Politics of mini hydro in Lacau-hidden story revealed!

Barnie Lasimbang(L) and Niloh(R) in BB Cafe in KK

We published a story of a mini hydro in Kg Abok Mawang, Lachau previously. It was reportedly a story of community self-help and gotong royong. There was more to this story that met the eyes, according to Banie Lasimbang, an laternative energy consultant who has installed more than a couple of dozens of mini hydros before in Sabah and Sarawak in the last decade. The story was shocking: the original beneficiary of the mini hydro project was another kampong (Kg Apin?) -but due to the `generous' contribution by local `YBs' the power was supplied to Kg Abok Mawang-which was as far as the YB's generosity could reach! The people involved ignored the consultant's suggestion to modify the design slightly so that there would be enough power to supply to both villagers!

Fundraising for Bengoh villagers' mini hydro go public!

Joachim Leong recording for a video `Make your vote count'

The Bengoh film finally is exposed to the public in Sarawak itself via a report in Borneo Post today! (See attachment below). It is the only film about Sarawak in the Freedom Film Fest-and made by Kuching born director Joachim Leong, Niloh Ason of Simunjan and also Lee Zhi Eng of Bintulu! A quible by the director on the report is that he did not quite put choice of candidate as `the major' factor' behind the voters choosing a dam-supporting candidate in Bengoh. He clarified that he only said that the factor could be a reason for that happening, in a context where there is little information on how democracy can work for voters benefits.

Update one: public fundraising for Bengoh villagers' mini hydro is now open! If you are interested to donate, please contact organiser through meonet2010@gmail.com

Update two: as of now the gross amount of fund raised is closed to Rm4k!

So: Malaysians -do come forward to show you care to take Bengoh villagers out of the darkness that engulfed them thus far!

Raising fund for Bengoh's mini hydros-1 DVD at a time! !

A `dream' for Bengoh folks?But you can help them make it come true! Will you-fellow Malaysians-to liberate fellow citizens from darkness lietrally and figuratively?

This next week will see us going to Kota Kinabalu, Sabah to screen the Bengoh film, while promoting the voter education and voter observation programs to Sabah. No where is too far for us to promote the DVDs and voters rights!

We will have a screening of the Bengoh film according to the following details:
Date: Oct 26th(Wednesday)
Time: 7.00pm
Venue: Celyn Hotel, next to City Mall
Programs: *Talk on `Why election observation for coming 13th General Elections?'
                *screening of `Ulu Bengoh Darom Piin'
Speaker: Ong BK, MEO-Net National Coordinator
Entrance: FREE-bring all your friends!

Sales and collection from our DVDs cross RM3000.00 mark today! Gross total stands at Rm3017.00 as of now.

Ever wonder why there are not many mini hydros in Sarawak's interior?

A 10kW mini hydro installed in Penampang, Sabah 

If you have a chance to travel in Sarawak's interior you will find this familiar landscape: long houses with no electricity supply located next to fast streams or even waterfalls. Why is not mini hyro more popular in such locations? These are the 4 major reasons I had come across why mini hydro, despite its merit and low costs, don't quite make it big in rural Sarawak:

Lachau residents installed mini-hydro before-why not Bengoh villagers?

Bojong villagers formed committee to oversee mini hydro installation

Our effort to install mini hydro for ulu Bengoh had attracted interests:  a reader of the news about the Bengoh villagers trying to instal mini hydro informed us of a successful attempt to bring electricity to long house folks-in Lachau, near Sri Aman in recent years. If the folks there can do it -why not folks in Bengoh villages? Yet from another friend the location has now been supplied with electricity from SESCO -so the mini hydro is either lying idle or could be sold off? Read on:

Now, they have electricity...self supplied

Saturday, 28 July 2007 Tony Thien (Malaysiakini) For the residents of the 14-door Iban longhouse in Kampung Abok Mawang, located 150km on the Kuching-Sri Aman Road, the one invaluable lesson they have learnt well is about the importance of self-reliance and initiative to make things better for themselves. At the corner of every general elections, they heard promises that electricity from the state utility company would come to the longhouse, situated along the highway, soon. But those promises have remained largely unfulfilled.