Was the recent visit of Deputy Chief Minister and Minister of Rural Development Alfred Jabu anak Numpang to the upper reaches of Baram River by helicopter ‘official’ or to fish for Malaysia’s most expensive fish - the empurau.

This is what Save Rivers Sarawak Network (Save Rivers) demands to know.

“Based on ground reports and from timber workers, Jabu seemed to enjoy fishing for the empurau,” Save Rivers chairperson Peter Kallang (left) said today.

The empurau in the Kuching market, fetches between RM600 and RM800 per kilogramme.

Jabu who is also the minister for modern agriculture, is known for his love of the fish and has been talking about rearing it commercially, but his efforts so far have failed, Peter said, pointing out one example as Jabu's experiment at the Tarat Agricultural Station.

Jabu likes to praise himself over small things he has done, especially for the Penan, Peter said when commenting on a statement made by the minister.

Last week Jabu told the Penan community not to allow themselves to be used by the opposition and NGOs as tools to oppose government development programmes designed to help them.

He cited the proposed Baram hydro-electric power (HEP) dam as an example.

Jabu (right) said those who opposed the construction of HEP dams wanted the people to believe that they were their champions, but thse people were in fact doing a disservice to the majority of the population who needed development.

Contacted for his comment, Peter questioned what Jabu, the longest serving minister in the state since 1974, has done to help the local communities, particularly the Dayak in the far flung places of Sarawak?

“He likes to highlight small things, like releasing fish fry in the rivers, and then starts praising himself for this,” he said.

“Of course the fish have become depleted due to timber activities, which also have resulted in the exploitation of many rare timber species in Sarawak.

“Billions of ringgit in revenue come from timber activities in Baram, and some of this money should have been ploughed back to help the native communities of Baram.

“Did the government do that? It is a big NO!” Peter said.

He denied that the Penan are the ‘tool’ of NGOs, but admitted that they approached the NGOs for help them in fighting injustice and to defend their rights.

Saying that the Penan were fed-up with the promises of development made to them, Peter said they are not stupid.

“They are intelligent enough to understand what their rights are.

“And the development that Jabu was talking about was the construction of the dam. which in actual fact will force them to be relocated elsewhere, wipe out their ancestral lands and their heritage.

“Worse, the dam would create more miseries and add to their plight,” added Peter.

Expressing similar sentiments, Borneo Protection Action Committee (BPAC) chairperson Philip Jau said the native communities did not oppose development.

'We are not against development'

“Born and raised in Baram, we are not against development, but we are concerned with our rights as enshrined in the constitution as well as stipulated in the United Nations Declaration on the  Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP).

“We are all out against destructive projects such as the proposed Baram Dam. Has the government been fair to the people, such as when the Asap and Murum dams were built and the local communities were forced to  resettle?

Philip asked: “Have the government and Jabu ever tried to solve the never-ending problems of those people who were once promised a better life, including free housing and free electricity?

“Now, they live in misery. We, the people of Baram, do not want to suffer the same fate as our brothers in Asap and Bakun.

“We just want to preserve our beloved land, rivers, forests, flora and fauna. We really care for the ecosystem, environment and biodiversity.

“These are not only important to us, but also to the whole country and to the world,” Philip said.

When the government started logging in Baram, he said, it promised development and better life with better facilities, but the people did not get any of these.

“We lost our land, forests and resources,” he said, pointing out that the same broken promises were made when the government introduced oil palm plantations in Baram.

“Now, the local people cannot even sell their oil palm fruits,” Philip added.