State agency ignores natives to issue new logging licence
By Roselind Jarrow, Free Malaysia Today
KUCHING: Despite protests from the villagers and longhouse folk, the Forest Department continues to ignore the plight of the people between Sungai Sebangan and Sungai Sebuyau when it issued a licence to a company to log timber in their “pulau galau” (communal forest).
“This is the third company that has been given the licence,” said Nicholas Mujah, secretary-general of Sarawak Dayak Iban Association.
He said two other companies have been given a similar licence some years ago, “but when they found out that the area is our communal forest, they gave up”.
“We are wondering why the department has been ignoring our protests,” said Mujah.
The licence was issued to Quarry Concrete Holdings recently.
The villagers are also mulling legal action against the department and the company.
Mujah said the timber in the area is meant for the villagers’ domestic consumption. The site is also a water catchment area supplying water to Sebangan bazaar and nearby villages and longhouses.
On Monday, a group of people representing Kampung Entangor, Kampung Sungai Ijok, Kampung Arus, Kampung Tungkah Dayak and Kampung Ensika went to the company’s campsite to demand the company stop logging in their “pulau galau”.
