JABU: BLOGGERS HAVE DONE NOTHING FOR THE PEOPLE!

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LANGRIMBA

The Jabu condemnation: who will be next?

It is Alfred Jabu’s habit to condemn Dayaks who do not “kow-tow” to him. Since he became YB and minister in 1974, he had been criticising his own people and his choice of words is always similar: anti-establishment, anti-development, instigators, ungrateful, what have you done to help the community, you know how to criticise, etc.

When the defunct Parti Bansa Dayak Sarawak (PBDS) was in the opposition, its leaders - Leo Moggie, Daniel Tajem, Edmund Langgu, Jawi Masing, James Masing, and the late Joseph Samuel, – had also been condemned by Jabu. He had also criticised leaders of Sarawak National Party (SNAP) such as the late Stephen Kalong Ningkan, Dunstan Endawie, Edwin Dundang, Justine Jinggut, Stanley Jugol, etc.

All Dayaks’ non-governmental organisations (NGOs) – Sarawak Dayak National Union (SDNU), Sarawak Dayak Iban Association (SADIA), Sarawak Dayak Graduate Association (SDGA), Dayak Cultural Foundation (DCF) and Dayak Chamber of Commerce and Industry (DCCI) – have been at the receiving end of his ‘loquacious’ mouth (baka mulut indu).

A couple of days ago, he chided SDNU and SADIA for not praising him and SALCRA for helping the Dayak community. And today, 8 Dec 2008 (according to The Borneo Post), he accused bloggers of discrediting him and SALCRA, instigating the people to go against the government and hampering its efforts by abusing and misusing the internet.

He said: “They blog every day and night but have done nothing for the people. They only talk”.

It is true we have done nothing in term of physical development. But our job is to help change the mindset of the people and help them to know their rights especially their customary rights over land that had been created by their forefathers centuries ago.

As a minister Jabu is in a better position to help the people as he has the federal and state funds at his finger tips. But yet he has failed miserably as many of his projects (kononnya) to help the Dayaks have become white elephants. Perhaps only SALCRA appears to be doing much better than many of his projects. But then he is not the originator of the project.

No doubt some SALCRA participants have received some substantial amount of money from its dividends and bonuses, but the bulk of such money goes to some rich Dayaks and non-Dayaks, while some of the poor Dayak participants receive as little as RM2.70 as dividends. One non-Dayak in Saratok, for example, has received over RM500,000 in dividends last year because some scheme participants have sold their land and shares to the ‘Chinaman’. Did Jabu speak about him as a successful SALCRA participant?

On development, it is undeniable that Jabu has brought some development projects to Betong which is under his constituency. But that is Betong only. What about other Dayak areas? In fact some money meant for projects in other divisions have been diverted to Betong.

His political enemies have accused Jabu of only having interests in the development of politics and business for his family and cronies. For example, who is this Gerald Rentap who owns Utahol Sdn Bhd that has been given 6,900 hectares of land, Ulu Medamit, Limbang for the planting of oil palm? And who is this Robert Lawson Chuat who owns Durafarm which was given land totalling 1501.825 hectares at Tanjong Bijat and Skrang Land districts and 3665.1 hectares of land in Betong? And what about Henry Jantum’s Ever Herald Sdn Bhd that was given 2,127 hectares of land of Batang Layar/Batang Lupar land district and another 2,873 hectares of Sablor and Sebelak land districts in Betong?

The way I see it, the more Jabu criticises and condemns people from his community the more he will be isolated and the more people hate him. Now after criticising the Dayak bloggers, who will be his next targets? - The Broken Shield

source : www.thebrokenshield.com

Sarawak to electrify 85% of state by 2010

KUCHING: Some 85% of Sarawak’s rural areas are expected to have electricity supply by 2010, said Second Minister of Planning and Resource Management Datuk Awang Tengah Ali Hasan.

He said that RM150mil had been allocated for rural electrification under an installation contract running from 2008 to October 2009.

“It is being implemented by six companies in the southern, central and northern regions of Sarawak and is expected to be completed in October next year,” he said, adding that it would see 68% of rural areas receiving electricity supply through the main grid by then.

For 2009 to 2010, he said the Federal Government had allocated an additional RM374mil for rural electrification.

“With this allocation, we will be able to widen the area of coverage to 85%,” he said after launching a rural electrification project at Kampung Mantung Marau in Serian near here early this week.

Awang Tengah also said that Sarawak’s terrain of mountains and rivers made it difficult to provide connections to remote spots.

As such, he said the state was looking into providing electricity through alternative means such as solar, wind and diesel in areas not be connected to the main grid.