While green activists in Peninsular Malaysia are protesting the rare earth refinery that has yet to begin operations in Gebeng, Pahang, villagers living near an aluminium smelting plant in Balingian, Mukah, Sarawak, have been suffering in silence. How is the plant affecting the lives of local communities in Balingian? Should we be alarmed at plans for new plants?
Iban
How Sarawakians became Malaysians
THE normative story of Malaysia goes something like this: in 1961, the newly independent Federation of Malaya’s Prime Minister Tunku Abdul Rahman, suggested the formation of a wider federation. This would consist of Malaya, Singapore, Brunei, Sarawak and Sabah. Malayans and Singaporeans agreed, but Sabahans and Sarawakians were not wholly convinced. Neighbouring Philippines objected, asserting […]
“I don’t know if I can really call myself a Malaysian”
IN Oct 2010, indigenous rights activist Nicholas Mujah was arrested and remanded for three days with seven others from his village for an alleged fire in a logging camp. The Sarawak Dayak Iban Association (Sadia) secretary-general has been fighting for the rights of Sarawak indigenous peoples to their native customary land since around 1980 and […]
A shared history of suffering
ENTERING politics was just a matter of time for Malaysia’s youngest member of Parliament (MP), Teo Nie Ching. As her parents, sister and brother-in-law are all DAP members, discussions on political developments were common in the Teo household. Teo recalls how she was first invited to stand for elections as an MP. “It was just […]
The Dayak urban-rural divide
THE loss of Jawah Gerang and Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) in Batang Ai by a shocking majority of 1,854 votes has jolted many party members and supporters to the core. I hear that even on the morning of polling day on 7 April 2009, some of Jawah’s closest associates were still expecting a glorious victory […]
Formidable battle expected in Batang Ai
KUCHING, 15 March 2009: With nomination day for the Batang Ai state by-election barely a week away, the Sarawak Barisan Nasional (BN) is expected to be bracing for a formidable battle with Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) to retain the Iban majority seat. Poster and flag wars aside, one factor that would affect the BN’s performance […]
Mafrel to monitor three by-elections
SIBU, 13 March 2009: Malaysians for Free and Fair Elections (Mafrel), an independent elections watchdog, will monitor the Batang Ai, Bukit Gantang and Bukit Selambau by-elections. Its northern peninsula coordinator, Ong Boon Kiong, said that in Batang Ai, Mafrel hoped to station observers in each of the 24 polling stations beginning from nomination day on […]
