Extracted from Malaysiakini

Cartoon book satirising 'development' launched

Sep 13, 10 12:09pm

Survival International has today launched in Malaysia a critique of how tribal peoples are being destroyed in the name of 'development'.

It's presented in an online cartoon book called 'There you go!' that can be read in two minutes.

Tribal peoples around the world, from the Penan in Sarawak (left) to Amazonian Indians, have told Survival, an international organisation supporting tribal peoples worldwide, that the cartoon reflects their experiences of 'development'.

Survival has sent the book to the Prime Minister Najib Razak, Sarawak Chief Minister Abdul Taib Mahmud, key members of the two leaders' cabinets, and the libraries of all Malaysia's public universities.

The cartoon highlights how the concept of development is often used to justify the dispossession of tribal peoples.

Mary Robinson, former president of Ireland and former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, said, "This little book contains the big message that we must avoid the arrogance of presuming to know what's best for those whose voices are not heard in global debates.

"It reminds us of our shared responsibility to see to it that all people are active participants in shaping the decisions that impact their lives. Only then can we hope to see real development.'

Read 'There you go!' on Survival's website. For copies of the cartoon in book form, contact Miriam Ross on mr@survivalinternational.org