Concern raised over Sabah govt’s decision to proceed with Papar Dam project

0

Datuk John Ambrose (left) and Ceasar Mandela Malakun

PENAMPANG: The Sabah government should reconsider its decision to proceed with the Papar Dam project and find other alternatives to solve water and power shortage in the state, says Penampang Bersatu Chief Senator Datuk John Ambrose.

He said there are many other ways to overcome the issues faced in Sabah instead of spending billions of ringgit on a dam, which could potentially damage mother nature and take away the livelihood of the indigenous people who have been living in the affected areas for generations.

“I would like to urge the state government to reconsider going ahead with the construction of the dam, despite having claimed that the location of its construction has been moved completely into the Papar district.

“Regardless, there will still be indigenous folk affected by the project, taking away their heritage, livelihood and not to mention the destruction the project will bring to mother nature,” he said in a statement, here, today.

According to Ambrose, the Sabah government has yet to reveal the exact new location of the dam, how many people and how they will be affected as well as the feasibility report of the project which is something that is worrying for the people, especially the people of Kaiduan, where the dam was initially proposed to be constructed.

“There will be endless sleepless nights for the people of Penampang as long as this issue is not resolved.

“Every day I meet and get calls from worried folk in Penampang who are expressing their objection towards the construction of the dam.

“I have visited the previously proposed construction site of the dam in Kaiduan together with several NGOs including those who are now in the state government such as Jennie and Adrian Lasimbang together with the local folk but I have yet to visit the new site that the state government had announced,” he added.

Ambrose said the Sabah government should also take the advice of Prof Dr Felix Tongkul of University Malaysia Sabah (UMS) who proposed that the area should be gazetted into a natural water catchment area.

“The best storage system is the one championed by our prof Tongkul. Don’t cut the trees and keep large forest reserves. That is free storage made by God,” he said, adding that Bersatu Penampang was compiling the working paper on using the water catchment system proposed by Tongkul, which would be presented to the Sabah government.

Meanwhile, Penampang Armada Chief Ceasar Mandela Malakun said it was worrying to see the major announcement made that the dam would proceed without publishing proper feasibility study or consultation with the stakeholders.

“The state government should be more transparent to the public otherwise there might be resistance from the public.

“Nobody seems to know where the dam will be and it seems that even Ministers and Assistant Ministers do not know what this mysterious dam will be,” he said, in a separate statement, today.

According to Malakun, not many people realised that the previous Infrastructure Development Minister Tan Sri Joseph Pairin Kitingan had announced a compensation package to help villagers start a new life in their new surroundings.

“The package includes 0.3 acres of residential land for each household with a detached house, resettlement allowance of RM10,000 per household, payment of “sogit” (customary fines) for burial grounds, financial compensation for loss of land, crops and building, five acres of agricultural land with land title for each household and RM500 monthly allowance for 3 years foreach household.”

“The new settlement would also have a school, health clinic, police post, tarred roads, electricity, water, telecommunication services and modern sewage, drainage, waste management, church, surau, community hall, sports field, grocery store, cultural centre and a burial ground – what is the package given now?” he said.