The fundamental problem with palm plantation, and land use generally, in Sarawak is that native customary rights over land, existing from time beyond which the memory of man runneth not to the contrary (to use the customary legal jargon), and recognised by the Brookes and the British colonial administration have, since Malaysia, been  perverted by greedy politicians and their mega rich business partners. That is the plain truth of the matter and it is all down to the Taib administration whose arbitrary decisions on land ownership and use have, regrettably, been allowed by the Courts.

As a result the tropical forest that covered most of Sarawak has been destroyed and the proceeds divided between rich members of the Chinese community and corrupt politicians. Not content with that the same people have grabbed native customary land and ignored native rights, again regrettably supported by the Courts in many instances. Thus native Sarawakians who relied on the forest for their living lost it, and much of their land with it, to a greedy, corrupt minority of politicians, businessmen and government officials.

How is that possible it might be asked? The answer s simple. Quinquennial elections to the State Assembly have allowed those in power to remain there by the simple expedient of election bribery. An unsophisticated electorate is cheap. A hand full of ringgit, crates of beer and some free food have allowed the democracy, theoretically put in place in Sarawak, to be over ridden for fifty years at a cost of virtually nothing compared with the value of the timber and land taken from the native people to whom it belonged.

The corrupt Federal administration simply closed its eyes to what was going on in its component State so long as the oil, which is rightfully the property of the State, went to swell the Federal coffers. Scandalous. Of course..Criminal Certainly. Deliberately overlooked.Of course. It remains to be seen how the new PH government will deal with the situation. With the wholly corrupt Sarawak State government sitting in coalition in the Federal Assembly the omens are not good. The whole Augean stable that is Sarawak could be cleaned out if the MACC were able to investigate. It seems they are not since they do nothing in that State.

There is a school of thought that holds that the Taib robber crew can be defeated in the next State election and that matters can be investigated after that. . Dream on!  There is only one place where all those Sarawakian criminals should be and that is in prison. Not in the plush seats of the Legislative Assembly.