A group of villagers from five villages in Tebedu, Sarawak, Malaysia today expressed their unhappiness over the Minister of Infrastructure Development and Communications Datuk Sri Michael Manyin’s statement.
They alleged that Manyin had on Tuesday accused the villagers of Kampung Temung and Kampung Tepoi of being anti-development.
“His (Manyin) also implies that as a result of our supposedly anti-development stance, other villages in Tebedu district are now unfairly deprived of access to treated pipe-in water,” said Papai Anak Apin, 49, who read the statement at a press conference here yesterday.
Papai said Manyin made reference to an instance where villagers from the villages stopped surveyors from the Land & Survey Departments from carrying out surveying works on a piece of kampung’s land where a water booster pump was supposed to be sited.
“We are extremely unhappy with the statement from Manyin, in which he painted us as a group of people who resist development mindlessly and in the process, deprived not just people in our own village but also folks of the other villagers of the much needed treated pipe-in water,” he said.
Papin said Manyin’s statement is malicious and in bad faith, crafted to make out himself as a victim of irrational behaviour and selfish attitude on their part.
He said as the statement was carried in several newspaper and substantial circulation in the state, their names and reputation has been unjustly maligned.
“We find it most unbecoming of Datuk Seri Michael Manyin, who is not just a state minister but an acknowledged leader of stature among the Bidayuhs, to run down his very own community that he was given the responsibility to protect and to nurture.
“We want to clearly state that it has never been our intention to knowingly deprive any party of much needed development projects by resisting such projects without just cause,” said Papin.
He said the villagers of Kampung Temung and Kampung Tepoi were and still is embroiled in bitter dispute with a timber company that was given the rights to log, not only the virgin forest near our villages but also the land in which we claimed native customary rights.
The case is pending resolution in the court.
Papin said that they have been told that the timber company concerned is partly owned by a state-run foundation.
He said as full minister Manyin should have full knowledge of the dispute as he was one of the several parties from whom they sought help and assistance in the matter.
Papin also claimed that Manyin did not make any serious attempts to address their grievances.
The police, he said are also fully aware of the situation as police reports were made, not only by the villagers but also by other parties involved in the dispute.
“We the villagers of Kampung Temung and Kampung Tepoi consider the dispute as unresolved and because of that we will not permit any kind of land-based activity to take place in our villagers without our consent and agreement until our grievances are resolved to our full satisfaction.
“We now demand that Datuk Sri Michael Manyin to immediately apologise to the Bidayuh community in Kampung Temung and Kampung Tepoi, failing which we will seriously consider taking legal action against him as he has slandered us and tarnished our names and reputation,” stressed Papai.
He said they were grateful to the leaders of Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) who have actively assisted them in their efforts to reclaim their rights over the disputed land.
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