Located about 60km southwest of Kuching, Kampung Bengoh is a quiet Bidayuh village with two sundry shops, a small primary school, no restaurants and a close-knit community.Often, however, the tranquility of the village is shattered by the roar of lorries and trucks, for the home to about 200 sits squarely in between a RM310 million Bengoh Dam and a quarry opened to supply limestone for the project. Work on the dam, meant to supply freshwater to Kuching and its surrounding areas, began in 2007 amidst protests, and is now in its final stages and ahead of schedule. Despite having to sacrifice their homes and farms on their native customary lands for the project, the villagers do not have treated running water.
In Kampung Bengoh, which is en route to luxury resort Borneo Highlands, water is sourced from the mountains through a gravity-fed system with villagers pooling RM10 per person every year and taking turns to maintain the system.
"It's okay for houses in low areas but you can't push the water up to houses on hills. The water is straight from the river so you have to be careful or else you'll end up with a leech in your stomach," said a man met during Malaysiakini's visit there on Friday.
As proof, his friend turns on the tap to show water barely trickling out.
"Like rat's piss," quipped his friend, who has the Iban battle cry 'Agi Idup Agi Ngelaban' (As long as I breathe, I must fight) tattooed on his arm (left).
The man, who declined to be named for fear of jeopardising his position as a civil servant, grew up in the village but is now living in more urban Bidayuh-majority Tasik Biru in nearby Bau.
His parents and extended family, however, still live in the village. He is one of many of young Bidayuh who have moved out of their villages but still maintain close ties.
Taxes paid but no land titles
Young men like him, who had to move away as teenagers to attend secondary school, are unabashed about their views, sharing their dissent with the older folks at home.
But even some who have lived there all their lives appear not too happy with the government, hinting that their support is not for Bengoh incumbent SUPP candidate Jerip Susil.
Akiu Nora's biggest concern is land rights - an awareness brought about by the construction of the massive dam a stone's throw away.
There are now two cases pending against subsidiaries of Naim Holdings - a conglomerate building the dam and operating the quarry - by Kampung Bengoh villagers and those displaced by the dam from nearby villages.
"They took away people's farm land to build the dam, but the compensation was unsatisfactory. They don't really tell us how they tally the amount for compensation," said the 63-year-old farmer.
Four villages, or 1,600 people, have had to be resettled because of the dam, and the villagers were told to buy houses in the new Kampung Tun Razak - a name Akiu finds amusing - for RM48,000 each.
"For us, we didn't have to move, but you never know. What if they want us to relocate after the dam is impounded?" said Akiu (right).
"The land that this house sits on doesn't have a title either, but the authorities came to do a survey for assessment fees. We pay the fees every year, but we don't have land titles."
At present Naim Holdings, a company which has links to Chief Minister Abdul Taib Mahmud's family, is facing two court battles pertaining to native customary rights claim - one for land where the dam is constructed and the other for the quarry.
'Infinite jury' over Al-Kitan issue
In the suit he filed along with six others, village chief Kayis Genyai, 81, said that he can prove the local community's ties to the parcel of land called Derod Mawah back to the 1930s.
Kayis, who claimed to be part of Iban leader Temenggung Jugah Bareing's delegation to Kuala Lumpur in 1962 prior to the formation of Malaysia, added that the caves where the stones are extracted also provide the villagers with income. Birds' nests are collected there at least once a month and are sold for RM500 to RM700 a month.
According to Naim Holding's quarterly report published on March 3, the High Court has yet to set a date for the quarry suit (for which a stop-work order application has been dismissed), while the dam suit has been fixed for trial on June 27.
Land issues also plague Bidayuh communities in Opar and Tasik Biru, and are tipped by pundits to be the straw that could break BN's back in these constituencies.
Besides worries about land, the villagers, who are almost exclusively Christian, seem particularly upset at the impoundment and stamping of the Al-Kitab by the federal government.
The villagers may not have running water or telephone lines, but have electricity supply and subscribe to satellite television Astro, with which they keep abreast with current affairs.
"We are worried about this Bible issue. They tell us we cannot use the word 'Allah'. But I have used this word since I was born," said Akiu.
The younger folk were more vocal. Said the civil servant: "I had a dream about this. I dreamt that I put up signs that said 'Those who vote for BN are anti-Christian' because they are! How can you say 1Malaysia and do this?
"It was an infinite injury. We can no longer trust BN 100 percent. Nothing hurts more than people saying that your religion has no right," he said to nods around the table.
BN sorting out land issue
Quick to rectify this, however, the BN on Saturday embarked on a walkabout in the area, including visits to several churches by SUPP candidate Jerip and a fellow Christian leader, Minister of Science and Technology Maximus Ongkili, who came bearing gifts.
Contacted yesterday, Jerip, who won in 2006 against Snap with a majority of close to 4,000 claims that the many PKR flags lining his constituency is not a reflection of the community's support for the party.
In fact, he said, BN had purposely allowed the peninsular-based party to raise their flags to "see how much influence they have". He also complained that BN's campaign banners were vandalised.
Near Kampung Benuk, for example, a banner with Jerip's face was spray-painted.
"This is a reflection of the kind of party PKR is. They have anger against the BN for no reason. It is impolite," he said. He doubted that it was the work of the mostly affable and polite locals, who are unlikely to do so even when angry.
He added that the issues, which those approached by Malaysiakini had raised, are already being resolved by the ruling coalition.
The BN government, he said, is taking the matter very seriously by undertaking perimeter surveys and empowering the villagers to survey land themselves using GPS markers.
Time is running out for BN?
But what about the greatest irony of all, the lack of treated fresh water?
"Well, they have gravity pipes now, don't they? Oh, you mean treated water. Did you see the pipes lined up on the roadsides? That's to supply water to the villages from Batu Kitang (treatment plant) ... but these things take time," he said.Time, however, may not be on BN's side.
"You know they say that voting for SUPP is like voting for (chief minister Abdul) Taib Mahmud? I completely agree. He's been there too long. It's time to step aside for someone younger and better," said Akiu, flashing a smile.
However, BN too has reason to smile - all six Bidayuh-majority seats face multi-cornered fights in the April 16 state election.Bengoh and Tarat are being contested by BN, Sarawak National Party (Snap) and PKR.
Meanwhile, the other Bidayuh-majority seats -Tasik Biru,Kedup,Tebedu and Opar - are also vied by independent candidates.- Aidila Razak
source-malaysiakini
Tiada air bersih meskipun dibayangi empangan
Quote.....
“In Selangor you get free water but in Sarawak only the rainwater is free” - Anwar
cheers.
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