What price …

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“COME on, let’s go. It’s so hot out here,” said Mr Tan’s wife. His daughter was also getting impatient.

“Wait a minute, I want to take a photo of the tree.”

“Why? It is just a scrawny old tree.”

Tan and his brother exchanged a despairing look but he could quite understand the attitude of his family. His wife is not from Sarawak and his daughter grew up in Singapore. That was the first time they visited his home town. The old tree that they dismissed so casually holds a very special place in the hearts of the brothers. It was planted by them when they were mere boys nearly 50 years ago. It had been some 30 years since they last saw it and it was like the lyrics from the famous song ‘Green, Green Grass Of Home’: “… there’s the old oak tree that I used to play on …” However, the value Tan placed on the moment was not shared by his wife and daughter.

Some years ago, a friend bought an old bungalow from a family who had migrated overseas. He spent a fair sum renovating it and got the garden re-landscaped. It was revamped beyond recognition and he thought it was a vast improvement. Indeed it was. A few years later the son of the former owner came back to Kuching for a visit. The old house where he grew up was gone and in its place a magnificent modern building. Yet the young man cried like a baby. At first my friend was puzzled and then it dawned on him. Memories are priceless to the persons concerned.

It is in this light that the plan to build a dam on the Baram River and drown a huge tract of the hinterland is causing such tumult. The proposed dam is part of the ambitious project termed the Sarawak Corridor of Renewable Energy (SCORE). The main thrust is to dam 12 of Sarawak’s mighty rivers to harness their hydro energy. This development project is aimed to accelerate the state’s economic growth.

Recently, a group of some 50 natives from Baram protested in front of the Sarawak state secretariat building in Kuching. They delivered a petition containing more than 1,000 signatures stating their opposition to the dam project.

To some this opposition to what is touted as Sarawak’s march towards development may be seen unreasonable.

“If it means cheaper electricity, more development and better business opportunities then it can’t be bad,” one said.

“To build something new we have to destroy the old. This is the price of development,” said another.

Perhaps the last speaker might have unconsciously hit the nail on the head. Price is the crux of the matter.

“The dam will inevitably submerge the ancestral homelands of more than 20,000 people and in the process, forcibly displace us from our homes. We will also be unjustly deprived of our land, sources of livelihood and sustenance, and face an uncertain future,” said the leader of the protesting group.

The state is at pains to point out that in bringing development to the region, it is pulling the people into the mainstream of the modern world with all the associated benefits and that the people affected will be adequately compensated for making the grave sacrifice of losing their community.

Those in opposition say that to the natives community land is not a mere economic resource but is central to their social, cultural, spiritual and political identity. If indeed that is the case, what price is fair compensation for the loss of that identity? Can the community be recreated at another site? If it can be, how much effort is put into it?

Mr and Mrs X are one such couple. They used to live in the upper reaches of the Rajang River until it was affected by the Bakun Dam. They were given a decent sum. Being prudent souls they elected to use the money to purchase a sizeable piece of land just outside Kuching. It is a beautiful piece of real estate, with hillocks and running stream. By all accounts it is a very good spot to settle down. However, one thing is missing – the community. While before they lived among relatives and friends in their longhouses, now they are just a lonely couple. They are like fish out water.

When I discussed this matter with a friend, he said the situation reminded him of a fable. It went like this: The farm animals were very excited about the coming Christmas celebration. They held a meeting to plan for the traditional Christmas dinner. There were many ideas suggested about decorations, entertainment and music. Everyone enthusiastically pitched in the discussion, all except the turkey, and no wonder, for he knew what had always been the main item at a traditional Christmas dinner.

I believe that story is not quite apt as an analogy. The building of the dam and the displacement of people need not be a zero sum affair. The authorities need to appreciate fully the depth of the feeling of people towards their history and heritage. There must be political will to involve them to rebuild their community on another site and to ensure that adequate resources are allocated to the exercise.