‘Have a ministry specifically to look after resettled people’ Masing

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KUCHING: It is suggested that the state government set up a ministry or an agency to look after the needs of people who are resettled due to mega projects.

The local Penans dismantle their blockade after the authorities promised to look into their request.

Land Development Minister Tan Sri Datuk Amar Dr James Masing will make the proposal to the cabinet so that a ministry or an agency could be set up to take care of those re-settlers.

He believed the setting up of such a ministry or agency was important with the state developing fast and many mega projects being either implemented or were in the pipeline.

“The ministry or the agency can then take care of those people displaced by mega projects such as the building of HEP dams, reservoir dams or other projects that would affect large number of people,” Masing told The Borneo Post yesterday.

He said any major development in the state would involve resettlement of people and the needs for them to be given special attention.

Citing the recent case of the Penans in Tegulang who had to resort to demonstration to get their message across, Masing said the problems would not have cropped up if there was an official agency to take care of these people.

The Penans of Tegulang held a peaceful protest at the Murum HEP Dam site last week demanding that basic infrastructure and amenities such as road, school and clinic be built in their midst.

As an GLC undertaking the Murum HEP Dam project, Sarawak Energy Bhd has been blamed for not providing the necessary infrastructure and basic amenities.

Masing, who is also Baleh assemblyman, said SEB was not a charitable organisation, and as such, should not be penalised, as it’s not its responsibility.

“It is the state government’s responsibility to provide roads, schools and clinics, not SEB,” Masing said.

Meanwhile, Minister of Infrastructure Development and Communications Dato Sri Michael Manyin said the state Public Works Department had yet to receive any request from the people’s local representatives with regards to the needs of road connecting Metalun and Tegulang to the main road.

“The local representatives must write and propose to us about the needs of road linking Metalun and Tegulang to the main road. Until now, we have not received any official proposal on such needs.”

Masing concurred with Manyin’s response saying there were many areas of resettlements that remained unresolved because there was no official ministry or agency responsible to deal with the resettled people.

“Apart from those in Metalun and Tegulang, issues faced by people affected by the Bengoh Dam are also not resolved.

“As a consequence, the state had to experience severe water shortage because of the unresolved resettlement issue,” he said.