Baram Dam is Mega Hydro-Bomb

Genesis 1
1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 2 Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.”
3 And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. 4 God saw that the light was good, and he separated the light from the darkness. 5 God called the light “day,” and the darkness he called “night.” And there was evening, and there was morning.”
26 Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.”

We mankind were placed on this land by the Creator to live in harmony with nature and humankind. The Creator gave us our spiritual beliefs, languages and laws and cultures that teach us to respect, nurture, and care for Mother Earth and rights of our neighbours.

The Orang Asal (of the Baram) placed a high importance on their Cultures, Heritages Lands and practice Sacred Ceremonies to ensure their traditions are respected and that these are passed on to future generations. Despite of converted to Christianity the Orang Asal continues to honor the spiritual ancestors and the traditions through their traditional ways and ceremonies. We have the right to maintain and strengthen our spiritual relationship with our traditionally occupied lands, waters and coastal seas. We continue to exercise these rights to fulfil our responsibilities and obligations given to us by the Creator.

What Sarawak Energy Berhad (SEB) or Taib Mahmud is trying to build at Long Keseh (Baram dam) is not going to bring development for the people of the Baram; they (SEB) is going to build a Mega Hydro-Bomb, which is going to be far worse than Hiroshima bomb, which had completely destroyed the city and killed thousands of lives in one single blast.

Over time since 1945, Hiroshima pick up the bits and pieces, rebuild the city is the capital of Hiroshima Prefecture and the largest city of the Chugoku Region, the most western region on Honshu. Today, Hiroshima became a one of modern city in Japan, a city engaged in the promotion of peace. If Baram dam is to built, there’s no way for the Orang Asal to pick up the bit and pieces to rebuild what already submerged (drown) under the mighty lake.      

Ladies and gentlemen, your people who are Anti the dam are not against development. Do not misunderstand on their struggles, and furthermore they are self sponsored through monthly collections from members. Unlike the pro-Baram dam, who are heavily finances (sanglaw or under-table money) from SEB and those who have personal interest on the timbers (sapu-block) and the dam.

If that development you are thinking is to come is at the cost of the life of the people of the Baram. It will flood their lands, destroy their heritages, cultures, NCR, security and civilization of the Baram people, no way would it be allowed. I wouldn't allowed it either, if someone suddenly appear at your door step one morning and asking you to evacuate your house and forcing you to divorce your husband/wife. What do you think you’ll do?

Or are you deserve to be called “opposition” or “anti-development”?

Therefore, the opponents of the construction of the Baram Dam are not just ’oppositions’, but are advocates for what they see as more sustainable, equitable and efficient technologies and management practices. They can see the something bigger than Hiroshima bomb is going to happen after the building of the Baram dam.

Tell me how much do you know about “development”?  

To many people, large dams have instead become symbols of the destruction of the natural world and of the corruption and arrogance of over-powerful and secretive corporations, bureaucracies and governments. Although hundreds of large dams are still under construction and many more are on the engineers’ drawing boards, aid funds and other public sector sources of financing are drying up, and public protests are provoked by just about every large dam that is now proposed in a democratic country.

So far, there’s NO good example of a happy ending stories on the people after building of dams.

Check for yourself…ask the people of Rumah Asap who had gone through so-called “development”. They were promised by Taib Mahmud and Alfred Jabu about 15-20 years ago, the new resettlement at Rumah Asap will flow with “milk and honey”.

Needless to mention. Sadly today, most of the people of Rumah Asap are forced to migrate to Kuching, Bintulu, Miri to find works, and most are employed as hard-labours and “kuli-kang”. Do you blame them for chosen their fate? No, they were forced by irresponsible people to become what they are today. They are the same people who coming to the Baram with sheep cloths.  

To all of you my brother and sister who thinks SEB and the government bring you mega developments in the Baram, watch out on this BIG LIES. They (SEB & the government) knew the people of the Baram are easy target on their lies and made you depending on them on everything you needs; it is call ‘depression’. They give out BR1M, e-Kasih, free dinner at Marriott Hotel Miri, etc, which cost a peanut with great impact in tempting you to demand for more. They simply want you to subject to 'depression' depend on them for the rest of you life.

When depression hits, it hijacks your thoughts and feelings. It whispers seductive lies into your ears; lies that gradually start sounding like the truth. I know how that feels, because I have struggled with it too. If on the other hand, you knew the lies depression commonly uses, then you can ignore or replace them with your own inner truth. And every time you do that, you have healed a little bit.

Before I end my letter to you, I would like to share with you a short story.

The story that goes something like this.

A professor puts up a big white board with a black dot on it, and then asks his students to describe what they see. Most of them come close to scrutinize the board and blurt out the answer excitedly “The black dot! There is a black dot on it!”

Finally, the professor says “It’s interesting that most of you didn’t notice the whole white board in front of you, but rather chose to focus on that one small black dot.

This is what happens when we focus solely on the negative things the anti Baram dam. I’m not saying your difficulties are just dot sized. Not at all. All I’m saying is: Don’t forget to see the struggles and beautiful expanse of white the Anti-Baram dam are doing. Because the problems of lies, manipulations, corruptions from the government, SEB and Taib Mahmud is there on the white board in front of you.