Digest on Malaysian News

Continued from The Taib Timber Mafia

Chief Minister Abdul Taib bin Mahmud (Taib) is the eldest of 10 children born to Mahmud Abang Yahya and Wan Hamidah in Sarawak, on 21 May 1936.

To understand the relevance of Taib’s  family connections, we need to look at his relationship to the previous Chief Minister of Sarawak. Abdul Rahman Ya’kub, the third Chief Minister of Sarawak is Taib’s uncle. It was through this connection that Taib entered politics in 1963 and which ultimately led him to his thirty year grasp of power over Sarawak.

Taib  concurrently holds the offices of Chief Minister, Finance Minister, as well as that of State Planning and Resources Minister, which gives him enormous  political  and economic power. Sarawak's largest private company, large-scale logging  and plantation interests and the control of log exports are concentrated in the hands of the Taib family. One of the Chief Minister’s brothers, Mohamad Ali, and one of his sons, Sulaiman, have also been involved in politics and one daughter, Hanifah, and a first cousin, Hamed Sepawi, run various media outlets in Sarawak.

In  1995, Asiaweek identified nine  "political warlords" in Asia, Taib Mahmud was described as having "no private army, but he runs the closest thing to a Malaysian political fiefdom. Kuala Lumpur leaves the Sarawak chief minister alone in return for keeping the state sweet at election time“.

Taib has  recently been described by Singapore-based political scientist Faisal S. Hazis as having "total control over Sarawak."

Despite earning a moderate official salary per year in his role as Chief Minister of Sarawak, MYR 590,000 (USD 194,000), Taib is known for his magnificent wealth and string of assets. 

He is often seen travelling in a Rolls Royce, sporting a designer suit, wearing a walnut-sized ruby ring and he is residing in a well-guarded palace-like mansion in Kuching.

Famously, in 2010 he told rural voters in Sarawak: "I have more money than I can ever spend."

Taib’s modus operandi

During his thirty years of iron grip over Sarawak, Taib Mahmud has systematically plundered a country once rich in natural resources, partiuclarly oil, gas and timber. While the proceeds of the oil and gas extraction are mostly benefiting Malaysia’s federal government, the Sarawak state government enjoys total autonomy as to the use of the state’s forest resources and state lands.

Taib has abused his position as Chief Minister, State Finance Minister, and Planning and Resources Minister, to award his family members vast timber concessions, palm oil concessions, state contracts and directorships in Sarawak’s largest companies. In 2009, his three ministries controlled 49.6% of the state’s operating expenditure of MYR 1.19 billion (USD 391 million) and 80% of the state’s development expenditure of MYR 3.08 billion (USD 1.01 billion), with the other ten ministers sharing the rest.

Taib’s position as Planning and Resources Minister means that he has ultimate control over the granting of timber concessions in Sarawak that are worth several billion dollars. Already in the late 1980s, family members and clients loyal to Taib Mahmud were estimated to control over 1.6 million hectares of timber concessions in Sarawak. That constitutes more than 10% of the total land mass of Sarawak. Political observer Daniel Lev has described how Taib abused his power over the allocation of timber concessions in Sarawak: “Timber rent is used by the national ruling party for political expenditures during election time and for financing business objectives of ruling party linked conglomerates.”

In 2011, the Bruno Manser Fund released information detailing the Taib family’s connection to over 400 companies in 25 countries and offshore districts.

These include many offshore finance centers such as the British Virgin Islands, Jersey, Bermuda and the Cayman Islands.

Although Taib’s own name is rarely listed as a director or shareholder, it is his family members who are known to act as nominees for the Chief Minister. A 2001 PhD thesis by US economist David W. Brown, states that: "While the Chief Minister himself occupies no publicly recorded directorships or shareholdings in any of the timber concessions said to belong to him, the Chief Minister's family members....occupy managerial..positions on the boards of the timber concessions of the top four major Sarawak timber conglomerates."

The Taib family runs a well-diversified financial empire with interests in Sarawak’s largest timber and logging companies (Ta Ann, Samling, WTK, Sanyan), monopolistic control of log exports (Achi Jaya Transportation), plantations (Sarawak Plantation), construction (Cahya Mata Sarawak Berhad, Naim Holdings, Titanium Management), electricity supply (Sarawak Cable, Sarawak Energy), property development (Custodev, Kumpulan Parabena) and state media (Cats FM, New Sarawak Tribune) to name a few.

The flagship of the Taib family empire is the largest private company in the state, Cahya Mata Sarawak Berhad (CMS), with net assets totalling 2.4 billion Malaysian ringgit (USD 788 million) in 2010. CMS has been awarded some of the state’s largest contracts including the MYR 300 million (USD 98 million) construction of the State Legislative Assembly building in Kuching, a contract over the maintenance of all state roads in Sarawak (4000 kms) and a 15-year concession to maintain 643 kms of federal roads.

Commonly referred to as "Chief Minister and Sons", the Taib family own over 80% of CMS, but recent annual reports have raised questions over the true beneficiary of the company’s wealth. In 2009, Taib’s first wife Lejla Chalecki died.

Since 2002, she had been the single largest shareholder of the company, but CMS’ latest annual reports still list her as a major shareholder.

The largest shareholder of CMS is Majaharta Sdn. Bhd. which is jointly owned by Taib’s two daughters, Jamilah and Hanifah.

Since his appointment as Sarawak Chief Minister in 1981, Taib and his immediate family members have transferred considerable parts of their ill-gotten assets overseas to countries including Canada (Sakto group of companies), the United States (Sakti Corporation and related companies), Australia (Sitehost Pty Ltd), the United Kingdom (Ridgeford Properties), Hong Kong (Richfold Investment Ltd.) and to a number of offshore finance centers, namely the British Virgin Islands. While the above-mentioned companies officially name Taib family members as their shareholders or directors, it is believed that many other companies are held through nominees.

Sakti International, a US property development company owned by the Taib family was incorporated in 1987 in California. In a court deposition, Sakti admits that "beginning September 10, 1987, Sakti’s designated Chief Executive Officer, Secretary and Chief Financial Officer was Mahmud Taib", the Chief Minister’s son.

Significantly, the deposition also admits that the shareholders of Sakti are none other than Taib’s children and brothers. Whilst it is Taib’s relatives who are publicly registered as the official shareholders and directors of the companies, a private agreement ensures that the shares are actually held in trust for Taib.

Official documents leaked by a former employee prove that it is a system of private deals that ensures that half of these shares „are held in trust for the Chief Minister.“

One of Sakti International’s early public documents lists the Chief Minister as a director.

The Ottawa (Canada) - based Sakto group of companies, mainly active in real estate and property development, is currently run by daughter Jamilah and her Canadian husband, Sean Murray.

In 2011, Sean Murray stated that "Sakto, Sakti and Ridgeford are not and have never been funded by Mr Taib Mahmud" but later that year Taib admitted on video that he had given money to his daughter to start the business “It started 20 to 30 years ago. I gave money to my daughter because I was resigning from Federal Government. I got a gratuity and gave some money to her to start a new business, it thrived. It got successful and from successful they go to do business in London”.

Continued from Taib Timber Mafia and
“Stop Timber Corruption” Campaign

What is a “PEP”? There is no single, universally agreed upon definition of a „politically exposed person“ (PEP), a term that has recently become key for international anti-corruption and anti moneylaundering efforts.

By way of example, the term „politically exposed person“ (PEP) has been defined by Swiss authorities in the relevant Anti-Money Laundering Ordinance, as follows:
• Persons holding prominent public positions such as „Heads of State or Government, senior politicians at national level, senior government, judicial, military or party officials at national level, senior executives of state-owned companies of national importance“ and
• „Companies and people identified as having close family ties or personal or business connections to the aforementioned persons.“

Other countries are using similar definitions. It is important to note that not only leading politicians but also their family members or close business associates have to be regarded as PEPs

Continue from Taib Timber Mafia.

Many public sources have been used for this report. Apart from newspaper articles and reseach papers, this report draws specifically on the following sources:

- Sarawak Report, a campaign website run by British journalist Clare Rewcastle Brown.
- Court depositions by former Taib family employees and business partners:
- Ross J.Boyert: former Vice President of Taib family-owned Sakti International Corporation in California, US12
- Ting Check Sii: former owner of now Taib family-controlled Sanyan Sdn. Bhd in Malaysia.
- Farok Majeed: former business associate of Onn Mahmud in Singapore and Australia.
- The late Ross J. Boyert, former Vice President of Taib family-owned Sakti International Corporation in United States.
- Official company commission documents from Malaysia (Suruhanjaya Syarikat Malaysia), Australia (Australian Securities and Investments Commission), United Kingdom (Companies House), United States of America (California Secretary of State), Canada (Industry Canada) and Hong Kong (Registrar of Companies, Hong Kong).
- Company Annual Reports.
- David Walter Brown: “Why Governments Fail to Capture Economic Rent: The Unofficial Appropriation of Rainforest Rent by Rulers in Insular Southeast Asia Between 1970 and 1999”, ph.D., University of Washington, 2001.
- Michael L. Ross: Timber Booms and Institutional Breakdown in Southeast Asia, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2001.
- Andrew Charles Bernard Aeria: “Politics, Business, The State and Development in Sarawak, 1970-2000”, ph.D., London School of Economics, 2002.
- Further literature, video interviews, research reports, newspaper and magazine articles.

Continued from Taib Timber Mafia and
“Stop Timber Corruption” Campaign

The aim of this report is to build up international pressure against the corrupt Taib family and provide investigating bodies, journalists, Sarawakians and interested parties with detailed evidence on the Taib financial empire. It aims to demonstrate the financial and political control that Taib has over Sarawak and provide profiles on the Chief Minister and his family members, all of whom have financially benefited from the destruction of Sarawak’s rainforest.

We believe our research is showing merely the tip of the iceberg as many family assets are likely to be hidden overseas or in offshore districts where information is virtually impossible to obtain. The Bruno Manser Fund is therefore calling on anti-corruption and anti-money-laundering authorities worldwide to investigate the Taib family’s business activities.

These assets should be frozen and restituted to the people of Sarawak, and the Taib family and their co-conspirators should be prosecuted for corruption, abuse of public funds, fraud, money laundering, tax evasion and other related crimes.

Continued from The Taib Timber Mafia

The “Stop Timber Corruption” Campaign

On the 18th February 2011, the Bruno Manser Fund launched a campaign to “Stop Timber Corruption”, focused on the Chief Minister of the Malaysian state of Sarawak, Abdul Taib Mahmud (“Taib”). Since 1981, Sarawak has been governed by Taib, an exceptionally powerful and corrupt man, who has abused his public office in a spectacular way to enrich himself and his closest family members.

While Taib and his family members have personally profited immensely from the destruction of the Borneo rainforest through logging and oil palm plantations, Sarawak’s indigenous communities have lost their land, the source of their livelihood and have been increasingly marginalized. IWGIA’s Report “The Indigenous World – 2012”, states, „Taib Mahmud and his family are causing discontent among the indigenous peoples and civil society in general.

The Stop Timber Corruption campaign has built up international pressure against the corrupt Taib family and pressure to put a stop to timber corruption in Sarawak.“

Abdul Taib Mahmud has been Chief Minister of Sarawak since 1981 and is concurrently Finance Minister and Planning and Resources Minister of Sarawak. He has long been criticized for corrupt practices and abuse of office but Malaysian authorities have failed to take action against him, despite an ongoing investigation by the Malaysian Anti Corruption Commission (MACC), Taib and his family members have illegally acquired assets worth billions of dollars in Malaysia, Canada, the UK, Australia, the United States and other countries. As part of the campaign, BMF conducted research into Taib business in Malaysia and overseas which uncovered the vast dimensions of the family’s illicit assets. The findings exposed that Malaysian potentate “Taib” and his family have a stake in over 400 companies around the globe and hold illicit assets worth several billion US dollars.

Read also The aim of Taib Timber Mafia report

The Taib Timber Mafia - Facts and Figures on Politically Exposed Persons (PEPs) from Sarawak, Malaysia report by Bruno Manser Fund is now out.

Sarawak, an environmental crime hotspot

Sarawak is the largest of Malaysia’s thirteen States and one of two States located on the island of Borneo. Sarawak is located immediately north of the Equator between latitude 0° 50° and 5°N and longitude 109° 36' and 115° 40' E. It stretches some 800 kilometres along the northwest coast of Borneo, covering an area of 124,449.51 square kilometres.

The rainforest of Borneo is acknowledged to be among the “worlds most distinct and speciesrich”, a hotspot of biodiversity. Sarawak is divided into three regions - coastal lowlands comprising peat swamp as well as narrow deltaic and alluvial plains; a large region of undulating hills ranging to about 300 metres; and the mountain highlands extending to the Kalimantan border.

The highest point of Sarawak is Mount Murud reaching 2,423 meters. Flora in Sarawak includes roughly 8,000 species of vascular plants, 2,000 tree species, 1,000 orchids, 757 ferns and 260 species of palm. Fauna in Sarawak includes roughly 185 species of mammal, 530 species of bird, 186 species of snake, 104 species of lizard and 113 species of amphibian.

Sarawak has a population of over 2.4 million and is a multicultural state with at least 27 ethnic groups, the largest of these being the Iban. The people of Sarawak practice a variety of religions including, Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, Taoism, Confucianism, ancestor worship, Baha'ism and animism.

Unlike the Malaysian states on the Malaysian peninsula, where Islam is the predominant faith, the largest religious group in Sarawak are the Christians.

Despite being described in tourism ads as a “vast wilderness” Sarawak’s lush tropical rainforests are disappearing at an astonishing rate. Former Prime Minister of England, Gordon Brown stated in 2011 that the destruction of Sarawak’s rainforest is “probably the biggest environmental crime of our times…Malaysia's once vast pristine jungle has been stripped bare and enormous areas have been planted with oil palm in an environmental nightmare that shows no sign of slowing.”

In February 2011, the Dutch NGO “Wetlands International” expressed their concern that “As the timber resource has been depleted, the timber companies are now engaging in the oil palm business, completing the annihilation of Sarawak’s peat swamp forests.”

Total deforestation in Sarawak is 3.5 times as much as that for entire Asia, while deforestation of peat swamp forest is 11.7 times as much.

The Sarawak State Planning Unit has openly expressed their intention to convert Native Customary Rights land to palm oil. In 2010, Minister for Land Development, James Masing stated that the government of Sarawak aims to convert a further 1 million hectares (2.5 million acres) of tropical forest to oil palm plantations by 2020 and that there is a need for “a more aggressive development” of Native Customary Rights land.

Read also:
- “Stop Timber Corruption” Campaign
- The aim of Taib Timber Mafia report
- Sources used for Taib Timber Mafia
- The Taib family and modus operandi

The Bruno Manser Fund is about to release an explosive report on the Malaysian Taib family, one of South East Asia's most notorious kleptocratic clans. The report entitled "The Taib Timber Mafia. Facts and Figures on Politically Exposed Persons (PEPs) from Sarawak, Malaysia" contains twenty portraits and details on the corrupt business connections of long-term Sarawak Chief Minister, Abdul Taib Mahmud ("Taib"), and his closest family members and associates. Taib is the main culprit for the destructive logging of the rainforests of Sarawak, one of the world's biodiversity hotspots.

Next Wednesday, 19 September 2012, the report will be presented in Brussels to the EU Commission on the occasion of a visit of the Malaysian Minister of Plantation Industries and Commodities, Bernard Dompok. The report will be released to the general public on Thursday, 20 September 2012, 3 p.m. GMT. So visit this site again to get the next update.

A new party to accommodate the former SPDP 5 which most likely will be registered before the 13th general election is said to be now on the card. Sources told The Borneo Post here yesterday that a new party called Parti Tenaga Rakyat Sarawak (TERAS) had recently submitted its application to the Registrar of Societies (ROS) for registration.


The State ROS director Ken Leben however could not be reached for confirmation but it was reliably learnt that the approval for the registration of the new party could be expected very soon.

It was said that the chances of the new party being approved was almost definite as this was seen as a solution not only to the problem of the state assembly members sacked from SPDP but also to end pressing issue of who should stand in Mas Gading parliamentary seat.

Prior to this SPDP had repeatedly announced that the party would not re-nominate Mas Gading incumbent Datuk Dr Tiki Lafe in the coming general election.

This however did not go very well on the ground especially with those supporting him and Tasik Biru assemblyman Datuk Peter Nansian.

With the formation of the new party it was said that the issue would come to an end as immediately after its registration it will be accepted into the BN fold and will not only be given Mas Gading parliamentary constituency but also the state seats now held by the group, including Marudi (Datuk Sylvester Entri Muran), Bekenu (Rosey Yunus) and Batu Danau (Paulus Palu Gumbang).

Nansian, when contacted yesterday also refused to make any comment on the matter.
“People have the right to say anything they like. I better not comment on this type of thing,” he said.

Via BorneoPost

Taib Mahmud said he has no Swiss bank account. Would you believe him? Chief Minister Pehin Sri Abdul Abdul Taib Mahmud has categorically denied allegations by the Bruno Manser Foundation (BMF) that he has Swiss bank accounts, assets or investment in Switzerland.

He also made the denial in a personal statement in the State Legislative Assembly (DUN) sitting after the question and answer session yesterday morning.

“Let me state categorically that I have no secret Swiss bank account, nor assets or investments of any description. None whatsoever (in Switzerland).

“Indeed, I have so stated in unequivocal terms in a letter last month to the president of the Swiss Federation.

“In my letter, I have specifically asked the president to confirm if she has allegedly ordered any investigation into the allegations by the BMF to the Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority or furnish me with a copy of the application so that I can exercise my right to seek and obtain an appropriate legal redress.

“I also pledged to render my fullest cooperation to the Swiss Federation to swiftly bring the truth to light so as to nail down all malicious falsehoods.

“Let me reiterate here that the allegations by BMF are utterly false, evidently politically motivated,” Taib told the august House here yesterday.

Taib who is also the Minister of Planning and Resource Management and Minister of Finance said the BMF had a track record of making scurrilous and scandalous allegations against the state government for many years.

These include claims about the cutting down of 90 per cent of the state’s rainforests, although both local and international forestry experts have certified that 70 per cent of the state’s forests are still being preserved and sustainably managed.

“Therefore, BMF’s false allegations about my assets in Switzerland are a continuation of its malicious efforts to smear the state government, the state and the leaders,” he reiterated.

Taib said his attention has recently been drawn to allegations online in a “disreputable website” that claims the Swiss authority may investigate him and the nature and sources of assets belonging to him located in Switzerland.

“The allegations by BMF have since been used by local politicians to advance their own political agenda against me and the state government that I lead, which once again have received a strong mandate from the people during the last state election. As head of the state government and a member of the legislature, in keeping with the parliamentary practice and tradition, I am accountable to this august house.

“Therefore, it is only proper and right for me to make a personal statement to this august house in accordance of Standing Order 22 on the allegations by BMF, a foreign NGO not at all accountable to the people of Sarawak,” he added.

On Tuesday, Taib had said that he would make his statement on the issue as it has been highlighted by recent reports by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) which is also investigating the case. Taib added that the opposition was “barking at the wrong tree”.

“You will have a surprise (from me) tomorrow,” Taib had told the media after attending the opening State Legislative Assembly by head of state Tun Abang Muhammad Salahuddin at DUN complex here Tuesday.

Before the sitting, DUN Speaker, Dato Sri Asfia Awang Nassar had told the media that the opposition would table a motion over the allegation of the MACC against Taib at the ongoing DUN sitting. The opposition had picked up the issue after MACC chief commissioner Datuk Seri Abu Kassim Mohammad had confirmed that MACC was investigating Taib on the allegation of timber corruption in the state on June 9.

Fund is hard to come by especially if you are not part of the government. What more to say if you are from a church. Then what is the church authority thinking when they decided to turn St Joseph's school to private instead of conveniently receiving yearly grants from the Ministry of Education.? Apparently, the MOE is trying to get the church to REMOVE all the crosses (and other Christian artifacts) from the classrooms because there a quite of Muslim students studying in the school.

St Joseph school being established by the church is to provide education and religious guides to Christians. For non-Christians, it would be purely for education purpose. There is a lot of Sarawak prominent leaders receiving their early education from St Joseph including Taib Mahmud, the Chief Ministry of Sarawak as well as other Muslim leaders. It has been proven that those Muslim leaders studying in St Joseph before does not make them any less Muslim.

Asking the church to privatized its school (and cutting off its funding) is a blatant discrimination since education is to be provided free by the government.

Privatised St Joseph’s School here will start its Primary One and Form One classes in January next year.

This was revealed by Chief Minister Pehin Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud at the SJS Band’s Thanksgiving cum Old Josephians’ Reunion Dinner at Riverside Hotel here last night.

These classes will be housed at the current St Joseph Tuition Centre which used to be St Bernadette’s private school here.

Taib said he would contribute his one month’s salary towards the setting up of the school.

Taib, who is a former student of St Joseph’s secondary school, said the new private school would need RM10 million to build and another RM3 million as operation startup cost.

In January this year, church officials broke the news at a dinner on the plan to privatise St Joseph’s government-aided primary and secondary schools.

Subsequently, Taib also affirmed this intention to reporters.

Currently, St Joseph’s secondary school has over 1,500 students while St Joseph’s primary, 855 pupils.

Among those present at the dinner were Taib’s wife Puan Sri Ragad Kurdi Taib, Catholic Archbishop John Ha, former state secretary Tan Sri Datuk Amar Bujang Noor and State Legal Counsel Datuk JC Fong.

A riverine accident between an express boat and a timber barge has been reported in Ulu Tatau, in remote Sarawak. 20 are missing and fear dead. This could be the worst express boat in accident in recent history of Sarawak waterway transportation. And what was the timber barge doing in remote Sarawak anyway.

The body of a baby girl was recovered and about 20 are feared dead after an express boat collided with a timber barge and sank, pitching more than 30 passengers into the Ulu Tatau River in central Sarawak, between Bakun and Bintulu.

Eleven people managed to swim to shore and were rescued but the rest are believed to be trapped underneath the boat.

Search and rescue is ongoing in the remote location near a timber concession camp called Kem Kelubuk even though nightfall has turned the place pitch dark.

The body of the five-month-old baby has been sent to the Bintulu Hospital for post-mortem.

Survivors have also been sent to the hospital.

The incident, which is said to have happened at about 2pm, is the worst river tragedy in Sarawak.

The Sarawak police, the Fire and Rescue Department, the Fisheries Department, the Marine Police and a local community organisations and longhouse folks are now involved in a frantic search and rescue operations.

The nearest settlement is Rumah Ado, a Punan longhouse located at least two hours by timber track from Tatau Bazaar which is some 120kms from Bintulu town, 220kms from Miri.

Police in Bintulu, which is the nearest urban centre, have rushed dozens of men, vehicles and equipment to help their counterpart in the Tatau district police station, said Bintulu Police Chief, Supt Sulaiman Abdul Razak.

"All government departments, voluntary groups and community associations from here and Tatau are helping out in the search and rescue efforts,'' he said.

The place gets very dark by 6.30pm.

Former Catholic priest of Belaga, Michael Jok, who is now a social activist, said he heard from his contacts in Tatau that those missing could be trapped beneath the capsized boat that had rammed into the timber-barge.

It is learnt that aside from native villagers, the express boat was also carrying government officers who were carrying out site survey in the remote interior.

As at 7.30pm on Monday, confirmed reports coming out from Tatau said that the 11 rescued - eight adults and three children - were being rushed to the Bintulu Hospital.

Recommended reading:
* Excessive logging in Sarawak caused Rajang River log-jam

The 50-km long log-jam that blocked Malaysia’s biggest river shows the scale of unchecked deforestation in the highlands of Borneo and raises fresh concerns about how the state of Sarawak manages its natural resources, . This is Malaysia’s mighty Rajang River as it has never been seen before, choked from side to side — for kilometre after kilometre — by thousands upon thousands of dead trees. Source: Malaysia’s million dollar question — where did the logs come from?

Environment and Public Health Minister Wong Soon Koh declared the log-jam to be a “natural calamity of gigantic proportion” and blamed landslides in highland logging areas. He said: “The wooden debris which was swept away could have been accumulated there for the past 40 or more years.” Pure bullshit from WSK.

Land Development Minister James Masing blamed unscrupulous timber companies and said that whoever caused the problem should be punished. Another hypocrite talking. JM is the assembly of Baleh (where the incident started) and he is the Land Development Minister. Things happen right under his nose and he make don't know.

One blogger called Tbsbidayuh summed up the mood when he wrote: “Thank you to the monsoon rain for revealing state government ignorance on taking care of environment.”

River transport at standstill as debris clog rivers: It has never occurred over the past 50 years that such a large amount of debris flowed down to completely cover the river, blocking any navigable passage.

CM: We will probe cause of logjam: “I have asked the people to investigate the cause as this is the first time we have such a thing. So we should not just jump to conclusions. When pressed on what he thought would be the cause of the massive clogging, Taib said he did not know as he was not a scientist. Taib, is also Minister of Planning and Resource Management.

Soil erosion, eh: BorneoPost, the government's mouth piece reported that many attribute the logjam at Rajang River to soil erosion at Baleh. BorneoPost is diverting the issue and failed to report on the root of the problem.

Debris in river push water treatment up 119 pct. Sibu Water Board (SWB) forked out an additional RM19,000 (119 per cent increase) on water treatment as a result of the debris and muddy water in the river. By now the log are at the sea, so who will make complaints.

Ecological disaster along Rajang in Sarawak: It is a major disaster - disrupting navigation, causing structural damages as well as adversely impacting aquatic life. Thousands and thousands of logs and associated debris have been floating down river and have reached the sea. The actual total damage caused will be hard to tell but it will be pretty high. The fate of the thousands of logs in the open sea is anyone's guess. A tree floating down the river may be caused by natural causes but thousands of neatly cut logs are not caused by nature.

What is Taib response to this environmental disaster? All timber businesses are control by the Chief minister. But the disaster in the mighty Rejang river hopefully open his eyes, that is if the Chief Minister still can process in his brain what his eyes are seeing. Power and corruption not only blind a man but make a person insensitive to reality. This some truth here.

Recommended reading:
* Siltation in Rajang River due to heavy deforestation
* Siltation killed fish at Batang Rajang
* Who's protecting Sarawak virgin jungles

Will Sarawak United People’s Party (SUPP) be represented by its youth chief Sih Hua Tong to contest the Batu Lintang seat during the coming state election?

Deputy Works Minister Datuk Yong Khoon Seng said that he was confident with this even though the matter has not been confirmed yet.

“To me it’s confirmed, but it still has to go through the usual system – to be reviewed by the state Barisan Nasional (BN).

“Sih’s name is in the list of candidates to contest the Batu Lintang seat,” Yong told reporters after the closing ceremony of ‘Program Mesra Rakyat’ at RPR Batu Kawa Phase 1 here yesterday.

He said the final decision would be announced by BN at a later time.

“Election is very unpredictable. Today it may be different, but tomorrow it would be another thing. We cannot predict anything, but generally the people’s support for the BN government in Batu Lintang is ‘boleh tahan’,” he added.

Yong, who is SUPP vice president, was clarifying the issue after he spoke about it briefly during his speech at the closing ceremony.

He had then said Sih might be one of the candidates to contest the Batu Lintang seat.

Meanwhile, Sih said the decision to put him up as a candidate was up to SUPP and BN.
“We SUPP Batu Lintang branch, despite losing the seat during the 2006 state election, still serve the area and the people, and go to the ground often.

“We will continue to serve the people the best we can,” he stressed.

SUPP lost the Batu Lintang seat to DAP’s Voon Lee Shan during the 2006 state election.

Apart from that, SUPP also lost the Padungan, Pending and Kota Sentosa seats in Kuching Division to the opposition.

On another note, Yong when asked on his opinion on the newly established Parti Ekonomi Rakyat Sarawak Bersatu (PERSB), said he did not know much about the party.

“I only heard about it when I was at the Parliament meeting. The only detail I know is they want to contest 71 seats in the state,” he said.

malaysia ~ If you like this informative post, please subscribe to my full RSS Feed

Dalat assemblywoman Datin Fatimah Abdullah is not surprised that Parti Ekonomi Rakyat Sarawak Bersatu (PERSB) protem president Salleh Mahali plans to contest in Dalat.

“It is no surprise to me because he had intended to do so for quite a while,” she told reporters after officiating at the SMK Sungai Maong Open Day here yesterday.

“We know him. The people know him. Let the people judge for themselves. Let the voters decide. After all, this is a democratic country,” added Fatimah.

Salleh stated his intention in a press conference yesterday, saying that he would contest for the Dalat seat in the state election which must be called by July next year.

Fatimah revealed that during the last election in 2006, Salleh was suspected of supporting an independent, and had tried to contest against Chief Minister Pehin Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud in Mukah.

Of course, added Fatimah, he denied it. She said the people by now should know Salleh’s character and record in the party.

On another note, Fatimah was also asked about PERSB’s call to limit the term of Chief Minister and cabinet ministers to a maximum of two terms.

“It is unreasonable because it shows that they (PERSB) do not know the administration processes. For a state like Sarawak, which is big and has many segregated rural populations, it is not easy.

“It takes a lot of time,” she said, while pointing out that it took Taib more than two terms to turn Sarawak into what it was now.

“It is not easy. It takes a lot of political will, experience, innovation and creativity to be able to do what Pehin Sri has achieved now.

“For them to suggest that two terms is enough, it shows that they don’t really understand the process of running the state, let alone develop it.

“What Sarawak has now is not mere hard work for 10 years or two terms. It is based on so many years of hardwork and high commitment, as well as creativity and innovation,” she said.

Meanwhile, Assistant Minister in the Chief Minister’s Department (Islamic Affairs) Datuk Daud Abdul Rahman said it was up to the people to decide on the duration for the Chief Minister’s post.

He said to limit a leader’s length of service would be waste of one’s ability, adding that the state needed a highly capable Chief Minister like Taib to plan and carry out development projects.

“If we limit those who have the quality, most likely programmes that had been planned will not be carried out,” he said.

In any case, Daud, who is also the vice president of Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB), said it was too early for PERSB to voice out its dream as they were not even approved by the Registrar of Societies (ROS) yet.

The PERSB sponsorship committee, led by Salleh Mahali, was launched on Friday. Among its aims was to impose a limit on how long an individual could serve as a Chief minister, deputy chief Minister and state cabinet member.

According to PERSB, this was to avoid abuse of power.
malaysia ~ If you like this informative post, please subscribe to my full RSS Feed

Parti Ekonomi Rakyat Sarawak Bersatu (PERSB) aims to limit the tenure of the Chief Minister to only two terms if the party wins the coming state election.

The two-term rule will also be applied to the post of deputy chief ministers, ministers as well as all other political appointments in the state.

Party pro-tem president Salleh Mahali said this was one of the points spelt out in the party’s manifesto for the coming state election.

He said this during a press conference held at a local hotel here yesterday.

Salleh, who is former information chief of the Dalat branch of Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu Sarawak (PBB), said the presence of the party is solely to fight for the interests of the rakyat.

“The formation of the party is to fight for the rakyat, especially those in the rural areas who are being oppressed and are suffering in their own homeland,” he said, adding the party is not being sponsored by any political party. He said the party is self-sufficient because it receives its monies from Koperasi Ekonomi Rakyat Sarawak Berhad (KERSB), which is in the jatropha plantation business.

He also disclosed that the party’s candidates for the coming election have signed letters declaring that they would not jump to other parties should they win the election or involve themselves in activities that go against Projek Ekonomi Rakyat Sarawak (PERS) – which is connected to the party. Meanwhile, the party’s pro-tem secretary Mohammad Noh Bakeri said the party had re-submitted its application to the Registrar of Societies (ROS) on April 20 after its earlier submission on January 21 was rejected by the Registrar due to certain reasons.

“We hope that our party’s application would be approved as soon as possible, which ROS has no reason to reject because the formation of PERSB is solely to give democratic rights to the rakyat in determining the state’s leadership in the future,” he said.
malaysia ~ If you like this informative post, please subscribe to my full RSS Feed

Prawns, crabs and fish caught from Sungai Sarawak can be consumed at the public's own risk as the river is among the most polluted in the state.

State Natural Resources and Environmental Board (NREB) controller Peter Sawal, however, did not press the panic button yet as there are many local fishermen whose livelihood still depended on the river.

"We know that the river, especially near Bintawa Industrial Area, has higher level of metal content compared with other parts of the river, between Batu Kitang and Kuching Barrage.

"However, we do not want to cause panic among the the people over the situation."

According to a book entitled A Field Guide to the Fishes of Kuching Rivers: Sarawak, Malaysian Borneo, written by Katherine Atack, a student of University Malaysia Sarawak, there are more than 100 species of freshwater fish thriving in the Sarawak River.

Sawal pointed out that even though fish, prawns and crabs thrived in the river, that did not mean that they were safe for consumption.

A check with the Malaysian Fishery Development Board, State Veterinary Department, the Agriculture Department and the Health Department revealed that no government agency have been designated to ensure the safety of the fish, crabs and prawns of the river for consumption.

According to Sawal, what made the aquatic lives of Sungai Sarawak hazardous for human consumption was the intake of black and grey water from the residents of Kuching.

"What made matters worse is that four of Sungai Sarawak's tributaries, such as Sungai Maong, Sungai Bintangor, Sungai Padungan and Sungai Sekama are highly polluted."

According to NREB's Environmental Quality Reports 2008, the monitoring results indicated that the rivers were all polluted by coliform bacteria (FCC and TCC).

All these rivers were located in the vicinity of, or flowed through, the urban centres of Kuching city.

Captain Goh Chin Guan, controller of the Sarawak River Barrage, concurred that the toxicity of the river lately had been very dirty as the water from the source upstream carried with it all the rubbish and waste.

Goh said the frequency of flashing the river water above the barrage would depend on tides, rain and drought.

Sawal said that despite the bleak picture, Kuching could brace for a better waste water management system which is in the pipeline with the soon-to-be-constructed Kuching City waste Management system.

malaysia ~ If you like this informative post, please subscribe to my full RSS Feed

Speech by Wong Ho Leng, newly elected MP of P212 on 16th May 2010 at the announcement of the results of the Sibu by-election

1. Terima kasih Sibu. Terima kasih Malaysia.

2. One small step in winning Sibu is one big step in winning power in Petrajaya, and a giant step forward in winning power in Putrajaya.

3. Change we can. Tonight, the people of Sibu have created history.

4. Together we won an election that was deemed impossible just a week ago, against the full brunt of the Barisan Nasional money and government machinery.

5. It is a miracle that we created together.

6. Forever, the history of Malaysia will remember 16th May 2010 as the begining of the awakening of Sarawak, and Sibu as the bastion of hope for all Malaysians.

7. From now on, no one will take us - the people of Sarawak - for granted.

8. The victory is not just a victory for DAP. It is a victory for the people of Sibu, Sarawak and Malaysia.

9. I wish to thank all voters of Sibu for making this bold and historic decision.

10. Let me assure you that I will serve all voters of Sibu, regardless of whether you have voted for me or not.

11. And I will speak up for all fellow Malaysians to bring about fundamental change for Sarawak and Malaysia.

12. Finally, to DAP members and leaders, partners in Pakatan Rakyat and all volunteers who worked tirelessly for this by-election, from the very bottom of my heart, thank you.

Wong Ho Leng
MP, Sibu



malaysia ~ If you like this informative post, please subscribe to my full RSS Feed

The DAP will go ahead with the “Allah” issue in its campaign for the Sibu by-election, ignoring police warning to all political parties that they can be detained under the Sedition Act and Internal Security Act. Its candidate for the by-election, Wong Ho Leng, said nothing would deter him and other Pakatan Rakyat leaders from conveying the truth to the people on the matter.

“The facts must be made known,” he told a press conference here yesterday.

Wong said the Home Ministry must withdraw its appeal against the High Court's decision which had overruled the government prohibition on the use of the word “Allah”.

“PAS is able to declare that there is absolutely nothing in the Quran which forbids the use of the term and has been steadfast in the rights to freedom of religion of non-Muslims,” he said.

On Monday night, Christian leaders from Pakatan held a fellowship to share their political calling.

Dr Tan Kee Kwong, a PKR central committee member, called on Christians in Sibu to use their conscience in picking a clean and incorruptible elected representative.

Dr Tan urged them to vote for Wong if they loved the country and children.

“If Sibu can change, the whole of Sarawak can change,” he said.

Wong invited the audience to query former Perak Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Nizar Jamaluddin, who was present, on PAS leadership and the allegations made against the party by Barisan Nasional leaders.

“Nizar is here, so ask him whatever question you have about PAS. Satisfy yourself before you go home tonight,” he said.

He refuted the allegation by Sarawak United People's Party that a vote for DAP was a vote for PAS.

Recommended reading:
* East Malaysian Christians allowed to use the term "Allah"
* Allah and the misinformed Muslims

malaysia ~ If you like this informative post, please subscribe to my full RSS Feed

BN promised RM1billion to solve Sibu's flood problem, IF the voters voted for their candidate, Robert Lau Hui Yew of SUPP. In the case of Sibu flood problem, even RM1 billion may not be enough because if you dredge the Rajang River today, tomorrow it will be shallow again because nobody control the siltation from upstream. No one from the state government is controlling the logging activities up river because the timber companies are their buddies.

A long-term solution to the flood problem here has been drawn up at a cost of RM1bil, says Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin.

“It would be carried out over two Malaysia Plans,” the Deputy Prime Minister added. “The first phase, costing nearly RM300mil, has started,” he said, adding that because of the expense, the project had to be carried over the 10th and 11th Malaysia Plans. “The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment will be implementing the project,” he told reporters after attending a dialogue session at SK Agama Sibu.

Four flood mitigation projects are in progress and the first phase is expected to be completed by September.

Muhyiddin, who is also Education Minister, said the Government had always assisted Chinese and Tamil primary schools nationwide. “We spend at least RM1.8bil to pay the salaries and allowances of these schools’ teachers,” he added.

Earlier, Muhyiddin announced a RM500,000 allocation for SK Agama Sibu to build a new computer lab and upgrade other facilities.

He said Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak would address the needs of Chinese-medium schools tomorrow and Thursday when the Prime Minister pays a visit to the town.

Recommended reading:
* Siltation killed fish at Batang Rajang
* Sibu flood mitigation plan is not going anywhere

malaysia ~ If you like this informative post, please subscribe to my full RSS Feed

It is confirmed that Datuk Seri Sulaiman Abdul Rahman Abdul Taib wishes to resign as Deputy Tourism Minister, however, Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak did not say if his resignation has been accepted. Najib declined to say when Sulaiman had tendered his resignation but said the decision to quit was for personal reasons. However, there has been talk that Sulaiman was unhappy with his post. Or maybe he quits because he is under investigation by the MACC. The most likely reason why Sulaiman quit is to return to Sarawak to become the next CM.




The Prime Minister said he would consult the views of Sarawak Barisan Nasional chairman Tan Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud on the issue before making any decision.

"He has stated his interest to relinquish his position as deputy minister but I have yet to consult the Sarawak Barisan chairman, so just wait," he told reporters after chairing the Umno Supreme Council meeting here Friday night.

It is learnt that Sulaiman, who is Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu Youth vice-president and the son of the Sarawak Chief Minister, tendered his resignation letter last month citing poor health as the reason.

Among the reasons cited for Sulaiman’s resignation was his personal dissatisfaction with the perceived bad treatment towards leaders from Sabah and Sarawak by the Federal Government.

Apparently, the Kota Samarahan MP was dissatisfied having to serve as deputy minister in an "unimportant ministry".

He was also said to be particularly miffed at having to serve under the previous and current ministers, Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said and Datin Seri Dr Ng Yen Yen respectively. Read also UMNO ladies overspent rakyat money

Friends said he did not get along with both Azalina and Dr Ng and had complained that he was never given any substantial responsibility.

There is also speculation that Sulaiman, a former RHB Bank chairman, was also unhappy that former MAS chief Datuk Seri Idris Jala was appointed to the Cabinet over him and other Sarawak and Sabah MPs.

Deputy Dewan Rakyat Speaker Datuk Dr Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar said as far as the Parliament was concerned, Sulaiman was still a deputy minister.

To date, the Dewan Rakyat had yet to receive any formal resignation letter from Sulaiman.

"He was in Parliament last week and sat in his deputy minister’s chair," he said.

He said it would be the Prime Minister’s prerogative to inform the Dewan Rakyat of any resignation of a Federal Cabinet member to enable his chair to be rearranged and redesignated during sittings.

Attempts to contact Sulaiman, who is believed to be overseas through his mobile phones, proved futile.

He also did not attend a dinner that he was scheduled to host for a visiting Sarawak delegation from the Farmers Development Council of the Batang Lupar and Bandar Kuching parliamentary constituencies in Kuala Lumpur on Wednesday.

malaysia ~ If you like this informative post, please subscribe to my full RSS Feed