Hi folks, did you see the Al Jazeera focus on Sarawak over its 101 East programme just now? And how they highlighted the 12-dams overkill in Sarawak.
The programme spotlighted the role of Taib Mahmud’s family owned company, CMS. It also interviewed the CEO of Sarawak Electricity, who is Taib’s brother-in-law.
It was fun to watch Fauziah, the interviewer, roasting James Masing with a smile on her face. Did you notice James making some vain attempts to adjust his tie when the going got a little too hot?
Fauziah, who had done her homework, was asking James whether he was Taib’s crony and why projects were awarded to CMS without open tender. But James said he was just a “friend” of Taib’s and insisted contracts were properly awarded.
James kept saying that if there was anything wrong, the laws and the legal process would have taken its course. Finally, he said the electorate in Sarawak kept voting them back; so surely the leadership was vindicated. (Sarawak voters, take note.)
Anyway, an analyst in Sarawak tells me that the pervasive role of CMS in Sarawak may be news outside the state, but it’s old hat for Sarawakians, who are all too familiar with CMS…
Yep, just watched it and couldn’t help sneering to see and hear James going on about everything being ‘legal’ and that there was no ‘illegality’!! I cringed at his pathetic attempts to skirt around the issue. I’m sure our viewers were all too aware of his weak attempts to justify Fauziah’s observations.
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We should have CNN’s Anderson Cooper come down here and give Taib & Co. another round of grilling.
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Like I mentioned earlier, the voters themselves are to be blamed. Why the hell you people keep voting in BN when there are serious obvious signs of massive corruption. Looks like most malaysians are practising the rule of ‘Management by Crisis’…that is when problems become too great than only eyes and brains become wide open.
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is the video interview available in youtube?
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The fight for power
The Bakun dam project has displaced more than 10,000 indigenous people [EPA]
The Malaysian state of Sarawak plans to build 12 new hydro-electric dams along the state’s waterways, saying the projects will create jobs, provide cheap renewable energy and meet the demands of future industrialisation.
The dams are supposed to push the total generating capacity in the state to 7,000MW by 2020, an increase of more than 600 per cent from the current capacity.
There are plans to expand the aluminium-smelting industry in the state which will need the planned output.
But critics question the sustainability of the project.
They are concerned that the dams will destroy the environment and heritage sites, displace tens of thousands of local indigenous people and are unnecessary for a region that already has more electricity than it needs.
Opponents also say that the projects are magnets for corruption, enriching the private coffers of those in power.
This week on 101 East we talk to those in favour and against Sarawak’s proposed new dams.
This episode of 101 East airs from Thursday, March 19, 2009 at the following times GMT:
Thursday: 1230, 1930; Friday: 0300, 0630; Saturday: 1400; Sunday: 0530; Monday: 0130; Tuesday: 1030; Wednesday: 0730, 1430.
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Bro, CMS and its cronies companies have been in KL actively for the last 10 years getting … contracts.
Make some calls and you’ll be rewarded
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Check out who is the owner of the 2nd most expensive house in Ottawa, Canada:
http://www.ottawacitizen.com/life/food/Rockcliffe+palace+Ottawa+home/1193234/story.html
The house is valued @ CAD$9,609,000 (MILLION)- now, convert that to RM = almost 29 Million.
This is their company in Ottawa: (and the property buildings they own in Canada – easily over half a million square feet of prime office space)
http://sakto.com/portfolio.html
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Penangites, I agree with you. The comfort threshold of Malaysians is indeed very high. Just look at the number of unregistered voters…
Brinkmanship is the order of the day!
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It really stinks to high heaven when One Man ( who is actually a servant of the Rakyat ) can enrich himself & those around him for so long bleeding the State dry !
REFORMASI !
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ahans,
Yes. Check out the youtube channel dayakbaru.
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Hi Anil
It was a very good programme.
I’m sure this “101 East” piece will be
repeated by Al-Jazeera.
JIT (Just In Time) for Batang Ai by-election in Sarawak!
Perhaps you can get the transcript and post excerpts from
it on your blog??
P.S. I doubt that the interviewer is a Malaysian. (Singaporean
Malay, perhaps?) Otherwise, she will be persona non grata in
Sarawak! Or join private eye Bala and all the others in
“SD Heaven” (mysteriously disappeared in some neighbouring country).
perhaps?
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@ Penangites
Blame us? Have you actually been to Sarawak before and take a look at our current situations? Have the oppositions actually cared about us aside after the 8th March election when they realise that BN won because of majority vote in the east? Dude, it’s not as simple as just because BN is corrupted that we need to vote them out. We do not simply sacrifice our peaceful livelihood for the benefit of the west, if you get what I mean that is.
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Malaysians outside the East Malaysian states should be more vocal on what’s going on in the two states. The reason is that the huge amount of taxpayers money that is sucked … are their money too. This has been going on too long. If you watched the AZ program last night, it’s only the tip of the iceberg. … it’s grab grab grab all the way. No wonder some people say ours is a country of milk and honey, if you are in power that is.
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@ Penangites (II)
“Why the HELL you people keep voting in BN…”…oh, please penang dude, how the hell would you know? why the hell are you desparate? you’re desparate for CHANGE?? are you a cast of “desparate housewives” i.e. one of them?? “you people”?? that is most rude and absurd, dude.
Please man, be responsible in your choice of words, if not you’ll get some of your words spat back in your face. The issue here is simply the consideration for disproportionate construction of hydrodams, i.e. 12 new ones altogether. Of course there is the issue of monopoly by a certain “someone” in power, and chronysm and all that..i guess Fauziah, being a responsible reporter as she should have, do not have to hide behind the issue of displacement of indegeneous people, she could have put on a much straightforward topic for her program.
Again, penangite, do come over, and you might learn a lesson or two on how to behave and live together with other races, which clearly you may not have ever experienced before.
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CMS and Taib survive by the grace of the people of Sarawak……they truly deserve him…..
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Al Jazeera lets rip into CMS’ role in Sarawak | anilnetto.com…
A blog Post from Anil Netto blog related to the Batang Ai in Sarawak By Election…
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I hope many more of such interviews will be done on issuance of logging licences, Licences for Planted Forests, provisional leases for oil palm plantations, etc, etc. in Sarawak.
The Chief Minister must be interviewed because he is not only the Sarawak Chief Minister since 1981 but also the Minister personally responsibled for Planning and Resource Management in charge of land and forest matters in Sarawak, the Sarawak BN Chairman and President of PBB.
The Chief Minister must be asked, inter alia -
1. whether he is prepared to disclose the map of all the areas in Sarawak he has licenced out for loggings, for forest plantations, leased out for oil palm plantations since 1981; if not, why not?
2. whether he is prepared to disclose the names of all the companies granted the logging licences and their contractors; licences for planted forest; leases for oil palm plantations; if not why not?
3. why until today the BN government cannot survey and issue document of titles for the 1.5 million hectares (could be more) of native customary land in Sarawak?
4. Why the Natural Resources and Environment Board (NREB) of which he is Chairman did not at all take action against logging companies that failed and continue to fail to undertake Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) Study in respect of their logging activities as required by the Sarawak Natural Resources and Environment?
5. Why despite of massive logging activities and the development of oil palm plantations (which generated billions of ringgit for the companies involved) within and around the native customary land of the natives (bumiputra) since 1981, the natives especially the dayaks until today suffered the highest rate of poverty?
I can contribute more questions for the Chief Minister to answer if any journalist who want to interview him want to know more. I am sure there are many others who would be willing to do so as well.
I raised these questions on the premised that Sarawak and its resources, wealth belongs to all Sarawakians and the Chief Minister and his ministers are mere trustees entrusted to manage our State and its wealth, resources on our behalf. Sarawak is not my or their personal property.
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I took note when this programme running… Difficult for our people to get into real situation as our local mainstream media are not allowed to air such things. Thanks to AJE (which not many people watch it)to reveals it.
• The politic and economy of Sarawak has been dominated by Chief Minister Abdul Taib Mahmud.
• The family own business has been involved in the building of roads, bridges, power stations, hospitals and the new state parliament building.
• One of the most controversial is the building of the dams which caused the displacement of more than 10 000 people.
• Nawan Sing a Long Luar Villager comments that they don’t know where they would go if they were asked to move and he is not sure if they will get any help from the government.
• Chief Minister Abdul Taib Mahmud has been behind much of the development in the state but his families’ extensive commercial interest in many of the projects he approves has raised many questions about the conflict of interest.
• Dam of Murun is among 12 dams initially planned. The needs of these dams are questioned as the state already producing 20% more capacity then it needs. The Bakun dam will double the electricity the state currently uses. The completion of the dozen planned dam in the state will produce up to 600% electricity.
• John Brian Anthony, Sarawak Dayak National Union says that the government is not sensitive about the livelihood of the indigenous people. The displacement of people from the land they have been occupying for years and making them poor is not a good economy sense.
• CMS (Cahaya Mata Sarawak) will be among the beneficiary as it owns the two major cement plants in the state. Bakun dam is already the biggest market for its product.
• CMS also won the state approved contract to build an aluminum smelter. CMS owns 40% of the join venture with Rio Tinto.
• A CMS joint venture has also won contracts to build the new state parliament building in Kuching. Many other similar state contracts had been awarded to CMS.
• The major share holders in CMS are Sarawak Chief Minister’s family members.
• Barely 18 months after it was founded, Titanium was awarded 150million state contract. It was meant to pay for the repair or replacement of almost 400 bridges in the state.
• Sarawak Chief Minister’s son Mahmud Abu Bekir Taib owns 1430 000 shares in Titanium.
Faridah Ibrahim interviews Dr. James Masing , Sarawak Land Development Minister and his comments are:
• Clean, cheap and renewable electricity are necessary for the state.
• The 12 new dam is important for Sarawak’s future.
• He denies the allegation on the environment fallout and the displacement of over 10 000 people during the Bakun project. He says that a survey has been done prior to the project and all the indigenous people had been consulted.
• The proposal of the 12 dams shows that the government is responsible and concern for the future.
• He denies the allegation of capital cronyism in Sarawak.
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Let’s hope the people of Sarawak will wake up and take back what belongs to the people.
Change is what the west is seeking and we hope the eastern state will rise up and work together with us.
Long Live PEOPLE’S POWER.
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Lets not forget the cheats in elections. How can people make an informed choice when they’ve not been educated enough about it. Lets not forget the postal votes, missing candidates, etc.
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Google for Jamilah Taib and you will find some interesting information.
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hi,
Im sarawakian & live in kuching … in sarawak i voted oppositon all the way as im very unhappy with the rajah of sarawak & the gangs..
i wonder why the hell those rural are voter keep voting for BN i.e Taib…
(quite a few of) the major companies in sarawak is belong to taib and his cronies…CMS… and all those related to infrastruture businesses.
land are taken in the name of goverment project but actuall fact only a small piece for gov. projet and the balance piece for housing project..?
to all non Taib & the Gangs cronies, let me ask u this;
1)Why the hell are our land lease for 66years only? even in bukit bintang area u can find freehold land.
2)why after all this while under BN rules thes not road from sibu to kapit and most road in sarawak are only fit for 4WD vehicles..
3) why the heck sarawak need 12 dams, for rakyat benefit or project ($$$) for BN YBs
4) why the rural folks still Bekuli for generations… & lots youth
earned a miserable income…
5) why theres is nothing to proud of in Sarawak????
6) wheres Dayak position in Sarawak….
7) NCR land slowly but surely being taken… only certain race get the land title …??
in near future the Dayaks will be nobody as the older generation & cronies cordone Taib & the Gangs by keep voting for Taib & the Gangs…
chines vote opposition even if PAS come over. only the Dayaks voted Taib even being disriminate all these year
cheers!
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People. We HAVE woke up. We know that they won using shady tactics. The problem is a bit more complicated than just the dams, the cronisym in Sarawak and vote rigging. Most of us do not even enjoy the present technology like internet which allows us to get more accurate information. Most of the newest technology and facilites are channeled at the peninsulars and we are basically ignored until a decade or so. When the goverment talks about broadband penetration, I suppose they are talking about those in peninsular only and disregard us Sarawakians as merely … meant to live on bananas (of which I found it to be quite true).
Also, we do not want another incident like those happening in Sabah after the “you know who” get involved into Sabah politics. People from the west malaysia, come to borneo first (if you care) before you start generalizing us for supporting the BNs. It’s not we dont want to vote them out, it’s more like we don’t have a choice.
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I concern our people are less educated but not stupid. We got to find out an effective way on how to educate our people (Which most of them are our folks = naive). Lets think about something…
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