Battle of the ‘Ngaus’ in Telang Usan

Joseph Tawie | April 7, 2011
Another 'hot seat' in rural Sarawak is the Telang Usan constituency where PKR has the edge over its five rivals including Barisan Nasional.

KUCHING: For the past two years, Telang Usan has been making national and international headlines following the government’s proposal to construct two dams in the area – one at Sungai Tutoh and the other at Long Keseh on the Baram River.

The dam at Long Keseh is the better known issue.

Since the proposal for the dam was announced, the local Kayan, Kenyah and Punan communities have had sleepless nights.

When implemented this project will displace more than 10,000 natives from 10 longhouses from upper Long Keseh and submerge for good their churches, chapels, native customary rights (NCR) lands, roots and culture.

Besides, it is not known yet where and how these natives will be resettled.

This issue will be Harrison Ngau Laing’s platform going into the 10th state election. Ngau is the PKR candidate in the Telang Usan constituency.

Described as a “hot seat” for Barisan Nasional (BN), the constituency will see a six-cornered fight.

Telang Usan incumbent Lihan Jok has for some unknown reason declined to defend his seat and BN partner Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB) is now fielding his cousin Dennis Ngau.

Others in the fight are Sarawak Nasional Party (SNAP) candidate Kebing Wan and two independents Jok Ding and Henry Belawing.

Belawei claims to be representing the agrarian coalition supported by Parti Ekonomi Rakyat Sarawak Bersatu (PERSB).

But the real battle is between the two Ngaus.

SNAP worry

Of the five candidates, Harisson appears to have an edge. He was a Baram MP in the 1980s.

Harisson was detained under the Internal Security Act (ISA) for championing the cause of the marginalised people.

He was then an activist with Sahabat Alam Malaysia (SAM) fighting injustice against the natives over the native customary rights (NCR) lands.

Following his release from Kamunting, he took up law studies and is now a respected NCR lawyer in Sarawak.

Kebing Wan, who is SNAP deputy president, has made many unsucessful attempts, in the past, at wresting the Telag Usan seat from BN.

Considered as a “recycled” candidate, Kebing’s lifestyle is well noted in the area.

They know him well enough what he can and cannot do in Telang Usan. He has been in politics for the past 20 years.

Rumours are rife that Umno is supporting SNAP candidates.

Voters in Telang Usan are worried that if SNAP wins. the candidate will likely jump ship to BN.

Despite SNAP’s denial and its continued push to promote the party as local-based, voters in Telang Usan remain sceptical.

BN’s ‘good work’

Meanwhile, PBB through Dennis is hoping to ride on non-defending incumbent Jok’s “good work” in supporting the consruction of the Baram dam.

Jok once described the construction of the dam as a “gift of God” for the Baram people. His comments, however, were much chastised by the opposition.

But Jok’s argument was simple. He said that because of the dam, some RM500 million worth of roads and other infrastructure projects were being constructed for Telang Usan.

It appears that Jok has schooled his cousin well in the business of politics.

Dennis is expected to continue pushing for the construction of the dam in Telang Usan.

Dennis, who was Jok’s personal aide, is closely associated with PBB and Chief Minister Taib Mahmud.

It means it will be easier for him to look for more funds for the development of Telang Usan besides solving many of the people’s problems.

But the constituents may suffer a major setback: if they vote for Dennis, they are also keeping Taib in power and allowing him to wipe out NCR lands to build the dam and re-settle the Orang Ulu near the Sarawak-Kalimantan boarder.

In the run-up to the polls on April 16, Dennis will have to deal with native opposition to the dam.

He will also have to explain the government’s seeming inability to deal with resettling their kinsmen in Sungai Assap who were affected by the construction of the Bakun Dam more than a decade ago.

Bakun luggage

The native issue in Bakun is still unsettled. Protests after protests have been carried out by the natives, but nobody listens to them.

A signature campaign containing some 20,000 signatures has been carried out in the past two years.

The signatures will be attached to a memorandum which is to be submitted soon to the relevant authorities including the Prime Minister’s Department.

Meanwhile, the two independents – Ding and Belawing – have been dismissed as “irrelevant” in the fight to wrest Telang Usan from BN and end Taib’s rule.

Telang Usan has 13,000 voters who would prefer a candidate who is god-fearing (read bible issue), patriotic, courageous (to stand up against NCR grabs), educated and with good morality and leadership ability.

A longhouse chief in Telang Usan, when contacted after nomination yesterday, said: “We are looking into the qualities of the candidate, someone who dares to defend our rights and speaks for our interests.

“Ultimately, we the voters need to judge and analyse each of the candidates seriously. We must look at their achievements and, most importantly, how each one of them can live up to serving the people of Telang Usan,” he said.