Peaceful protest of Tambatuon dam project

KOTA BELUD, April 12, 2011: The Malaysia Human Right Commission (Suhakam) 2010 report has found that the proposed RM450 million Tambatuon Dam here is was being done without consulting the villagers bound to be affected by the project.

In fact, Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP) President Datuk Seri Yong Teck Lee said Suhakam clearly stated that despite objections from his constituents Kadamaian Assemblyman, Datuk Herbert Timbon Lagadan had been a big supporter of the mega project.

Yong said the annual report had already been tabled in the Parliament.

Speaking to open SAPP Tambatuon branch cum peaceful protest of the project at the house of former village head, Singkui Tinggi on Sunday, he told the people from the affected villages that their main worry actually was not the dam itself.

"To me your worst fear is your own leader who you have voted and entrusted to take care of your welfare but reneged ... it is like harapkan pagar, pagar makan padi," he said.

The former Chief Minister said the people of Tambatuon and surrounding areas would not be in this predicament had Herbert fight for them not to allow the project.

"Instead, he told Kuala Lumpur and the minister not to worry as he claimed the people here fully support it," he said, adding that village heads who opposed to the project were sacked.

He said such situations often surfaced because the local Sabah BN parties leaders "are merely political puppets comprising of yes men".

"Some SAPP leaders who were afraid run away and join Gerakan," he quipped.

When Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak announced the proposed coal-fired power plant all the BN leaders in Sabah immediately lauded it and in the process shooting down anything that tried to discredit it.

"When the project was scrapped due to pressures from the people all of them immediately changed tuned," he said.

SAPP had done its part in going all out to protest the coal-fired power plant and similarly it would mobilise all its resources to object the proposed Tambatuon Dam here.

"I've told Singkui that he will not be alone in this fight ... if people from all over the state object to the project then the BN government will be worried," he said.

Towards this end, Yong said SAPP had mobilised its Solidarity team from the Youth movement to voice out the protest not only from the people here but from other districts as well.

"They might not be too worried if the protest comes just from Tambatuon itself but if it also involved people from Kudat, Keningau, Lahad Datu, Sandakan among others then they will be worried.

"If we can fight and make Najib change his mind what is Herbert Lagadan," he said.

According to Yong, he was confident that SAPP would have a candidate in Kadamaian in the coming General Election.

"We must fight on ... lawan tetap lawan," he said.

Meanwhile, former Finance Minister, Datuk Md Nor Mansoor said that being a person from Kota Belud himself, he would like to see the district receive development.

"Of course we want development but the development must not compromise the people's welfare," he said referring to the people in Tambatuon who had been asked to move out because their village would be under water once the dam is completed.

"We will fight but we don't need guns or others we just need a pencil ... vote for SAPP in the election," he said.

SAPP Kota Belud CLC chief, Agnes Liew also came down hard on Herbert by saying that all the reasons given by him on why the dam must be built in Tambatuon to be shallow ideas.

She said that among them was Herbert's contention that without the dam and if Semenanjung Malaysia stopped supplying rice to Sabah, the people here could be facing critical shortage of rice.

"I want to ask have we ever needed rice before? Even during the two years prolonged draught in the 1980s did any people in Kota Belud starved because there was no rice?" she asked.

Liew said that contrary to Herbert's contention, the dam also posed great danger to the people here up to Usukan and Tempasuk because "enemies would just need to bomb the dam and all the villages would be destroyed".

She said people in the district were disappointed with Herbert for he had failed in carrying out his duties to fight for the people.

"He could see other problems in other places but not those right under his nose ... he could see a small germ across the island but not the elephant right in front of him".

She also took Kota Belud MP Datuk Abdul Rahman Dahlan for only saying that "the Tambatuon Dam project is a test for the people" when met by several community leaders on the issue.

"I called upon the people in Kadamaian to be united to reject this kind of leaders who have failed us," she said.

Also on hand were Deputy President, Datuk Eric Majimbun, Vice President, Datuk Frankie Chong, Information Chief, Chong Pit Fah and supreme council members.

Later, the kampung folk together with Yong and other SAPP leaders held a peaceful demonstration by showing placards to protest for the construction of the dam.

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