Apr 022009
Making sure the message gets across in Batang Ai - Photos by a Sarawakian
Scene from Lubok Antu
In Batang Ai and Lubok Antu, oil palm plantations are mainly under Salcra (which is Sarawak’s equivalent to Felcra, except that its record is poorer).
For an analysis of the low dividends paid to the participants of Salcra’s oil palm land development schemes, go here.
Datuk,
So who is going to be in Najib’s new Cabinet? …Takkanlah Azalina… nak jadi Menteri lagi. She should not only be dropped as Minister but should be charged in court and if found guilty, spend her remaining years behind bars.
I heard a strong rumour that YOUR FRIEND Jamaluddin Jarjis is seeking a come back. If indeed Najib takes him in, that will be his first mistake as Prime Minister. …Takkan orang macam ni nak masuk balik ke Cabinet.
Najib spoke about transparency, getting close to rakyat and so on. If he gets these … into the Cabinet, he will fail.
Penghuni flat PPRT
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Hi Anil,how come no election fever in LA.
Where are all the Flags and posters??
Heard that PKR is having a tough time in BI and expectingly so because of the significance of this state election the state BN is throwing a lot of money to bribe the people to vote for BN.
Let’s hope the ibans will rise up and reclaim what is righfully theirs.
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Hi Anil,how come no election fever in LA!!!
Where are all the Flags and posters??
Heard that PKR is having a tough time in BI and expectingly so because of the significance of this state election the state BN is throwing a lot of money to bribe the people to vote for BN.
Let’s hope the ibans will rise up and reclaim what is righfully theirs.
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How can the poor participants of Salcra’s oil palm land development schemes match the … minds…otherwise, how to buy expensive imported cars and bungalows overseas!
What is most disgusting is, sucking the blood of hard working individuals who can just make ends meet. Is it about time, to vote for change and tell these blood sucking …, … you!
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I’ve been to Lubok Antu before and it is indeed a very small town. Living conditions need much improvement too and I’m sure the BN gang will exploit this by giving out the instant mee promises.
I hope the people will not be blinded but make the right decision!
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Ohhhaaaiii Mr Anil Netto!
So, you dig on Salcra eh? Hahaha, sorry. For the record, Salcra is one of the all-time Dayak joke here in Sarawak. Mention Salcra and quickly pop-up is the name of our Deputy CM that most Dayak seems to be not really afraid nowadays, Alfred (or Afraid) J*bu.
Since you take the dig on those Salcra, let me put it simply as Sarawak Plantation ….. Ok, here in Sarawak it operates mostly on two ploys or state-run agencies:
1. One under Salcra
2. One under LCDA (Let’s Chase Dayak Away) and Land Development Ministry …
Both preying on vast idle Dayak/ native lands commonly coined as NCR lands (or Naim Cendera Reserve lands) and one of the few treasures left beside timber and oil resources. The Dayak lands therefore made easy to loot after State Assembly tricked-up the state land code with revised plantation concept called the New Concept in which the Dayak landowners offered 30 percent stake for plantation joint-ventures/JV with the Bursa-listed plantation company (60 percent) and LCDA get 10 percent (Godfather fee). Well, it’s all false on the ground but good on paper …. Salcra meanwhile quite different in which the land owners were not given any shares (no holding companies involved, so Dayak landowners are mere particpants not shareholders of any JV) but outright dividend payouts which actually very low to most Dayak participants. It’s only right to call Salcra acronym as “Such A Low, Crappy Returns Annually”.
Then you will ask why this kind of plantation allowed in Sarawak? Simple. Easy money. And cheap cost too. Here, with the tricked out state land codes that eroded the Dayak rights in claiming their ancestral lands, the state govt become the auctioner/ auction house of the Dayak lands instead of protecting it. You can ask any Sarawak lawyers and they will confirm it to you. Sounds weird? Wait until you dig out that the actual drafter of these unfair law to the Dayaks was the then state attorney general. A fox become the guardian of the hens. Now, you may ask why these low returns on plantation schemes? Simple enough, it is probably the world’s greatest plantation scam after the ethanol corn biofuel scam in U.S. Here, the cheap Dayak lands made easy … either through Salcra or Land Development Ministry for plantation. Their modus operandi is quite straight forward: You can plant or own the tree, but not the fruit money. Huh? Ok I repeat: Plant the fruit but the fruit money not yours, it is for the cronies.
You got it Mr.Anil? The Dayak landowners may plant or own the trees (like oil palm) but not the oil palm filthy big profits. Here, the govt and the cronies managed to get the lowest cost possible in running their vast plantation empire and made easy by the cheap abundant but idle Dayak lands. Even the profits meant for the Dayak landowners some of it are delayed or not paid at all while some profits being accumulated big enough to fool the news reporters in grand dividend announcement ceremony. This is all basically how the business being operated here, by lowering the cost as much you can. The sad thing is that, and not the low dividends anyway, but the whole idea of using vast Dayak lands for plantation was initially a noble idea to eradicate rural poverty especially among the rural Dayaks. It’s a war against Dayak poverty. But in the end, it’s a war to keep the cronies rich. When the state land code being tricked, it’s easier to issue the land lease/ ‘loan it to cronies’ over Dayak lands and sometime (most of the time) those without titles being blanket as state lands for the plantation to flourish. Finally you may ask who are the cronies? They are all in the same family like local Sarawak timber barons, some Orang Malaya companies (aka Umno?), direct family members of politicians, and they all control all the plantation inputs such as fertiliser suppliers, transport companies, crude palm oil container companies / shipping companies, refineries etc.
Now you see where most of the fruit money gone. Heh. The Dayaks can be asked to owned the oil palm tree until 60 years of its productive period taking lowly few RM monthly dividends while plantation companies can easily renewed the land lease or plantation agreement another 30 years (after the initial 30 years), you can never deny how wonderful this whole Sarawak Plantation … works. So, the next time you read some news on Sarawak court cases on plantation suits with the Dayaks bringing the smoked skulls in front of court house, it just confirmed that even the dead feel cheated by all of these scams. Worst part is, all of these being deviced or condoned by own Dayak leaders which they are very much proudly take credit for. Dayak cannibalised on fellow Dayak folks. If you think this all not enough, wait until you come here and see yet another plantation … in the making: the Buah Kepayang plantation maybe for biofuel or something… Still a failure/ illusory grand vision now but … will try… to elevate Buah Kepayang as the next golden fruit in order to fight the war on Dayak poverty once and for all.
Til then. Ohhhaaaiii WooHoo!!!
The Dyaks Blog.
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I am quite agreed with your explanation on how this palm oil plantation was operated here, I am disappointed truly because why this people act unfair to participant especially the local Dayak (Iban). If we compare with participant in semenanjung M’sia it is way too different they get more profit from the company(Felda) who runs the palantation. The company are transparent and honestly help to get the people out of the poverty. All the infrastructures like road, new township, clinic, school, dewan sebaguna, ect all done by felda. This is how the company work, the company just help in the administration sector only. The estate and the fruit are belong to the participant to sell to the felda factory. After deduction and all the participant get in average of RM 1500 a month. Moreover at the of the year they still get devident. This is what we call the peneroka paradise. Hope the plantation company will follow the same policy/way with felda.
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