on Thursday, and although it was a rather quiet morning for campaigners in Kuching, all parties seemed to be geared up for the state's eighth legislative election.