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Extracted from
Malaysiakini
Indigenous reps pass memo to S'wak state assembly
Tony Thien | Nov 10,
More than 100 representatives of indigenous communities from
throughout
The
are
pleading to the state’s 71 assembly persons to help them save their ancestral
lands and stop the continued erosion of their rights.
They handed
the Bahasa Malaysia memorandum to Abang
Othman - the state assembly clerk receiving on behalf of speaker Awang Asfia Awang
Nassar- at the steps of the main entrance to the
assembly building.
Present were
opposition legislators Dominique Ng Kim Ho (PKR-Padungan)
and Voon Lee Shan (
The peaceful gathering
was monitored closely by a large police contingent and watched from distance by
other elected representatives from the Barisan Nasional as well as building staff.
The
indigenous peoples delegation was led by four main NGOs - Tanah
Hak Adat Bangsa Asal (Tahabas), Jaringan Orang Asal Malaysia (JOAS),Borneo
Resources Institute (Brimas) and Sarawak Dayak Iban
Association (Sadia) .
The Dayak based
NGOs represent main groups like Orang Ulu, Bidayuh and Iban whose rightst are compromised by logging and plantation
activities - over 200 civil suits have been filed for land encroachment.
Opposition
voice
The group
remonstrated that their ancestral lands were often taken away with little or no
compensation, and in violation of their native customary rights on lands.
Most of their
ire was targeted at Chief Minister Abdul Taib Mahmud, for allegedly giving land to logging and plantation
companies.
They brandished
banners, among them read: ‘Taib,
After the
handover, the PKR representative Ng in addressed the crowd, assuring them that
the seven opposition legislators will carry the voice of the indigenous peoples
into the House.
He also
thanked the police for their professionalism, in controlling the crowd and
being patient.