CAUSE OF PROTEST - NOT GIVEN PROPER INFO, SAYS GROUP

Kota Belud, June 21, 2009: The Kuala Pintasan-Kampung Labuan grazing reserve Action Committee (Lantas) denied that the recent demonstration involving more than 1,000 Labuan and Wakap villagers was to protest the Federal-funded agropolitan project here.

In a statement by Lantas Secretary Rusidi Merjin, Deputy Chairman Datu Mustapha Datu Ghairullah said they never objected to the project but blamed Tempasuk Assemblyman  Datuk Musbah Jamli,  Usukan Assemblyman Japlin Akim and  District Officer Mohd Najib Muntok for failing to deliver the correct information to Rural Development Minister Datuk Ewon Ebin on the matter.

"We had explained the matter nearly four hours to Musbah, Japlin and Mohd Najib at Musbah's residence in Likas but they allowed the issue to go on without any resolution, forcing us to do the peaceful demonstration," he said.

He pointed out they had no problem with the project as long as it was implemented outside the 432-hectares awarded to the two villages by the North Borneo government in 1956, which was acknowledged by the Sabah Government. The overall size of the Kuala Pintasan grazing reserve is 2,160 hectares.

Ewon had said the protest was not as serious and due to a little misunderstanding by the villagers on the concept of the agropolitan project.

He also said he discussed the matter with Japlin, who is also the Infrastructure Development Assistant Minister, Musbah, who is also Agriculture and Food Industry Assistant Minister, State Land and Survey Department Datuk Osman Jamal and Mohd Najib, adding he had asked them to organise another dialogue with the villagers.

However, Datu Mustapha urged Ewon to attend the dialogue as well to avoid any more misinformation.

He also said Lantas intends to lodge a report with the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) to investigate why the size of the grazing reserve had been reduced to 121 hectares.

"We were made to understand there were certain individuals who had become owners of the grazing reserve and this must investigated by MACC," he said.

Meanwhile, Lantas lodged a report at the district police headquarters, claiming there were individuals or companies who owned land grants over portion of lands in the 364-hectare grazing reserve.

Its Chairman, Asang Lantuhun, said they lodged the report following a report by a national newspaper recently.

He said Labuan village chief, Merajin Hussin and Wakap village chief, Ogong Suntoh, who were among the five Kuala Pintasan grazing reserve trustees, had never known, negotiated, consented nor signed any agreement to allow people to own the land.

"As far as I know, the five village chiefs cum trustees from Kg Labuan, Kg Wakap, Kg Taun Gusi, Kg Merabau and Kg Tamau had only put their signatures down to allow Syarikat Aquabio Sdn Bhd to carry out a prawn farm project over a 32-hectare land in the 1980s," he said.