“I have been able to witness during the last 33 years that Sarawak has undergone tremendous changes. Our success in economic development can be illustrated with the per capita income, which has risen by more than 10 times from RM4,000 in 1981 to RM40,000 now,”
The people, affected by the development of hydro dam in Ulu Baram, will be resettled in the next 10 to 15 years in a new township by the lake side, which will have modern facilities that will be able to attract visitors to it, he said. The environment in Belaga, which is similar to Baram, through the development of Bakun hydro dam, will be able to provide opportunities for the local people to improve their standard of living.
The NGOs, which have been shouting for half a million compensation per family, are making empty noises as the Government has already spent RM2 million per family, or four times more than being shouted at the NGOs, in the process of resettling the people in new areas. This must be told to the affected people and others in our discussions with them as they do not understand and know the development plan being carried out by the Government.
Former CM and “Governor” Taib took the opportunity of issuing a Hari Raya message to make a series of untruthful and offensive claims. First he claimed that support for BN had increased in “every election” Plainly untrue. Perhaps he meant that BN votes had cost more and more to buy in those elections? Next he claimed that per capita income had risen from RM4000 when he obtained power to RM40000 now. Tens of thousands of Sarawakians can only dream of having such an income and most of them are struggling to stay at basic subsistence level. Maybe Taib was confining himself to the income of his cronies and bought supporters.
Speaking about rural voters he claimed that they support BN out of belief in BN sincerity and determination. In reality this five year support provides, in the form of bribes, the ONLY benefit that many rural dwellers get from BN. These natve people who will lose their homes and lands if the Baram dam is forced on them by Taib will, he said, “in between 10 and 15 years” be resettled in a new township on the site. He did not add that during that time they could live on rafts as other native landowners have had to do since they were flooded out by SCORE dams.
Even more laughably he claimed that famiies displaced by dams had been given RM 2 million each by the BN government. That will be news to those concerned! Any money that has been paid out didn’t reach those entitled to it. Where is it? The rest is, or should have been, silence.