::Fuel Price Hike and Its Impact in Rural Sarawak
Versi Bahasa Malaysia di akhir rencana ini.
SARAWAK DAYAK NATIONAL UNION (SDNU) organized a workshop to find the impacts of fuel price hike in rural Sarawak on June 21st 2008 in KUCHING. The workshop identified THREE main problems.
There are;
(1) Rising Cost of Rural transport
(2) Rising cost of generating electricity and
(3) Rising food prices.
Here are extracts of the workshop findings and recommendation.
Rising Cost of Rural transport:
In some areas of rural Sarawak, petrol prices are as much as $14.00 to $20.00 per gallon. The main mode of transport is by rivers – there is almost no other alternative except for the presence of logging road and basic gravel road provided by the government. In most cases, there is no road.
The workshop put forward some solution. PETRONAS should operate / subsidize small rural refueling station as its social obligation to alleviate poverty and rural hardship. The river boat engine should also be subsidized by the government by at least 40%. In order to improve the income of rural people, their goods should be able to reach the market at reasonable cost. To do this, the government should buy and provide “vans” to rural operators as poor and bad road condition makes it difficult for a small time entrepreneur to operate and make profit out of providing transport services in rural areas. Many school children are still residing in longhouses and rural villages. High fuel cost make sending children to school very expansive. Many rural school are not able to provide full boarding for its students. The government should provide free boat ride facilities to school by providing such services.
Rising Cost of Generating Electricity:
Sarawak has ample rivers to generate hydro-power and indeed the Batang Ai hydro dam and the construction of Bakun dam are providing expectation of cheap electricity for the rural communities. In the press, we do not hear of government plan of bringing electrical power from the said dams to rural communities. More talk is centred at bringing and supplying West Malaysia with electricity generated from Bakun at the cost of $6 billion for laying deep sea cables to feed industries in West Malaysia. In view of the above, the workshop recommend that the government harness the potential of mini hydro dam to be built throughout rural Sarawak. The Education Minister announced that it cost his ministry about $400 million annually to purchase diesel for rural schools generators. Such money could be used to build such dams to provide cheap energy for schools and the nearby communities. This would greatly improve the hours that is available for the students to do their private studies in rural schools. For students that are staying in longhouses and villages, the rising cost of generating electricity would deprive them of private study hours as the community would reduce the operating hours of rural generators in order to reduce cost of fuel for the community. The Sarawak Energy corporation should take their social responsibility to reduce rural hardship by taking ownership of operating such mini hydro dams. JUST IMAGINE IF THE $6 BILLION FOR LAYING UNDERSEA CABLE IS USED TO UPGRADE RURAL ELECTRIFICATION PROGRAM – THERE MUST BE SOME BALANCE OF THAT MONEY.
Rising Cost of Foods
The biggest concern in the workshop was the high cost of infant powdered milk formulae. It used to be approximately $25.00 per 1kg and now it is retailed at $50-$60.00 per 1Kg. As a result, rural mothers are going back to breast feeding which is a perfect response. The reality is breast milk is not sufficient for a child in many cases: poor milk supply from mother source etc. It is therefore recommended that the government step in to provide free infant milk to children 24 months and below by using milk coupon that is issued by government Child Clinic, government hospitals and rural medical care provider. The objective is to reduce cases of under nourishment of babies that could affect the overall development of the child physically. Under nourishment could result in mental development delay and may fall sick easily.
The price hike of rice and sugar are also causing serious concern. A 10kg bag of rice has risen from $20.00 per bag to $50.00 per bag. This would result in untold stories of hunger and deprivation of basic needs for a person to be human. Again, Sarawak has been identified as a source of cheap land for rice planting to feed the population in West Malaysia. It is recommended by the workshop that ALL subsidies for agriculture activities should be activated back by the government immediately and put in a central buying system of agricultural products to guarantee prices and higher income of rural farmers.
With the implementation of the recommendation, the possibility of reversing urban migration from rural communities would become a real possibility. Thus, rural agriculture sector would get much needed skilled agriculture labour to produce more food for MALAYSIA.
Kenaikan Harga Minyak Dan Akibatnya Di Pendalaman Sarawak
SARAWAK DAYAK NATIONAL UNION (SDNU) telah menganjur sidang seminar membincangkan impak kenaikan harga minyak terhadap rakyat perdalaman pada
- Kenaikan kos tambang kawasan pendalaman
- Kenaikan kos menjana elektrik
- Kenaikan harga makanan.
Berikut adalah kesimpulan and cadangan daripada seminar tersebut.
Kenaikan kos tambang kawasan pendalaman
Di setengah-tengah kawsan perdalaman
Seminar ini mencadangkan:
§ PETRONAS pengendalikan/memberi subsidi melalui ‘stesen kecil’ sebagai tanggungjawab social untuk mengatasi kemiskinan.
§ Kerajaan membiayai 40% daripada kos enjin bot sungai, untuk meningkatkan pendapatan penduduk pendalaman, hasil jualan mereka seharuslah sampai ke pasaran dengan kos yang berpatutan.
§ Kerajaan juga patut membeli and membekal van kepada operator pendalaman kerana jalan yang teruk menyukarkan perniaga kecil-kecilan untuk mengoperasikan and memperolehi keuntungan mengendalikan pengangkutan di kawasan pendalaman.
§ Kebanyakan kanak-kanak sekolah masih tinggal di rumah panjang dan kampong pendalaman.
Kenaikan kos menjana elektrik
§ Kerajaan membina empangan hidro mini (mini hydro dam) di seluruh kawasan pendalaman
§ Untuk murid yang tinggal di rumah panjang and kampong pendalaman, kos elektrik yang tinggi akan menghadkan waktu pembelajaran mereka kerana komuniti mereka akan mengurangkan waktu operasi generator untuk menghadkan kos minyak yang ditanggung oleh komuniti. Sarawak Energy Corporate seharusnya memikul tanggunjawab social untuk mengurangkan bebanan komuniti pendalaman dengan memikul tanggungjawab mengoperasikan empangn hidro mini tersebut.
§
Kenaikan harga makanan
Isu utama seminar adalah kos formula susu bayi (infant powdered milk formulae) yang tinggi. Ia dijual pada harga $50-60 sekilo berbanding $25 sekila sebelumnya. Akibatnya, ibu kawasan pendalaman kembali menyusu dari badan, seperti yang dijangkakan. Realitinya, susu badan tidak mencukupi untuk kebanyakan dari sebab bekalan susu ibu yang tidak mencukupi. Seminar mencadangkan supaya:
§ Kerajaan memberikan susu percuma kepada kanak-kanak bawah 24 bulan, menggunakan kupon susu yang diperuntukkan oleh Klinik Kanak-kanak kerajaan, hospital kerajaan dan pegawai kesihatan kawasan pendalaman. Objektifnya ialah untuk mengurangkan kes kurang pemakanan yang boleh membantutkan perkembangan kanak-kanak. Kanak-kanak kurang pemakanan mudah sakit dan boleh mengalami gangguan perkembangan minda.
Harga gula dan beras yang tinggi juga adalah masalah utama. Harga 10kg beras telah meningkat daripada $20 sebag ke $50 sebag. Ini akan menyebabkan kes kelaparan dan tidak mampu menanggung kos hidup asas manusia. Sekali lagi, Sarawak telah dikenalpasti sebagai sumber tanah yang murah untuk tanaman padi untuk penduduk Semenanjung Malaysia. Seminar mencadangkan supaya:
§ Kerajaan mengaktifkan semula semua subsidi agrikultur/tanaman
§ Kerajaan mengadakan sistem sentral untuk pembelian produk agrikultur (central buying system of agriculture products) untuk menjamin harga dan meningkatkan pendapatan petani pendalaman.
Sekiranya kerajaan dapat melaksanakan cadangan di atas, maka kemungkinan untuk mengubah corak pemindahan penduduk dari kampung ke bandar boleh menjadi kenyataan. Maka, sektor agrikultur/penanaman dapat meningkatkan kecekapan kerja pekerja agrikultur untuk menambahkan sumber makanan untuk Malaysia.
Popularity: 17% [?]
Related posts:
- Empangan di Sarawak nyatanya gagal memperbaiki keadaan hidup masyarakat yang terlibat. Posted by Charles Gau Salam hormat. Selamat pagi kepada tuan-tuan,...
- Kisah Benar Mengapa Saya Benci BN Di Tulis Dayak Jihad Militant Di Bangku Sekolah 1.Semasa dibangku...
- BN Sarawak tidak perihatin sama sekali Posted by Jimmy A Rakyat Sarawak menentang project2 Hydro Aku...
- PATUTKAH RAKYAT SARAWAK DAN SABAH MENYERTAI HINDRAF UNTUK MEMPERJUANGKAN HAK MEREKA? Written by: Abun Sui Anyit Dayakbaru: Our DB friend Abun...
Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.
Comments
7 Responses to “::Fuel Price Hike and Its Impact in Rural Sarawak”
Leave a Reply
-
-
-
Total Hits
-
- "JAKSA PENDAMAI" MINTA HERALD MUAI "ALLAH"? (258)
- IbanImmigrant - Dayakbaru accept your Challenge (236)
- 1MALAYSIA - IS "ALLAH" EXCLUSIVE TO ISLAM? (215)
- Masing kritik penulis blog dakwa Dayak tidak berguna (191)
- SKIM MUNOH RAYAT (147)
- SIB CHURCH ATTACK – SEREMBAN No.13? (146)
- Jako Jabu tekelalu bula (141)
- "BN has money - PR talk only." (139)
- SMS ex-pengajar ngagai Johnny anak Chuat (131)
- Batang Ai Independent Candidate - Ruaikitai Community Portal Owner (127)
Inspirational word from gkm2020
Congratulations to SDNU for taking the lead in organising this workshop. Wherever possible, similar workshops could also be organised in other parts of Sarawak particularly in areas most affected by the fuel hike.
Any video?
if the gov is willing to listen
Whether the govt. is willing to listen or not is another matter…What’s more important is to come up with concrete recommendations on how to assist the rural Dayaks. SDNU should keep the momentum going on…Syabas SDNU..
if sdnu members in future be elected to dun and be the majority, all the feedbacks from the workshop perhaps can be implemented
cakap saja banyak..pertolongan tak pernah sampai pun ke tangan orang-orang pendalaman yang betul memerlukan..tolong pun, orang tengah yang ambil banyak untung..
ANANG ARAP KA BALA YB SIDA 2 X 5 MAGANG NIE NYADI SIDA IYA DEKA BEGULAI PARTY. NAMA YB KAPIT ENTA TANTI KA 2 TAHUN ENDA IBOH NYADI PDS PRESIDENT MERI PELUANG KA DATO T, NAMA DIA TU AGI BISI PARTY PSDS. LABAN DR. NYA ENDA SABAR ENDA TANTI KA 2-3 TAHUN. PEDA ORANG UMO NATIH KA JAKO TUAI IBAN DIATU NADAI RETI AGI ENDA TEMU ORANG. UDAH DAYAK DEKA DI BUAI SIDA ARI TATAU. LABAN IYA TATAU SUBA APAI ENGAU IYA EMPU DAYAK DIATU IYA UKAI ORANG ARI KERAPA NADAI BANSA AGI UDAH CHELUM UDAH KENYANG BERI UBAN ENGAU YB KASEHIEEE…. DR.J JAKO AJA NYAMAI PBDS NADAI AGI SAPA BUDO SEMOA TUAI IBAN DI SAYAT UBAN ENGAU DUIT DI SAYAT SIKO ENGAI MEDA IBAN SA ATI MELANAU SUBA SEMINA DI MUKAI DIATU SEMOA RAJA DI SARAWAK. NADAI MAKAI MULONG AGI
TERIMA KASEH
AGI IDOP AGI NGELABAN SAMPAI DATAI DI SABAYAN.