SEB chief says Penans 'barking up the wrong tree' – BorneoPost <b>...</b> Berita Sarawak - News 2 Sarawak |
| SEB chief says Penans 'barking up the wrong tree' – BorneoPost <b>...</b> Posted: 28 May 2014 12:39 PM PDT by Lian Cheng, reporters@theborneopost.com. Posted on May 29, 2014, Thursday KUCHING: Sarawak Energy Berhad (SEB) cannot meddle with the arrangement that had been agreed to between the state government and the Penans affected by the Murum hydroelectric dam project. If changes had to be made, it had to be done though discussions between the state government Hence, the Penan community were 'barking up the wrong tree' when they lodged a report against SEB for any dissatisfaction , he said. Sjotveit said he was disappointed that some Penans had lodged a police report against SEB for allegedly short-changing them in their monthly food allowance. It was understood that under an arrangement, each affected Penan household would get a monthly allowance of RM850, comprising RM250 in cash and the rest in kind, especially foodstuff. "How to give them the monthly allowance? It was agreed to between the state government and the Penan community, and SEB is only helping the District Office implement it," Torstein told The Borneo Post yesterday. Torstein said he believed there was no foul play involved, but he would still look into the matter, just to be sure. In any case, he said he had full confidence in his staff who had been entrusted to procure foodstuff for the Penans. "I am very sure SEB is not cheating them. I have been told by my staff that some Penans have wanted the monthly allowance of RM850 to be paid in cash rather than the pre-arrangement of partly in kind and partly in cash. "That has been the key question, and that could be why they filed the police report." Torstein opined that for the Penans to lodge a police report to express their discontent was not proper. "We have been glad to help because that has been a very important part of our work. We have done so much for them. For the Penans to lodge a report against us like that is not helpful at all." He believed the right way would be to pick their own spokespersons and sit down with the state government. Meanwhile, according to Belaga police station, four Penan leaders – Madai Salo of Long Luar, Ramlie Bujang of Long Tangau, Ngang Buling of Long Singu and Liew Bueh of Long Menapa – lodged the police report against SEB at 10 am yesterday. They claimed the power company had short-changed them in the supply of RM600 worth of foodstuff. They also claimed there were times where the value of the food brought to them did not even come up to RM600. The four told police they preferred to be paid RM850 in cash. Among the arrangements between the state government and the 353 affected Penan households from seven villages due to the dam project was giving each household a relocation assistance of M15,000, RM850 allowance per month, 15 hectares of cash-crop plantation, and free housing. The state government claimed to have spent an average of RM1.2 million per household at the Murum and Tegulang resettlement areas for their amenities, including housing and agriculture schemes.   |
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