Bidayuh Forum Night to drum support for BN

KUCHING: Infrastructure Development and Communications Datuk Seri Michael Manyin made it clear when he said the series of dinners organised under the Bidayuh Forum Bidayuh Night 2012 was to drum the Bidayuh support towards Barisan Nasional (BN) candidates in the coming parliamentary election.

Manyin predicted that the 13^th general election will be held in June this year.

He said the Bidayuh community should be united in BN so that they are able to move forward in term of development, on par with the other communities by 2020.

"If we Bidayuh want to go forward together with other communities, we must correct our political struggle, and make sure our children are given adequate education, including skills training," he said at the second Udung Bidayuh dinner at Kampung Sinjok community hall near Siburan during the weekend.

Hence he urged the Dayak Bidayuh National Association (DBNA) and Bidayuh Graduates Association (BGA) to continue efforts to promote education among the Bidayuhs.

He said the Bidayuh Forum which comprises of all the Bidayuh elected representatives and political secretary has been successful in its efforts to unite the elected representative and political leaders to work together for the betterment of the community.

He said under the Bidayuh Forum all the elected representatives from different political parties could sit down and discuss how to solve the problems affected the community.

The Bidayuh community should discard clans and regional politics for the community stronger representation in politics.

He said the Bidayuh shouldn’t be looking at the candidates from Bau, Lundu, Serian or Penrissen and whether from the Jagoi Bratak or Singai group.

"Bidayuh candidates can contest in any of the Bidayuh areas regardless from which area and clan he or she comes from,” said Manyin.

He said what is most important was to unite the Bidayuhs in politics.

Manyin was referring to the struggle between the Beratak Jagoi and Singai clans over the Mas Gading parliamentary seat.

There was a written agreement signed by several leaders of two clans where it was mutually agreed that the candidate for the Tasik Biru state seat should come from among the Singai people whereas candidate for the Mas Gading parliamentary seat from the Bratak Jagoi people.

The present MP for Mas Gading Datuk Dr Tiki Lafe is a Bratak Jagoi while the Tasik Biru representative Datuk Peter Nansian Ngusie is a Bisingai.

"Do not look at our dialects differences and area of origin but look at our common culture to unite us as a strong community," said Manyin.

Meanwhile chairman of the dinner organising committee Temenggong Datuk Stephen Jussem said the last two dinners with the first one in Dewan Suarah Bau in February has received good attendance from the Bidayuhs in the districts.

He said the third dinner will be held on May 5 at Dewan Suarah Serian.

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Sabotaging - SPDP, G5 and DAP playing with numbers

If the last weekend happenings could be taken as the indication, then the people in Mas Gading constituency can expect free dinners every weekend prior to the Parliamentary election.

It seem that the three groups, namely SPDP, Group 5 (G5) and DAP are playing with numbers – all trying to show they have the bigger support and using their gatherings to attract attendees.

SPDP president Tan Sri William Mawan seem unhappy with action of the G5 who he accused of disrupting the party’s programmes by having coinciding events.

“Their disruptive actions to SPDP, being a component party in the BN are not the behaviour condoned by the Barisan,” said Mawan.

Mawan vowed to commit all strength and resources to wipe out all those who oppose SPDP and BN, especially in Mas Gading.

He said the party is duty bound to fight those continue to sabotage and undermine the party, and defend and safeguard all its seats and maintain solidarity within the BN.

“We have the resources and commitment to ensure that the party and BN’s interest are not undermined,” he stressed.

Mawan, who is also Senior Minister for Social Development said they have no problem with the five being elected representatives to continue serv8ing their constituencies, which are traditionally allocated to SPDP.

Meanwhile the lobby race to get nominated as the Barisan Nasional (BN) candidate in Mas Gading constituency in the coming general election between Sarawak Progressive Democratic (SPDP) and G5 is becoming more hotter and competitive now.

Sources said the G5 are monitoring very closely to all SPDP movements and activities in the constituency.

According to the source, the G5 will do all they could to ‘sabotage’ activities and events organised by SPDP in the area by having their activities on the same day and time but at different venue.

“The obvious was the last Saturday’s night dinner when SPDP Tasik Biru held their solidarity dinner at the Dewan Suarah Bau while fthe G5 held their on the same date and time at the REEDEMS Centre in Singai.

The source said the G5 are also monitoring SPDP Tasik Biru proposed sports carnival and fun fair on April 27 and 28 at the Fiary Cave near here.

Mawan will officiate at the launching of the carnival on April 27 while Deputy Minister of Tourism Datuk Dr James Dawos Mamit has been invited to officiate at the closing the next day.

Meanwhile for the last weekend dinner, the G5 claimed that they have successfully lure-in majority of the community leaders in the Mas Gading constituency, claiming 1000 people attended the dinner.

Even State Assemblyman for Opar is said to be among those community leaders who were at the G5 dinner, but the source said the dinner was given free for the community leaders and the other guests and that was why they attended it.

In another development, a source said the support to SPDP group faded after Mawan announced that the party has shortlisted Henry Jinep, a successful local businessman and Anthony Nogeh, Sarawak Land Consolidation and Rehabilitation Authority's (Salcra) deputy general manager as candidate for Mas Gading.

Henry is a Bisingai while Nogeh is a Bijagoi.

Sources said the voters in Mas Gading especially the Bijagoi and the Selako are not in favour of Henry Jinep, a Bisingai as the candidate as they wanted a Bijagoi to represent them, thus made them swung their supports to the G5 group.

Previously there was an agreement among the local community leaders that the State Assemblyman for Tasik Biru to come from the Bisingai community, while the representative for Mas Gading should come from the Bijagoi community.

But the support may have changed after Nogeh was announced as the frontrunner for Mas Gading constituency by SPDP deputy president Datuk Seri Tiong King Sing at the party’s solidarity dinner at Dewan Suarah Bau on Saturday’s night.

Nogeh claimed that he have the support of the Chinese community leaders and the Chinese voters in the constituency.

SPDP sacked its former secretary-general Datuk Sylvester Entri Muran on Nov 25 last year and followed by four other leaders on January 14 following the part’s Supreme Council meeting on the same day.

The four stripped of their post are Senior Vice President and Tasik Biru Assemblyman Datuk Peter Nansian, Vice President and Mas Gading MP Datuk Dr Tiki Lafe, Information Chief and Batu Danau Assemblyman Paulus Palu Gumbang and Supreme Council member and Bekenu Assemblyman Rosey Yunus.

The five including Sylvester Entri dubbed the "SPDP 5" caused a stir within the party after declaring they have lost faith and confidence in Mawan and repeatedly issued media statements attacking the party president.

Mawan said the SPDP Supreme Council also decided that Tiki would not be re-nominated to contest in Mas Gading because he was not the most winnable candidate while Nansian can kiss good bye to Tasik Biru seat in the next state election.

Meanwhile preparation for SPDP much anticipated two-day carnival “Jom Otto Birami Bisamah SPDP” at the Fairy Cave here on April 27 and 28 is progressing smoothly and expected to attract large crowd.

Plenty of activities including sporting activities, colouring contest, poco-poco dance, cultural performance and 30 stalls selling food, drinks, handicrafts and jungle produce will fill the two-day carnival.

The event is jointly organised by Respdemop Sports and Recreation Club, the Wanita, Puteri and Putera Wings of the Sarawak Progressive Democratic Party (SPDP) and the JKKK Krokong community.

Live band performance will also be held on Friday and Saturday night at the cave’s site which is expected to attract thousands of people from the nearby villages and from far.
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CM says up to SPDP to choose candidate for Mas Gading

Chief Minister’s statement that it is up to SPDP to nominate their candidate for the Mas Gading seat and the Prime Minister to endorse it has received positive response from the party members and the constituents.

“It is very good that the Chief Minister has cleared the air and that must be a big relief to SPDP. So now it is up for SPDP to close ranks, leave the past behind and really focus to win in Mas Gading and the other seats,” said PBB Opar Chairman Dato' Peter Minos.

Minos, who is also PBB assistant publicity chief said the three MP seats currently held by SPDP matter a lot to BN and must be won in the coming general election expected to be held in June.

“Think and concentrate to face Pakatan which will fight tooth and nails because Pakatan has all to gain and nothing to lose,” said Minos.

According to Minos, Pakatan can only win by default in Mas Gading or elsewhere if BN fight against each other.

Thus, Minos urged all those who call themselves BN member to do what they say and not just playing lip service or pretending to support BN.

He said members of BN from other component parties should follow those in PBB who always follow their leaders without second thought.

“Election is now at the corner and maybe held in June and so there is no more time for bad blood or recrimination or even for misunderstanding in and between BN.

“Pakatan in Kuala Lumpur side is deliberately keeping discreet silence and waiting for BN to make the mistakes and creating self-defeating issues. So BN must avoid the mistakes and stay away from self-defeatist issues,” Minos said.

Meanwhile SPDP Bengoh and Tarat also expressed their full support that SPDP should be allowed to choose its own choice of candidate for Mas Gading.

Chairman of SPDP Bengoh Sebastian Sakoi and chairman of SPDP Tarat Captain Miron Guanguly said they fully supported what the Chief Minister had said in Bintulu when officiating at the party delegates’ conference.

The party newly elected vice president Captain Zainuddin Tan Sri Hamdan Sirat said SPDP Mambong which he is the co-ordinator also fully supported the Chief Minister’s statement.

“The Mas Gading seat is for SPDP and not the so called BN’s Club championed by Datuk Dr Tiki Lafe and Datuk Peter Nansian,” said Zainuddin yesterday.

Meanwhile the people in Mas Gading said they wanted political stability and good Member of Parliament (MP) to represent them.

Several community leaders, political leaders, Bidayuh and Selako intellectuals in Mas Gading who were interviewed recently to ask on their views and opinions with regards the SPDP crisis and choice of candidate for the coming general election said they wants political stability and a good Member of Parliament to represent them in Mas Gading.

Dr Tiki is the current MP for Mas Gading but the latter was sacked from the party along with four others for subordination.

SPDP sacked its former secretary-general Datuk Sylvester Entri Muran in Nov 25 last year and followed by four other leaders on Jan 14 following the part’s Supreme Council meeting on the same day.

The four stripped of their post were then Senior Vice President and Tasik Biru Assemblyman Datuk Peter Nansian, Vice President and Mas Gading MP Datuk Dr Tiki Lafe, Information Chief and Batu Danau Assemblyman Paulus Palu Gumbang and Supreme Council member and Bekenu Assemblyman Rosey Yunus.

The five including Sylvester Entri dubbed the "SPDP 5" caused a stir within the party after declaring they have lost faith and confidence in Mawan and repeatedly issued media statements attacking the party president.


Mawan said the SPDP Supreme Council also decided that Tiki would not be re-nominated to contest in Mas Gading because he was not the most winnable candidate while Nansian can kiss good bye to Tasik Biru seat in the next state election.

Mawan has also said the party had at least four candidates to replace Tiki. They are State Tourism and Heritage Ministry's permanent secretary Datuk Ik Pahon Joyik, Rayan Narong, an accountant with a private sector here; Anthony Nogeh, Sarawak Land Consolidation and Rehabilitation Authority's (Salcra) deputy general manager, Henry Jinep, a successful local entrepreneur and his brother William Jinep, a senior government servant.

Tiki and Nansian’s camp has formed what they called BN’s Club and has already started their round of meeting the people session in the constituency but The Star recently reported that the Registrar of Societies (ROS) here has not received any application to register such club here.

Opar State Assemblyman Ranum Mina has also said that he hoped the quarrel between the two camps can be solved before the general election so as not to create confusion among the voters.

“I hope the two groups can reconcile and work together for the sake of Barisan Nasional (BN) and the people in Mas Gading constituency,” added Ranum.

When the time arrived, he hoped the two factions can work together for the benefit of BN in facing the coming general election.

“Whoever BN’s leaders chose and nominated as the candidate we should support.

“As for me whoever is nominated as a BN’s candidate in Mas Gading I will give my full support, even if he is to be Datuk Dr Tiki re-nominated to contest,” said Ranum.

He advised voters in Mas Gading not to be too involved in the issue, adding that it will not bring any good to them and the constituency.

“Leave it to the party and BN’s leadership to decide the candidate. Whoever is the candidate let us give our full support,” he added.

A community leader for the Selako community in Lundu, Pemanca London Tasin said Mas Gading need a good MP who is able to serve the constituents.

“The constituents are wiser now and they knew very well who shall be the best person to serve them and they will vote for that person when the election comes,” said London.

Thus, he said the top BN’s leadership should pick the most winnable candidate for Mas Gading seat.

A political analyst from the constituency opined that Mawan should announce his candidate fast in order not to let the five aspiring candidates to wait until the last minute.
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Villagers still not heard of free housing at BDRS

Residents of the four villages affected by the RM310 million Bengoh Dam are still hopeful that they will be given free houses at the Bengoh Dam Resettlement Scheme (BDRS) although there has been no confirmation with regards to the matter.

On Saturday (March 10, 2012), during the ground breaking ceremony of the Rumah Mesra Rakyat housing project at BDRS, there was no official announcement made that the affected 204 families will get the house free.

Second Minister of Resource Planning and  Environment, Datuk Amar Awang Tengah Ali Hassan did not mention anything that the houses will be given free to them.

When reporters asked him after he performed the ground-breaking ceremony of the housing project, Awang Tengah said there was no decision made on the matter as yet.

“There was no decision made yet on the matter (free house) because our main focus now is to build the 204 units of houses and the other necessary infrastructures,” he said.

Prior to this, 204 families from four villages, namely Kampung Taba Sait, Kampung Rejoi, Kampung Pa'in/ Bojong and Kampung Semban were hoping to be given free houses in BDRS and were waiting to hear the good news from the minister last Saturday.

However, after what they heard on Saturday, it appears that they are less convinced now that they will get the houses for free.

The construction of 204 housing units with a total cost of RM19 million at BDRS, located in Radien, Penrissen will start this month and is expected to be completed by December this year.

According to the Assistant Minister of Housing, Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah, the houses would be implemented by the Housing Development Corporation (HDC), through its contractor Naim Engineering Sdn Bhd.

Awang Tengah said the money is from the state government and is hoping that the federal government will reimburse the amount to the state government.

Each unit  is going to be built on a  24-point plot of land and equipped with three bedrooms.

A total of 204 families should have moved to the resettlement scheme in 2010 but was delayed due to the housing problems.

The affected villagers demanded that they be given free houses at the new resettlement schemes after they refused the offer by the Syarikat Perumahan Negara Berhad (SPNB) to build a house for them at a price of RM89, 000 per unit.

They rejected the offer because they do not want to burden themselves with bank loans.

Chairman of the liaisons committee on the resettlement, Itodio Peu said as the affected residents were forced to move out from their respective village, so it is just fair they are given free houses at the new settlement.

Villagers have urged Mambong MP, who is also Deputy Tourism Minister Datuk Dr James Dawos to fulfil his promises to help them to get the free home.

Peu when met at the ground breaking ceremony on Saturday said the villagers from the four villages would not move to BDRS until their demands are fulfil by the government.

The villagers had demanded they be given free houses, their land, crops and properties are fully compensated.

Peu also disagreed with the suggestion by the minister that primary school pupils from the four villages be moved and study at SK Bengoh,.

“The idea will only burden the pupils but also their parents.  The authority should build the schools and the necessary facilities such as community halls and churches first at BDRS before asking us to move to the resettlement scheme," he said.

He said, as a result of the implementation of the Bengoh Dam, 90 percent of crops such as rubber, cocoa, pepper and fruit trees owned by the villagers of Kampung Taba Sait was destroyed to make way for the dam construction.

According to Peu, the government has not paid compensations for their other properties such as  houses, land and crops not flooded by the dam’s water.

Peu said, apart from not receiving compensations, the villagers has also so far has not received monthly financial support as promised to them.

"We were promised payment of disturbance allowance but so far no payment has been made to us," he said.


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