PENAN'S PLEDGE

salam

Not many of us know about the Penan in the Sarawak interior area. Most of the news about them will never last long. Allegation after allegation regarding the mistreatment they need to endure there will definitely brushed of as mere sensationalisation by the NGOs and international body. What actually happen inside there no one ever know exactly especially us here in the peninsula.

Penan is generally a nomadic people who live in the interior area of Sarawak. One of the most popular area is around the interior place called Baram. Numbering around 10 to 12 thousand people, they are mostly hunter gatherer and also small scale farmer. Their staple food are mainly sago and rice. Large scale logging around their tribal land has happened for many years as their land is not recognized as theirs. Realistically, no one care what they claim as their land without a documentation and who cares if they can make millions of money from the logging activity. Ancestral land? Forget it!!

Majority of the Penan is illiterate and to make matter worse they are also without a proper ID or no ID at all. They are practically moneyless and their only way to have contact with the modern world is through the mercy of the logger and their concessionaire. As what happen recently in one of the area, the concessionaire just dismantled the bridge that they use for logging cutting the communication of the Penan with the world. Reason? They need to use the bridge for other area of logging and they say the Penan can always use other routes in the jungle that they use since their ancestor. Fair? fair lah...like the Penan have the money to pay for the bridge. hmm..

Recently, there are 3 events involving them

1. THE BRIDGE ISSUE
As i mention above, the bridge was build by the concessionaire for the benefits of logging the area and not actually for the people there. Who cares about the nomadic people without the power to voice out inside the interior area? Illiterate some more. The pledge of the people there to maintain the bridge for their own use to have a proper access with outside world was initially entertain by the company. The most likely reason at that time was somehow related to the sensatinalisation of the issue in the mainstream paper. Unfortunately, after the issue cool down, they come in again and say they will definitely dismantle the bridge. What the government of Sarawak say? I don't know.

2. THE STARVATION ISSUE
The Penan is having a torrid time with their paddy field. They are unfortunate the second round because their planting failed making them literally without their main staple food. They try to sustain their community by helping each other and sharing whatever they have. Of course it is not enough. So now the government will help? mm...almost unheard even though it seem that the problem inside there was serious. Maybe the government there don't like publicity. At one time, they just dismiss the story as not really true. So? back to the mercy of the concern people. Fortunately there are caring people out there who came out with the project to help them. Through the local Christian establishment, they get all the donation and try to send to the people of the Penan. How long it take without a proper route? 4 days minimal. Why they don't ask the government to help to send using the air route? don't ask me.

3. THE RAPE ALLEGATION
Not the first time then. I think i have heard about this last year and the year before. Same old story. one group will come out with the evidences of rapes..not one or two or three, this time it is actually at least 7. Who did that to the unfortunate people? They claim it is the timber worker. Logic? Of course la..who else. Age? the youngest 12, the eldest 17. evidences? The many child without a father so what happen? The police said the Penan women don't want to talk about the allegation. What happen? One day they are talking to the people about their raping allegation, the next day they refuse to talk? hmm..fishy.. What else? don't ask me to start about the hydroelectric project which will wipe out most of the area inside there.

So?