Easy to cancel Tambatuon Dam, just cancel BN, says lawyer

By Ezra Haganez 

KOTA BELUD : Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP) said the only way to cancel the proposed Tambatuon Dam over Kadamaian River here is to vote out its own proposer, the Barisan Nasional (BN) government!

SAPP supreme council member, Peter Marajin, a lawyer who hails from Kadamaian, gave this advise to the Tambatuon folks over their disappointment with their own village head Amin Goling and the Kota Belud MP, Rahman Dahlan which continued to promote the dam.

"We cannot hold onto any of the pledges made by BN leader on not to go ahead with the controversial dam. Even the Kota Belud MP's own words are not an assurance it will not be built. It maybe not this year, but they will surely build it later, maybe in 2013. We never know with their kind of words," said the well-liked lawyer in a statement Saturday.

Marajin said, Rahman, the villagers must take note had not said that the proposed dam would be cancelled. "What Rahman said was the dam would not be built without the consent of the villagers. In fact he had been asking the villagers to reconsider their opposition to the half-a-billion ringgit dam," he said.

In Marajin's view, the Tambatuon village head Amin's premature support for Rahman's statement is nothing more than confusing and hoodwinking the Kadamaian folks especially in his own kampung into believing the BN government is now not going ahead with dam, which is not true.

"My observation was further corroborated now with the other Tambatuon folks today insisted on a black and white assurance if indeed BN is not going ahead with the dam, which would submerge their scenic kampung and threatened nearby kampungs too," said Marajin.

The Tambatuon dam has become a flashpoint of opinions here with the majority of the Dusun Tindal villagers against building it. In fact they have taken ritual vows over slaughtered buffaloes and chickens that they would defend their kampung with their blood if machines start coming to Tambatuon which many claimed to be a beautiful village.

They have also put signboards and other warnings at the entrance to their kampung that they are against the proposed dam and those who perpetrate to promote its building would be dealt with accordingly.

The Kadamaian PBS assemblyman, Herbert Timbon Lagadan, stands alone among his community over the Tambatuon dam. He has become a target for criticism for his open support to the dam which he claimed would benefit not only the Tambatuon folks but the whole district as it supplies both electricity and water to paddy farms.

Marajin, not mincing his words, said "to cancel the dam, just cancel BN, logs, stock and barrel with UMNO allies PBS and UPKO!"