Progress For Whom?

Sunday, January 4

Samarahan Division progresses, people remain poor!

Since its creation into the eighth administrative division of Sarawak in 1987, the Samarahan Division with an area of 4,967.4 square kilometers is one of the fastest growing regions in the State.

Its administrative headquarters, Kota Samarahan has been turned into a “Knowledge Centre”, where we find the sites of the University of Malaysia Sarawak (UNIMAS), the University Institute Technology Mara (UiTM), the Tun Abdul Razak Teachers Training College, the Science and Technology Park, the Industrial Training Centre, the Public Health Laboratory and the Sarawak International Medical Centre.

Other plans for the division include a major agricultural centre through a massive Integrated Agricultural Development programme that involves the planting of the famous Simunjan rice or Gedong rice, coconut plantations, bananas, pineapples, oranges, and pepper, as well as turning the division into the hub of oil palm activities where some 67,760.4 hectares of land (roughly 169,401 acres) have been approved for the cultivation of oil palm.

Generally the division’s 204,900 population (2000 census) who are mostly Dayaks and Malays should be grateful to the Government for the various projects, but the planting of oil palm is of great concern to them. Out of 169,401 acres, the greater parts of these lands are being disputed as they claim that the lands are under their NCR land.

Syed Abu Bakar Almohdzar’s companies of Melur Gemilang Sdn Bhd and Kumpulan Kris Jati Sdn Bhd, both giving their address at Tingkat 13, Menara Tun Razak, Jalan Raja Laut, 50350, Kuala Lumpur have been given provisional leases to develop some 59,360 acres (23,744 hectares) for oil palm.

Kumpulan Kris Jati:

# 1093 hectares of land at Lot 166 Menuku land district at Sungai Tebelu Baru, Sebuyau approved in October 1997;

# 187 hectares at Lot 737 Sebangan-Kepayang land district at Bukit Pinang, Simunjan approved in October 1997;

# 463 hectares at Lot 738 Sebangan-Kepayang land district at Ulu Sg. Ladong, Simunjan approved in October 1997;

# 2281 hectares at Lot 739 Sebangan-Kepayang land district at Sg. Sediliu/Sg. Bentaga, Simunjan approved in October 1997;

# 2187 hectares at Lot 1223 Sediliu Gedong land district at Sg. Sediliu, Simunjan approved in October 1997;

# 1940 hectares at Lot 167 Menuku land district at Tg. Engkrepok, Sg. Sebuyau, Sebuyau approved in August 1998;

Melur Gemilang Sdn Bhd:

# 7493 hectares at Lot 1224 Sediliu-Gedong land district at Lubok Rasau, Sg. Simunjan, Simunjan approved in September 1999;

# 780 hectares at Lot 2978 Melikin land district at Sg. Simunjan Kanan, Simunjan approved in September 1999;

# 1650 hectares at Lot 1225 Sediliu-Gedong land district at Lubok Teba, Btg. Sadong, Gedong approved in June 2000;

# 250 hectares at Lot 2982 Melikin land district at Sg. Matan, Btg. Kerang, Gedong approved in April 2002;

# 4420 hectares at Lot 2983 Melikin land district at Sg. Simunjan Kanan, Simunjan approved in April 2002;

# 280 hectares at Lot 33 Punda-Sabal land district at Tg. Stigang, Sg. Simunjan, Simunjan approved in June 2000;

# 720 hectares at Lot 34 Punda-Sabal land district at Sg. Simunjan Kanan, Simunjan approved in June 2000.

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Another big player in the oil palm business in Samarahan Division is Robert Geneid, the Chief Minister’s brother-in-law. Geneid’s company Lambang Sinar Mas Sdn Bhd has been given 40,000 acres (16,000 hectares) and the details are as follows:

# 980 hectares at Lot 1 Muara Tuang land district at Ulu Sungai Sampun, Samarahan approved in May 2004;

# 5620 hectares at Lot 886 Samarahan land district at Sungai Ensengai, Samarahan approved in May 2004;

# 670 hectares at Lot 887 Samarahan land district at Sungai Ensengai, Samarahan approved in May 2004;

# 5010 hectares at Lot 1230 Sediliu;Gedong land district at Ulu Sungai Ensengai, Samarahan approved in May 2004; and

# 3720 hectares at Lot 1509 Bukar Sadong land district at Ulu Sungai Ensengai, Samarahan approved in May 2004.

As I mentioned in an earlier posting, YB Naroden Majais is also a major owner of oil palm in Simunjan with acreage of 16,486 hectares.

Together the companies owned by the three persons (Naroden, Geneid and Syed Abu Bakar) own some 56,230 hectares of land under oil palm contributing to about 90% of the total acreage approved for the Division up to the third quarter of 2005.

Plans are also afoot to build the Sadong Bridge and roads in order to link major areas like Sebuyau, Sebangan, Simunjan and Serian with Kuching and other towns. And no area in Sarawak has undergone as much transformation through development as Samarahan Division in the last three decades.

However, in spite of all these developments, the rural dwellers especially the Malays and Dayaks in the kampongs and longhouses have remained poor and are struggling to make ends meet with their traditional farming, while the few BN leaders and their cronies are becoming richer and richer.

It is indeed very sad as the Natives appear to be standing on the roadsides, as development passes by. - The Broken Shield

www.thebrokenshield.blogspot.com