Topik Pada Hari Ini
> Dennis Along, Pengarah Komunikasi PKR Baram - Lesen dan PL tidak memberikan syarikat perhutanan hak untuk melakukan apa-apa di tanah dan hutan orang asal
> Nikodemus, penduduk dari Gedong - Mahkamah Persekutuan Menegaskan Hak Adat Tempatan dalam Kes Pertikaian Tanah: Komuniti Pertimbangkan Pampasan dan Membina Sekatan.
> Izdham Zainal, Ketua Biro Dasar MUDA Sarawak - Bilik media DUN adalah milik rakyat Sarawak dan penggunaannya tidak sepatutnya terhad kepada satu parti atau kumpulan sahaja.
On Today Show
> Dennis Along, PKR Baram Communications Director – Licenses and PLs do not grant Logging Companies the right to do anything on the indigenous people's land and forests
> Nikodemus, villager from Gedong – Federal Court Upholds Native Customary Rights in Land Dispute Case: Communities Consider Compensation and Set Up Blockade
> Izdham Zainal, the Head of Policy Bureaus of MUDA Sarawak – DUN media room belongs to the people of Sarawak and its usage should not be restricted to only one party or group
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Dennis Along, PKR Baram Communications Director
*Licenses and PLs do not grant Logging Companies the right to do anything on the indigenous people's land and forests*
The defamation lawsuit filed by the logging giant company, Samling, against Save Rivers Chairman Peter Kalang has sparked anger among local activists and NGOs. Dennis Along had the opportunity to be present at the Miri High Court last week, but the case was postponed to a new date.
The granting of logging licenses/PL to Samling does not confer absolute power. Licenses and PLs have their limitations. They do not grant Samling the right to do anything on the indigenous people's land and forests that would harm the environment and disrupt the indigenous people's lives.
The fundamental principle is that the consent of the indigenous people must be obtained before any logging activities take place.
Dennis congratulates YB See Chee How for raising the issue of Gunung Mulu National Park as a World Heritage Site. Re-nominating Mulu National Park as a World Heritage Site with the addition of Criterion V is appropriate because it includes the Penan and Berawan settlements. Criterion V means being an outstanding example of traditional human settlement, land use, or sea use that represents the interaction between humans and the natural environment. Criterion V is included to recognize the role of the indigenous people/Penan living in Mulu, says Dennis.
However, Dennis explains that the tourism benefits in Mulu are monopolized by the Taib Mahmud family, GPS, and their cronies. Local residents should also be given opportunities. Dennis is grateful that a few years ago, they successfully drove out the palm oil plantation company, Radian Laggon (owned by Abu Bekir, now sold to Yee Ming Seng), which tried to turn Mulu into a palm oil plantation center. We are preserving Mulu not for commercial value but as a precious heritage for future generations, says Dennis.
