It's rather sad but true, they've got only '3-acre land plots per household' in exchange for their great expanse of undulating lands, brooks, streams, rivers, ravines, valleys, hills and mountains in the Balui territory before. Once, they're free to roam within their Daleh (territory) for their sustenance and livelihood. But nowadays, they're confined to their small 3-acre land plots within an environment surrounded by plantation companies, left and right, for a living!
Indeed, the unavailability and lack of sufficient fertile and cultivable lands in the BRS is one of the crucial and critical legacy issues besetting the OU in the BRS.
Another major obstacle that confounds the owners of these limited 3-acre land plots is the ownership is at stake- PENDING. The 3-acre land plots are yet to be issued with 'Land Titles'. Solving this dilemma must be prioritized by the relevant government authority before it worsens. Anyway, the issuance of Land Titles for the plots of land owned by the rakyat in BRS, had been delayed although initiated by the authorities concerned, the Land and Survey Department and the District Office, Kapit Division after the last state election in 2011. It seems processing the Land Titles is rather slow.
The rakyat hope that the government expedites the process because with the Land Titles to their land plots, they have something as collateral to apply and secure loans to develop their land plots. The issuance of Land Title adds value and worth to the land! Failure to deliver these Land Titles gives PR an opportunity to tell voters about BN's weaknesses to serve the rakyat. Besides, issuing them before & during election time will be regarded as a political bait to win votes!
Being an agriculture-based community, the OU are greatly dependent on the availability of sufficient fertile and cultivable lands in the BRS for survival and sustainability of their livelihood. Any lack of arable land is a blight on their economic development and progress. Many wanted to work on and develop their land plots, and some have cultivated oil palm, rubber, cocoa, pepper and other crops on their 3-acre land plots. But a 3-acre land plot per household is truly not enough to support a growing household! How much more a growing OU population in the BRS!!!
Indeed, the OU in the BRS need more lands for oil palm, rubber, cocoa, pepper and some other crops. Most importantly, arable lands for hill padi planting and other food crops for their staple diet!
Many longhouse folks especially the older generation lacks formal education to be employable by mushrooming oil palm estates and plantations all around the BRS. The companies offer low wages ranging from RM10.00-RM15.00 per day which the locals do not find attractive and sufficient to support an ever increasing cost of living in the BRS. So, the question arises, 'How many uneducated OU want to work at the estates and plantations? How about the educated younger generation comprising those with some forms of formal education at primary, secondary and tertiary level?'
The problem of unemployment problem in the BRS is acute. From observations, it seems many OU are reluctant to find employment with these plantation companies due to the poor pay. Instead, the uneducated ones prefer to till their 3-acre land plots, either planting just a particular crop like pepper or inter-cropping between pepper, cocoa, oil palm, and padi as well. Those with formal education, they prefer looking beyond the horizons where the pastures are greener. Some find work with timber companies, factories and industries in the towns and cities, both locally and internationally. So, they emigrate from the BRS since there are no meaningful employments to sustain their livelihood and living off the land in the BRS.
This also leads to a social issue of decreasing population in the BRS in the foreseeable future.
By the way, it is also sad but true to note that the employment of the locals especially OU in the conglomerates involved in the construction of two mega HEP dams in our Daleh Belaga is pitiful. They can easily be counted with the fingers! For something humongous that happens right in our backyard, it is just too painful and shameless when we are somehow made helpless and tongue-tied to say anything about what's going on!. Yes, shame on us all - both leaders and followers alike! Frankly, we, OU in the BRS and Belaga in general are not strong or united to demand for OU Native Rights!. We are weak, indeed. Outsiders trample on us and do whatsoever they wish!
Maybe, we all need to wake from our slumber, now, sooner or later! Or we never will! You see, people, we, OU, need land, yes, more lands. Ask and take back what have been taken from us with subtlety. For it's an indisputable fact that the majority OU are still uneducated and even if we're educated we still depend on the land for a living! Definitely, the 3-acre land plot given per household by the government is insufficient for the coming and growing OU generations. If nothing is done, we may wake up and find ourselves landless in our own beloved Daleh one day sooner than we ever expected!
But let's not lose hope, for there's indication by the government as disclosed by someone in authority from the government administration that sincere efforts are being taken to look for suitable lands somewhere out there to give our OU communities in the BRS. Meantime, let's just keep our fingers crossed and pray for favor and answer to our cries for more lands!
Yes, we need more lands for our expanding OU population in the BRS- to build new houses for additional families, and of course, needing lands for future expansion and posterity of our great OU people in the BRS and Belaga as well!
LONG LIVE ORANG ULU BELAGA!!! UNITED WE STAND, DIVIDED WE FALL!!!
No comments:
Post a Comment