(From left) Oil palm farmers Ludai Manggat, Sudau Sunggau, Dina Paing, Madu Sunggau, Begang Ajun, and Simah Ukar hold up a banner protesting the ban.
MIRI: The Dayak Oil Palm Planters Association of Sarawak (Doppa) launched a new campaign yesterday to tell their side of the story on palm oil.
In a press release, Doppa said it is a unique entity globally as it is the only organised group to represent the interests of indigenous smallholders in the palm oil industry.
Doppa said it hopes the project will clarify that not all palm oil causes environmental destruction and human rights abuses.
Vice-president Rita Insol said they are small farmers working on lands passed down to them by their forefathers.
“Some of us have lost our lands, which we used for shifting cultivation. So as we enter the 21st century, we recognise the need to create stable and permanent farms from which we hope to better our livelihoods and provide a better future for the coming generations of indigenous people in Sarawak,” she said in reference to a call by 174 scientists against the use of palm oil in biofuels, using the argument that palm oil causes socio-environmental disasters without exception.
Children of Dayak oil palm farmers protest against the ban.
(From left) Rita with Doppa treasurer Ignatius Mada, advisor Ali Basah Lefal, and committee member Timothy Gima Uji.
“It was a source of amusement to see ‘experts’ arguing about our rights as indigenous people as if we could not speak ourselves. This is not true. We, as indigenous people of Borneo have fought for our rights for a long time already.”
Rita said they are grateful to non-governmental organisations (NGOs) for speaking on their behalf but pointed out they want to speak for themselves, especially when some NGOs threaten their livelihood by attacking palm oil.
“We rely heavily on palm oil as a cash crop to enable us to enjoy the same standards of living as these NGOs. Our parents fought alongside the Australian and British soldiers to protect our lands. We remain always grateful to these countries for helping us to preserve our lands.
“We remain especially grateful to the United Kingdom for their guidance on the development of Sarawak. The oil palm, which was introduced to Sarawak by the British government in the 1960s as a pathway towards self-sustenance, has proven itself,” she said.
Rita added that as indigenous people of Borneo and farmers in the 21st century, they are now finally able to fend for themselves on the lands their parents fought to protect alongside Australian and British soldiers.
“Many of us grow rice, fruits and vegetables on our indigenous lands for survival and depend on the cash sales from oil palm fruits to buy what we cannot grow. Our oil palm empower us as indigenous people,” she stressed.
Doppa said this campaign hopes to deliver a message to those against palm oil that they are hurting indigenous people by discriminating against palm oil.