Thousands of Penan will have no vote in Saturday's elections. © Survival
SURVIVAL INTERNATIONAL, 13 April 2011 - - Thousands of Penan tribespeople will be unable to vote in crucial elections on Saturday in Sarawak, in the Malaysian part of Borneo, because they do not have identity cards.
The elections in Sarawak state will determine whether or not Chief Minister Taib Mahmud, already in power for 30 years, will stay in office.
Taib Mahmud’s government has sold the Penan’s land to logging companies, destroying much of the rainforest they rely on for their survival. But many Penan will have no say in whether Sarawak will keep him as leader or kick him out.
Identity cards are free to Malaysians who apply before the age of twelve, but most Penan apply as adults and face penalties. Corrupt officials and middlemen also routinely charge Penan people fees of up to US$100 when they apply. Many Penan have applied several times, making long, expensive journeys to the towns each time, before giving up.
One Penan man told, Survival International ‘It’s very difficult for us to own an identity card. We don’t know why, but it’s not that we don’t apply. We have applied so many times, but we never see the identity card itself.’
The hunter-gatherer Penan are fighting to keep their last remaining rainforest safe from the logging companies. Penan have repeatedly told Survival that logging makes it difficult to feed their families, as the animals and plants they eat have been decimated.
Penan without identity cards are not recognized as Malaysian citizens, and are consequently charged much higher fees at public hospitals. Lack of documentation also makes any dealings with authority, including the police, very difficult.
Survival campaigner Miriam Ross said today, ‘The Sarawak government is denying the Penan the rights to citizenship and health. Its abject failure to include the Penan as citizens of Malaysia makes it hard not to conclude that Taib Mahmud does not want the Penan to vote.’
Source posting
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Comments
Help give Malaysians a chance at free and fair elections
There is a revolution brewing. A dictator has clung to power for decades. He and his family have stolen billions while their people languish in poverty. The people are fed up and are calling for change. And once again we see an attack on the Internet to silence the voice of reform and democracy.
But it’s not happening in the Middle East. It’s happening in Sarawak, the island state of Malaysia where the Chief Minister Taib Mahmud has ruled with impunity for 30 years. His tenure is so long and ruthless and his wealth so immense some have called him the Malaysian Mubarak.
On Saturday, the people of Sarawak will vote in elections that have the potential to throw Taib out of power. And we’ve just learned that over the last few days key opposition and independent news sites have encountered massive cyberattacks.
While they’ve yet to identify the perpetrators, digital activists are working around the clock to keep these critical sites online. We want to help them build a firewall to defend against these attacks and others like them, but we need your help. Will you donate to defend freedom of speech online and give the these Malaysians a chance at free and fair elections on Saturday?
https://www.accessnow.org/its-happening-again
While 70% of the population lives without access to treated water or 24-hour electricity, Taib lives in a palatial mansion and drives around in 2 Rolls-Royces. The people are fed up with the billions of dollars squandered by Taib’s government, the no-bid contracts awarded to his family, and the unjust seizure of native land -- including much of the majestic Sarawak rainforest -- by the government to make way for logging companies and bloated infrastructure projects.
The people have had enough. No longer afraid of the repercussions of criticizing the government, Malaysians are making active use of the Internet to get the message out. In response, it appears that forces supportive of the Malaysian government have taken a page out of Mubarak’s playbook, blocking the websites that are adding fuel to anti-Taib fire.
This is not just about justice for the people of Sarawak, it's about protecting the internet as an open space for political participation and free speech. We must reverse the trend of silencing opposition online wherever it takes place. Will you pitch in to keep the opposition online ahead of this crucial decision-making moment?
https://www.accessnow.org/its-happening-again
With hope,
The Access Team