ON April, 10, 2008, Pusaka KTS Forests Plantation together with the community leaders of Uma Beluvo Long Panai, Batu Belah Long Ukok and Long Palo, signed an agreement whereby Pusaka KTS would undertake to plant oil palm on state land in Coupes 5, 6 and 7 areas.
PHOTO SHOOT: The four headmen and their wives together with the general manager of STIDC and representatives of PUSAKA KTS.
In a similar agreement presented to Kampung Long Terawan in 2009, PKTS would develop the state land in Coupe 8 Long Terawan area.
Before signing the agreement, the people of Long Panai held several meetings and came up with a 10-point resolution containing their requests to be submitted to Pusaka KTS.
On November, 30, 2007, a nine-member PKTS delegation, headed by Dato Vincent Chapman and Chuo Kuong Ping, visited Long Panai for a meeting with the people there.
At the meeting, on behalf of Long Panai residents, TR Gilbert Ding, a prominent community leader in the area, presented the 10-point resolution
for the information of those present. He said one of requests was for Pusaka KTS to cultivate oil palm for Long Panai at PKTS Licensed Area.
According to him, the Long Panai villagers had lived for hundreds of years in the area not only “on our NCR land but also on state land.”
TR Gilbert Ding said on state land, the villagers were able to obtain rattan and wood to build their longhouses but he pointed out that if the company were to develop the land, the villagers would like to participate in the project because they did not want to be left without getting anything.
“We don’t want to continue living in depravation, so we requested PKTS to plant oil palm for us,” he added.
TR Gilbert Ding said to meet their request, PKTS was willing to cultivate 130 hectares with oil palm as a ‘gift’ to the Long Panai folks.
However, Ping Laing, the women leader representing the Long Panai community, made a strong appeal to the PKTS delegation to increase ‘the gift’ to 200 hectares with maintenance up to the first harvest.
Chapman could not give an answer at the meeting but promised to bring the matter up to the managing director of the company.
Through the advice of Chapman who submitted the request of the Long Panai com-munity, and the favourable consideration by the higher authority, the cultivation of palm oil on the proposed 200 hectares for the Long Panai community was approved.
Also given the nod was 100 hectares for the villages at Batu Belah Long Ukok and Long Palo. And in 2009, Pusaka KTS also approved 200 hectares for the villagers of Long Tera-wan.
All these are “gifts” from PKTS to the three villages in Kampung Long Terawan, Kampung Long Panai and Kampung Long Ukok/Long Palo.
TR Gilbert Ding has conveyed the profound thanks of the three villages to PKTS for the company’s generosity and its commendable sense of corporate social responsibility.
He said Pusaka KTS Forests Plantation Sdn Bhd is the only company in Miri Division that has reached out to help the rural dwellers.
“They not only present ‘gifts’ as I have mentioned above, but also other forms of assistance. In 2009, during the big floods that hit Kampung Long Panai and Batu Belah,
PKTS gave thousands of ringgit in aid of the victims. The company also contributed generously to buy roofs for the longhouses at Kampung Long Terawan, and offered other relief measures to help the affected villages.
“That’s why I dare to mention here that PKTS is the only company in our state that is willing to contribute towards raising the living standards of the ruralites.Thank you PKTS. Thank you.”
TR Gilbert Ding noted that there is now a change in the planning and plantation management of Pusaka KTS Forests Plantation.
“Instead of cultivating oil palm, it has switched to planting Akasia trees. That’s why we are here today to witness the signing of the supplemental agreement between Pusaka KTS Forests Plantation and the community leaders representing the three longhouses.”
He informed the community leaders at the meeting that as PKTS would not be cultiva-ting oil palm on the 200 hectares, the company would exchange the ‘gift’ promised earlier for cash – RM2million for Kampung Long Terawan, RM2million for Kampung Long Panai, and RM1million for Kampung Batu Belah.
For this, TR Gilbert Ding said he wanted to thank Pusaka KTS Forests Plantation Sdn Bhd again on behalf of the three villages.