Urban-Rural : Take Two Part 1 - Carrying Supplies

In this series of posts, we show you a contrast of stuff we use in our urban lives against what the locals used and have across our journey. We hope this gives you a better picture of life in rural areas or rural Sarawak.

Todays, let take a look at modern backpacks vs. a commonly used apparatus by villagers to lug objects from where the road in to the footpath to the villages or between villages.

The 'Backpack' any backpackers knows and love...

Even yours truly used one of these...

But the villagers? What do they use?

A Bagan.* Innovative, no?

We came across more as we met other villagers...

Interestingly, these villagers have been using such a contraption for ages and the modern backpack has such a frame between the user's back and the contents to provide a similar structure as the villagers' Bagan. Begs the question, maybe, there is more we can learn from the rural areas and we give them less credit than they deserve. Amazing isn't it?

Look out as we make more comparisons between urban-rural (Sarawak - Bengoh).

*Edit: Thanks, Ong for the heads-up.

Prove of land grabs: lands outside the Bengoh dam project area also taken by the state government!

Semban village is clearly far away from the dam's reservoir area-why evacuate them?

Semban (395m)is much higher than the dam (62m).

In the course of making the Bengoh film we found that there are gross irregularities in the land acquisition around the dam area. If the dam must be built the following irregularities are observed:
* Semban which is not near to the dam-it is miles away and hundreds of feet above the dam, is still required to be evacuated-why?
* The NCR lands of the other 3 villages-Bojong Pain, Taba Sait, Rejoi extend all the ways up to the top of the mountain and even over the other side; Much of these lands are also beyond the dam area-why should the 3 villages evacuate from their own NCR lands?

When `people's representative' speak like `Government's representative'

The Bengoh dam project began discussion as early as 2003, actual construction started in 2008, and finish construction last year in 2010.Impoundment of the dam was scheduled for midlle of last year-but various reasons eg the state elections, caused it to be delayed till now. In the process there had been numerous occasions where the proponent tried to justify it to the 1000 over affected residents through a number of forums and discussions. From our research on the dam's construction history we found that the `elected representatives' almost always speak for the government as the proponent of the dam project. Then who will speak for the people?

Even without an organised voice the residents actually questioned the justifications given to the residents eg The MP for the area Dr James Dawos Mamit (see the video below) said repeatedly that the residents will benefit from the work opportunities and development of infrastructure for the place. But what good if the people have to move away from the place? The MP also said that the residents must move, among others, to avoid polluting the water meant as a reservoir for drinking water for Kuching. But the residents found a map proposing tourism projects around the dam once the residents left-with their homes converted into home stay tourism props! Why the pollution argument does not apply to tourists but only to the residents? Why the residents cannot stay to benefit from the tourism development-after they had made the ultimate sacrifice of making way for the dam? Actually a significant proportion of the residents had constructed an entirely new village at higher altitude to avoid the dam while at the same time keep their ancestral lands under their feet!

Bengoh villagers filed claim of NCR land ownership on dam site!

Back in 2009 the Bengoh villagers from Kampong Rejoi and Kampong Bojong filed a claim for NCR land ownership on the dam site with the help of land rights lawyer See Chee How under Baru Bian's law firm. The case is still pending in court. The court action shows that the natives are not totally helpless if they unite to take action to protect their ancestral lands. The writ of claim by the Bidayuhs is as attached here. This is not the 1st court action by the natives. In the early days of the Bengoh dam construction the natives of Kampong Bengoh had succeeded at one stage to obtain a court injunction against the dam developer from proceeding with their earth work around Kampong Bengoh-but the success was short lived. See the video here and here.

Security post for covering the truth?

There is a notorious security post set up by the JKR at the entrance to the Bengoh dam and villages. JKR is only involved in building an access road to the dam-why are they then given the power to set up a security post that cut visitors off the dam and also the villages? The villagers themselves are the first to feel puzzled as to why the security post is there-though they themselves are not stopped from going through. The security post require outsiders to apply for a permit from the JKR's HQ in Kuching. But why you need a permit to go there?

Humbling moment for film makers after a challenging experience!

Joachim & Weng Yow busy chronicling their humbling experience!

The making of the Bengoh film had a few brushes with the `security apparatus' of Sarawak-and the crews were lucky to be able to returned unhindered after finishing with their shoots! To get to the Bengoh villages they need to pass through a security post set up by the JKR. Outsiders were required to apply a permit from the JKR office in their Kuching office located in the Wisma Seberkas. At the 1st encounter with the JKR security post at Kampong Bengoh just outside the Bengoh dam the producer Ong BK was picked up by the Immigration department and sent back to KL with a 1-way ticket. That was not all.

Bengoh Documentary: a clash of 3 mentalities

Crossing into a different world & mentality!

Turning can be perpendicularly upwards!

Visitors are often scared stiff on this fragile looking bamboo bridge, but numerous residents can cross it with heavy loads, at one time!

A Clash of Mentalities?

The making of the film on Bengoh is a story in itself: actually it is a clash of 3 mentalities! First, the film makers carried with them the `West Malaysian' mentality to start the film eg why the voters oppressed by the Bengoh dam still return the BN candidate who supported the dam?

As the film crew gather they encountered a 2nd mentality: the `Sarawakian mentality' where the interventions from the Penisular is seen, by quite a few, with suspicions-mostly on account of the negative perceptions of the political and economic domination of the West Malaysian government -and their allies in the East, over the East Malaysians.

The last mentality is the unspoken one among the natives in Bengoh villages, which try to find their own best survival options ahead of their villages being submerged by the Bengoh dam water! Elections had not figured very much in this search for their best survival options, even though the ruling politicians are worried enough to delay the impoundment of the dam to after the 10th Sarawak state elections!

Trailer for Bengoh film goes live!

This is a higher resolution copy than before-enjoy!

Other Videos made on Bengoh Dam

Back in 2009, an Australian, Andrew Garton made these excellent short films on Bengoh Dam. Take a look!

The Bidayuh and the Dam

The Bidayuh and the Dam from andrew garton on Vimeo.

The Forest and the Dam

The Forest and the Dam from andrew garton on Vimeo.

We Can't Eat the Road

We Can't Eat The Road from andrew garton on Vimeo.

Last few puff before the big flood-Life without internet, mobile connection

The Bengoh folks are helping themselves-you can also chip in!

Since the Bengoh dam started to trouble the residents there the folks are anxiously considering their options for the future.
The government's option:Move to Kampong Semadang, some 60km away, promised with schools, free house, supply of electricity ans water. However after the dam is complated, short of only impoundment the resettlement site is only starting the earth work, few years behind schedule. Unkept promises in other resettlement areas also unsettle the residents; Agreeing to move to Kg Semabdang also mean giving up their ancestral land in exchange for a 3-acre per family land;

The local option: move to higher ground than the dam so that they can still retain their NCR land and may take advantage of the tourism that may develop around the dam; This plan may clash with other parties who want to take over the land for their own tourism projects; Kg Semban is partially affected by the dam and yet they are required to leave-showing the land grab intention behind the resettlement.

Some residents had already started constructing their new settlements at their own cost; they welcome the sympathetic public to chip for some of the costs; For them they most likely will miss out any compensation from the government;

Option from the law: sue the state government for wrongfully taking away their NCR land protected by the Constitution. This has been filed by a number of residents and awaiting hearing at the court in Kuching.

Our film crews visited the new settlement under construction and found a  brand new world on top of the hills:

Wow! Cool air!

Building new houses here!

Before they are all lost from the map...

When the Bengoh dam start impoundment all the locations within its 10km squares area will be lost in the world maps! But not literally-for a simple reason that Bengoh's villages are not yet located in the maps eg Google Earth! There are no printed maps which shows where the villages to be submerged are located. The film crews found the place by asking around and engaging local guides. So enjoy Bengoh's views and lifestyles before they are buried 62m under water! You actually don't have that many days to do this-the dam's impoundment is held back by some incompetency of the developer-otherwise it should have started by end of last year!

Last few visits before all these are gone?

High drama in the making of the Bengoh film

Bengoh Dam did not stopped return of incumbent candidate-WHY?

April
April 16th: 10th Sarawak state election results out-Bengoh returned incumbent candidate who supported the dam;
End of April : a proposal of the Bengoh film was submitted to KOMAS, organiser of the Freedom Film Fest where there is a competition for the best film proposals. Top 3 film proposals would be granted Rm6000.00 each for making the film with technical assistance from KOMAS thrown in; Bengoh film would be the 1st film proposal from Sarawak;

May: 
*Bengoh film won the FFF film proposal competition!
*Within weeks 2 members of the Bengoh film crews inexplicably left the team and returned the award to
                    KOMAS;
*Luckily the team managed to secure another fund of similar amount for making the film; The crews reorganised and set off again to start the film shoot;
*May 23rd: 1st expedition to Bengoh, with 3 crew and 1 local guide; Security guard by the dam builder stopped us at the guard post and require us to apply for permission from JKR;

Ong (white Tee) was picked up by Immigration officers

Portraits of Bengoh folks ahead of the big flood

Cari makan (making a living) in Bojong, Bengoh

Busy

Busy

Busy

Bengoh's womenfolks

How do you like my brass rings on my legs?

3 generations of women in a house

Moving things around the Bengoh's way

How far do you go to get a story?

     

Poster competition for the Bengoh film-put on your creative hat!

As the Bengoh film is getting close to be nearing completion we need a fabulous poster to promote the film around. We welcome any creative poster designers out there to give us a hand! Details for the film poster are:

Title: Ulu Bengoh Darom Piin (Bidayuh for `Upper-Bengoh under water')

Synopsis: Journey with us to Bengoh, to its serene and idyllic interior, which will be submerged by Bengoh dam.Bengoh, a constituency considered as a hot seat by all sides, fizzles when the election results came out. Come with us to find out why the people would not express their unhappiness with their ballot.

Camerawomen Niloh's heart was in her mouth crossing the bamboo bridge...

Niloh has to cross this bamboo bridge to get to the Bojong village for filming the lifestyles of the Bidayuh folks. Her greatest fright was to cross these flimsy looking bamboo bridges. But she convinced herself that if the bridges were to give way it wouldn't be when she cross it! Her recollection:

This is suspension bridge video taken from the river.  When I made first 3 steps on the bridge I felt that I can't proceed. I decided to cancel my trip. When I looked back there were 3 men carrying heavy load at their back. Then I was talking to myself. Those men have been gone thru this bridge for over 50 years and surviving to this date. That slowly encouraged me to proceed. It took me roughly 15 mins to reach the other side, while those men were almost running thru it.

Bewildering resources about Bengoh dam site

After deciding to do a film on the people at the Bengoh dam site we come across many interesting resources on the area which we think we should share with you:

Andrew Garton's recent series of short films titled `Sarawak Gone', including ones on Bengoh(2010),are worth watching. You can download them here:
1. The Forest and the Dam
2. The Bidayuh and the Dam
3. You can't eat the road

My Rainforest Adventure, a blog which chronicled a travel by some young people to Semban village(2010), one of the 4 villages to be submerged by Bengoh dam, is most informative as well as mesmerizing.Great photos and videos on the culture and lifestyles of the Bidayuh communities there! After going through the 9-part series on the travel to Semban village you may not want all these to go under water soon!

Enjoy.

The colourful film crew members!

The gang of us doing the film are a mixed bag with varying experiences in making film-from a few films to 0. We are more motivated to chase after the reasons for the `strange happening' in Bengoh election. So the gang:

Director:
Joachim Leong, member of Loyarburok, new law grad, involved as election observer in 10th Sarawak state elections. Ambition: to optimise career between law and film making! Born in Kuching, Sarawak, now working in KL. Very committed to do something for his home state!

Camera:
Niloh, staff of a Kuching based NGO called SADIA(Sarawak Dayak Iban Asociation), take a new interest in filming as a mean for making social documentaries; Had already a few titles up her sleeves-one of which was exhibited at Sarawak museum recently!
Weng Yow, new law grad, election observer in 10thSarawak state elections-spent weeks in Sebuyau. Ardent campaigner for democratic change!

Bengoh the dam-basic facts

Bengoh dam started construction since 2007, and costs Rm315 million. The dam is 63.2m in height and cover an area of 10.21km square. It is almost finished now, just waiting for relocation of the residents and impoundment of the dam area. Construction company: Naim Cendera Sdn Bhd, with strong link to Sarawak Chief Minister. It is meant to supply water to Kuching till 2030 at 2047 million litres/day, compared to current water demand from Kuching which stand at 590million litres/day..


From the EIA:

Some interesting facts about the threatened flora and fauna in Bengoh dam site are described in an article about the EIA of the dam project here:

The Bengoh Dam will "inundate" an area of land 8.72 kms squared, approximately the size of 173 olympic swimming pools, affecting 1009 Bidayuh people living in four Kampongs, or villages, accessible only by foot.
It will also "inundate" a vast inventory of plant and wildlife species, some of which have not been recorded in the EIA.
Does Sarawak need another dam?

Why this blog?

Bengoh is a rural constituency within 1 hour drive from Kuching. It was considered a hot seat in the last state election in Sarawak because there is a dam waiting to displace some 1500 residents and probably affecting many times more outside the soon to be impounded area. However the election results showed that there was almost no effect from the hot issue -and the incumbent was returned with almost the same vote as before! What happened? Why the voters did not use their ballot in their hand to express their unhappiness? A group of us who happened to be election watchers during the election decided to make a film while inquiring on this `strange' happening. The film making took us into very interesting and sometime weird journey that we like to share with you in this blog! Actually Bengoh is so beautiful that we are not sure if this is considered when the plan was hatched to submerged it to facilitate the building of a dam here...