Source : Panchar Penemu
(A Publication of the Institute for Community Education - IPK, Sibu, Sarawak).
July-August Issue
The Berawan Speaks: Land Is Our Fortress of Survival
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The settlement along the Melinau river, a tributary of Tutoh, in the Baram
District has been home to the Berawans for generations. The first settlement
of the Berawan began in 1863 at Sungei(river) Padas, Melinau. Subsequently,
more settlements were established at Sungei Pala, Sungei Lupa and Batu Bungan
in Melinau, Sungei Melinau Paku, Sungei Berar and Melinau Gorge. The Rajah
forces under Charles Brooke tricked the Berawans living in the Melinau area to
move to Limbang in May 1895. However, in the same year, the Berawans returned
to the Baram river, remigrating up to Tutoh as far as Long Bruang.
As with all indigenous peoples, their land is their life. They know they have
a right to work on the land and that their environment is the giver of food,
medicines etc. and so take from it in a controlled manner. But their once
peaceful existence is under threat: the declaration of the Mulu area as a
national park in 1975 is affecting the Berawan Native Customary Right (NCR)
landowners.
More NCR lands were affected by the constuction of the Mulu airport in 1990,
followed by a five-star hotel a year later, to cater to the constant flow of
tourists coming to Mulu. Their lands continued to be encroached by the
construction of a road from the airport to the hotel, and a feeder road to
the base camp. Following repeated encroachment into their NCR land, the
Berawans launched a peaceful protest and demanded for compensation.
Construction work was temporarily halted in August 1992.
But the People's victory was shortlived. The authority sent in the police and
field force (paramilitary) personnel to quell the peaceful protest. A local
leader was called to the divisional police station in Miri on several
occasions and interrogated. The police also threatened to arrest him.
On 28th April 1993, the Berawans highlighted their plight in public. They
distributed pamphlets echoing their concern, "The Berawan Speaks: Land is our
Fortress of Survival" to all foreign touists coming in to Mulu. The campaign
received wide support and sympathy from the tourists.
Two months later, a letter from the Office of the Chief Minister and signed by
the State Secretary was handed to the Penghulu(Chief) of Long Terawan stating
that the latter's term of service as penghulu would be terminated this
September. No reason was given for the termination, but it was believed that
the penghulu nad his family were active on the Berawan land struggle.
The Berawans reaffirmed that they have lived in the area of Upper Tutoh since
the period of the Sultan of Brunei who ruled the Baram in the 18th and 19th
centuries. They believe that their settlement existed over a century before
the creation of the Mulu National Park.
It is for this reason that the Berawans continue to stuggle in defence of
their ancestral land, till today.
However, the state government has conceded that it will not negotiate with the
Berawans egarding their land claims.
According to the Sarawak Chief Minister, Taib Mahmud, quoted in verbatim: "The
state government will not hold any meeting with the Berawans. If we are to
entertian these greedy people, then it would set a precedent and an
encouragement for others to make similar claims. Soon all state land could be
in these greedy people's hand... The Berawans do not have any poof of their
NCR claims to the land at Mulu." (People's Mirror newspaper, 7-7-93)
He believed that the people were making false land claims and that there was a
certain group that was inciting the Berawan community to demand for excessive
compensation in a move to prevent tourists from visiting the Mulu National
Park (People's Mirror, Borneo Post 7-7-93).
Many of the Berawans are appreciative of the spin-off ventures that the
development of the Mulu National Park has brought. Cases in point are the tour
companies and lodging houses - small enterprises operated by the Berawans
themselves.
The land at stake, howeve are the lands outside the national park which the
Berawans have not agreed to release -and for good reasons too. They need the
land to hunt, fish, woship, collect building mateials and a host of other
resources. Land is for their economic survival. They also need the land to
maintain their ancestral ties and their future generations. Without land,
their lives will be uncertain, their culture destroyed. Thus their NCR land
rights show that they have a history and an identity.
As their elders put it, "We have always lived here. We trace our heritage back
to the pre-Brooke era when the Baram area was ruled by the Sultan of Brunei."
(Compiled from the Berawan pamphlets entitled "The Berawan Speaks: Land is our
fortress of survival", Berawans Press Statement, varrious newspapers and oral
tradition of the Berawans.)
--- * Origin: Asia Pacific Solidarity - Sarawak (90:600/108)--