KUCHING: Timber companies aggrieved by conduct of Suhakam land rights hearing.
Sarawak Timber Association (STA) is mulling staying away from future public hearings of the National Inquiry into Land Rights of Indigenous People by the Human Rights Commission (Suhakam) as its members are unhappy with the way the enquiries have been conducted.
General manager of STA Dr Peter Kho when contacted by The Borneo Post after the hearing in Sibu yesterday said: “The hearing was extremely biased, unfair and non transparent to STA members.”
“We hope to work with Suhakam. But if the public hearing continued to be conducted in this manner, STA members felt strongly against participating in the coming dates slotted for the continuation of the hearing,” he said.
He added that the hearing was not a fact-finding inquiry as claimed but a pronouncement of guilt without giving timber companies a chance to defend themselves.
Suhakam is presently conducting hearings in the state on alleged violations of Customary Rights of native land (NCR) including encroachment into or disposition of native land, administration of land maters, gazetting of native land into forest, wildlife and water catchment reserves and parks as well as plantation schemes and other commercial development projects and compensation.
Kho said that STA member companies were given less than one month to prepare for the hearing and present their side of the issues raised.
“Besides the short notice, member companies were not even given details of the complaints by the natives and what information and documents are required to be furnished by them.”
In the public hearing conducted in Sibu yesterday, STA member companies were caught by surprise that most issues raised were beyond the scope of the complaints stated in the notices to them.
Kho claimed that Suhakam wanted the companies to provide certain documents and threatened to report them for refusing to cooperate when they responded that they were not in a position to produce the documents.
STA also felt that the selection of members of the enquiry panel was not transparent and its composition did not include representatives from all the parties involved.
“Members were questioned by six members whom we believe four are commission members and two are independent consultants. However, one of the independent members is a practicing lawyer and a member of Orang Asli Committee, Bar Council.
“The independent consultants appeared to have preconceived belief that there was encroachment into NCR land when there was no evidence made available to members.”
Kho claimed that the questions posed to timber company representatives at the hearing especially by the independent consultants were confrontational.
More than 100 witnesses are expected to appear during the hearings in four places in the state.
Sibu is the second stopover for the hearings after Serian followed by Bintulu from 7 to 10 and Miri from 12 to 14.