United Borneo Front, UBF : Allow Natives Democratic Right to Determine Land Use of NCR - 11 July 2011

Source : UNITED BORNEO FRONT HEADQUARTERS

“UBF: ALLOW NATIVES DEMOCRATIC RIGHT TO DETERMINE LAND USE OF NCR”

11th July 2011

Telupid, Sabah—At a Borneo Tea Party and UBF Ka’amatan celebration hosted by Pinus Gondili in Kampung Liningkung, Telupid, on Sunday the Borneo Heritage Foundation United Borneo Front Committee (UBF) Chairman, Datuk Dr. Jeffrey Kitingan, made a call to allow natives to be given the power and democratic rights as a community to decide how to develop native customary rights (NCR) lands.

“These lands should not be given to companies or government agencies for joint venture developments nor should the idea of fast tracking development on NCR lands be imposed on natives. The government could take on an advisory role and encourage the community to understand the terms of fast tracking but it should not be imposed against their will. I have received complaints that the decision rests with the Director of Land and Survey. This needs to be clarified as the Director should not be empowered to act arbitrarily when it should rightfully be a community’s decision,” Jeffrey said.


Jeffrey also added that the government must set clear guidelines and develop an effective mechanism to manage and decide on native entitlements and inheritances based on NCR and Adat. “There have been complaints that civil servants are exempt from NCR and this is something which must be clarified by the government as it makes no sense to exclude their descendants’ rights to inheritance. Every member of the community should be entitled to their own communal lands provided they are natives. This is a very serious and important issue for natives and one that should not be dismissed by any political leader in Sabah. We must resolve this issue with haste.”

Dr Jeffrey Kitingan : Federal Powers to respect undertakings of 1962 IGC Report

PRESS RELEASE FROM UNITED BORNEO FRONT COMMITTEE CHAIRMAN, DATUK DR. JEFFREY KITINGAN

“DR. JEFFREY: FEDERAL POWERS TO RESPECT UNDERTAKINGS OF 1962 IGC REPORT”

6th June 2011

Kiulu, Sabah—The Borneo Heritage Foundation’s United Borneo Front (UBF) Committee Chairman, Datuk Dr. Jeffrey Kitingan, requested the Federal Government to adhere to the assurances, undertakings and recommendations of the 1962 Inter-Governmental Committee Report (IGC Report) as provided in Article 8 of the Malaysia Agreement when implementing the federalisation of agencies in the Borneo States of Sabah and Sarawak.

He said this during the UBF tea-parties held at Kampung Tamis Baru and Kampung Bungoliu in Kiulu on Sunday, respectively hosted by UBF supporters, Sapikit Marudin and Dullah Londow.

“Federal and State departments and agencies should not overlap in their functions and what should be within the purview of the State should remain strictly within the State. I have received complaints of the increasing number of Federal agencies setting up offices in Sabah and questions have been asked if this is in line with the policy of federalisation and if this has in any way usurped our State agencies’ roles to the point that our guaranteed autonomy has been compromised. Annex B of the 1962 IGC Report specifically prioritises the “Borneonisation” of public services in the Borneo states as a “major objective of policy” and that it is for the State Government to prescribe preferences for natives in respect of State services. In respect of Sabah and Sarawak, the Malaysia Agreement guarantees that the policy of Borneonisation should therefore take precedence over the policy of federalisation,” Dr. Jeffrey said in his press statement.



He added that Borneonisation and Federalisation can be implemented simultaneously without conflict if the very essence of the 1962 IGC Report was strictly respected and followed. “It’s a question of whether we are all politically mature enough to accept this fact without getting sensitive and paranoid about this great East-West divide in our country. There is a greater chance of unity and understanding if we could resolve these issues professionally by following the formula that our forefathers had painstakingly devised with our former British counterparts.”

Dr. Jeffrey was accompanied by his co-founder Nilakrisna James; his speaker and committee member, Rubbin Guribah; and Head Coordinator for UBF Kiulu, Dusi Gingging.

Source : United Borneo Front

UNITED BORNEO FRONT, UBF DEMANDS 90 SEATS IN PARLIAMENT FOR SABAH AND SARAWAK

PRESS STATEMENT FROM UNITED BORNEO FRONT, UBF, 27 FEBRUARY 2011

“UBF DEMANDS 90 SEATS IN PARLIAMENT FOR SABAH AND SARAWAK”

27TH FEBRUARY 2011

Pitas, Sabah—At a Borneo Tea Party held in Kampung Tambilidon, Pitas, on Saturday, 26th February 2011 which was organised by United Borneo Front (UBF) supporter and social activist Maklin Masiau, leader of UBF, Datuk Dr. Jeffrey Kitingan said he will continue to demand for at least 35% of parliamentary seats for Sabah and Sarawak.

“West Malaysian leaders can continue to erode our rights or pass laws which could be deemed to be oppressive against Sabah and Sarawak because there are a total of 166 West Malaysian seats out of the total 222, with only 56 seats for Sabah and Sarawak at 25% of the total. This stops us from having even a 1/3 right of veto. We can no longer go back to the equation used in 1963 because if we were to pitch our seats against population, we should have more than Sarawak as we now have a larger population than them. The UBF therefore proposes that we increase parliamentary seats to 256, leaving the 166 for West Malaysia and giving 45 seats each to Sabah and Sarawak. We should do this before the 13th General Election,” Dr. Jeffrey said in his press statement.



He went on to add that the current 25% representation is a deliberate attempt to stop Sabah and Sarawak leaders from having a voice in parliament and that in the event of a unity government happening in West Malaysia, the 25% is an “unconscionable percentage for equitable representation.”





“If we continue to be denied a voice in parliament, Malaya has breached its promises under Article 8 of the Malaysia Agreement that was signed in London in 1963. This amounts to an abuse of our human rights as well as political oppression against the people of Sabah and Sarawak. This matter will be raised by the Common Interest Group Malaysia (CigMa) at the international level this year and will be one of the questions raised on the issue of whether or not the Malaysia Agreement has been breached so as to make it now null and void,” he stated.

Dr. Jeffrey is also the CigMa Chairman and is being represented at the international level by Daniel John Jambun.

UBF, United Borneo Front, gains more supports from Sabahans

PRESS STATEMENT FROM UNITED BORNEO FRONT

“MASS RESIGNATION FROM PKR KINABATANGAN TO JOIN UBF’S BORNEO ALLIANCE” - 30 January 2011

Kinabatangan, Sabah, 30th January 2011.

At the largest ‘Borneo Tea Party’ event held so far for the leaders of United Borneo Front (UBF), villagers from various areas of the Kinabatangan region thronged a community centre in Kampung Entilibon 1 Tongod, a 5 hour drive into Borneo’s heartland from Kota Kinabalu, to receive a 4WD convoy of UBF supporters, preceded by 50 or more bikers clad in yellow t-shirts emblazoned with ‘United Borneo Front-Kinabatangan’.

The tea party, organised by UBF die-hards, Jalibin Paidi and James Aik, included a seminar presented by UBF leader Datuk Dr. Jeffrey Kitingan together with his advisers and co-founders, lawyer and activist Nilakrisna James and economist Zainal Ajamain.

The seminar focused upon the economic and land issues affecting the Kinabatangan region as well as the 5% oil share from PETRONAS recently raised by Dr. Jeffrey.

“We have no choice but to address the unfair economic policies and the laws which have silenced our voices of resentment and hindered our ability to be self-reliant. People are sick and tired of their poverty. There are smallholder farmers in the interior who have ventured into Palm Oil but feel cheated in the amounts they receive for their investment."

" The average price smallholders of Palm Oil receive for their Fresh Fruit Bunches (FFB) from privately owned Mills (some of which are listed companies and some of which are owned by local businessmen) is between RM700-RM800 per tonne. Smallholders would sell these FFB without realising that the biomass from FFB such as kernel, kernel cakes and empty fruit bunch are more profitable, selling in the international market for RM1,200—RM1,500 per tonne."

" The Mills extract crude palm oil from FFB and sell off the biomass as their own products. These by-products are important for fuel, especially for brick factories and animal feed. People are angry they are being short-changed by the Mills. The UBF therefore suggests that smallholders form their own cooperative to determine a better price from Mills or collect the biomass back from the Mills to sell internationally,” said Dr. Jeffrey in his statement.

Guests at the tea party also highlighted issues of compulsory land acquisitions and the necessity to find common ground to amalgamate Sabah and Sarawak people, regardless of race and religion, to push for equal representation in parliament which, in its current demographic, puts West Malaysian politicians in control of 75% of the seats so as to deny any voice of veto from Sabah and Sarawak.

“If they wish to continue to amend our Federal Constitution and erode our rights or pass unfair laws to our disadvantage, they have their 2/3 majority leaving us powerless in Sabah and Sarawak. This is a breach of our human rights and a breach of Article 8 of the 1963 Malaysia Agreement,” Dr. Jeffrey added.

At the conclusion of the seminar, supporters of UBF and Dr. Jeffrey’Kitingan's political followers tendered in a mass resignation from various Kinabatangan branches of the opposition party, Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR), pledging their support to UBF and a political vehicle they hope to see arising out of the first popular civil rights movement in Sabah.

A total of 16 heads of PKR branches in the Entilibon zone resigned which includes Kampung Linayukan, Kampung Sanan, Kampung Semundoh, Kampung Entilibon Asal, Kampung Simpang and Kampung Singgahmata.

11 members of the PKR committee for the Kinabatangan region also resigned including the Secretary, Jalibin Paidi, and the Information Chief, Cyril Parantis.

Around 875 members have apparently tendered their resignation to follow their leaders to pursue UBF’s Borneo Agenda, with more members expected to follow in the next few days. The exodus from the Kinabatangan region is seen as the clearest pledge of support for Dr. Jeffrey and his United Borneo Front.

Well.... all the best Dr Jeffrey Kitingan...