SUMMARY STATEMENT
DECLARATION ON INDIGENOUS WOMEN'S RIGHTS OVER LAND IN SARAWAK
WE, the indigenous women from Baram, Tinjar, Miri, Pakan, Machan,
Kanowit and Sibu of Sarawak believe in our menoa rights and uphold
our adat asal (traditional custom) over our land and our
resources. Our menoa rights and our adat asal ensure equity
between women and men over land ownership, decision making in how
land is cultivated and used, and our equal rights within the
family.
WE RECOGNISE THAT:
* Our menoa rights to our land are being eroded and denied
through uncontrolled logging, development of land schemes and
through new methods of agriculture production introduced by the
State.
* The kind of development projects brought to the longhouses and
our homes destroy our culture, our equality within the family and
our access and control over our resources; and
* Our equal involvement and decision makin within the struggle on
rights to our land and the preservation of our adat asal ensure
our adat asal, our rights over land and our equality.
WE, THEREFORE:
* Reject all laws that do not uphold our adat asal over menoa
rights and all development projects and land schemes that threaten
our menoa and adat asal,
* Call upon the authorities concerned for an immediate stoppage of
all logging actions on our menoa;
* Want development that ensures our menoa rights over our land
and resources and our equality in our community. Development of
land according to our adat asal preserves land fertility and the
balance of the ecosystem and our environment. We want development
that meets our basic needs, basic facilities for education,
health, transportation, etc; and
* Want the authorities concerned to change the policy on subsidy
for chemical fertilisers and pesticides to subsidy for machines
and equipments that will ensure organic farming. We will ensure
that women have equal access to this subsidy.
Therefore in order to ensure the protection of our rights and
equality and our objectives for development we will:
* Continue our struggle and protect our rights over land, our
menoa and our adat asal through community actions,
* Reject all laws that do not uphold our menoa and our adat
asal,
* Develop alternative forms of farming and land cultivation
especially through agroforestry and organic farming to ensure
sustainable development; and
* Stop using chemical fertilisers, pesticides and technology
that destroy our land and environment. We will work towards the
use of organic forms of pest control and use of organic
fertilisers.
In order to continue and strengthen our struggle on our rights,
equality, our menoa and adat asal, we will develop the women's
movement in our specific areas and throughout Sarawak. To realise
this, we will need various training programmes on organic farming
and agroforestry; understanding of our rights and equality as
women, on leadership development and skills needed to develop the
alternatives.
--- * Origin: Network of Overseas Students Collective in Australia (NOSCA) (90:900/207)--