Sarawak should have earned RM19bn in logging royalties from an estimated one hundred million trees chopped down over the years, says an Aliran correspondent. So why are so many in the state still poor? Continue reading »
May 252011
Apr 192011
Here is another proposal from blog reader Sean, which broadens the discussion and might be worth considering.
Your correspondent is still suggesting that PR beat BN at their own game: giving beads. Continue reading »
Jan 062010
What caused the disappearance of the Nasca people in Peru?
Archaeologists have discovered that the destruction of forests pushed the ancient civilisation, noted for their compex line drawings on the ground that are visible only from the air, across an ecological tipping point.
The loss of the forests exposed the area to the impact of the cyclical El Nino phenomenon and affected irrigation systems, they found.
Nov 172009
What happens when the Auditor General comes up with a report critical of areas under your ministry’s jurisdiction? Why, you ask for it to be amended, of course!
That’s what Sarawak State Second Minister of Planning and Resource Management Awang Tengah Ali Hassan reportedly did when he asked the Auditor General to amend its Annual Report for 2008. Awang Tengah was unhappy about the bit that cited Sarawak along with Kelantan, Pahang and Johor as having poor forest management that led to river pollution, erosion, landslides and destruction of flora and fauna, according to the Malaysian Mirror.
Here’s one such excerpt from the Auditor’s Report that might help to explain the fuss: the report noted that in Nov 2007 and March 2008, the Sarawak Minister of Planning and Resource Management had fixed six million hectares as the target for permanent forest reserves. But the report added that the Ministry did not say when this announcement would come into effect.
Aug 252009
Logged and cleared for a plantation near Lapok, Sarawak – Photo courtesy of AFP.
More pictures and AFP report here.
Sarawak Rural Development Minister James Masing reportedly admitted some logging companies had behaved badly and “caused extensive damage” but said the Penan were “good storytellers” and their claims should be treated with caution.
The Penan themselves are now experiencing food shortages. Food shortages in Malaysia? Hungry children queuing for food handouts? Who would have thought we would see this day in Malaysia. A Catholic Church in Miri is now providing relief for the Penan in the remote Kapit Division.