A recent wave of logging activity in Sarawak's interior has spurred a new series of protests by the Penan, Borneo's most isolated tribe. Since March, the Penan have erected nine spontaneous blockades intended to keep loggers out of traditional lands. These actions represent the most widespread anti-logging protests in Malaysian Borneo in ten years.

To address the recent increase in logging, nearly 700 representatives from 47 Penan communities gathered together in June to discuss their problems. The meeting, coordinated by the Sarawak Penan Association, marks the first time Penan from remote regions of Sarawak have come together in such numbers. Men, women, young and old arrived on foot, by boat or by landcruiser from all directions. Some walked for three days to join the historic assembly.

Nomads Defend Last of Borneo's Rainforest

As recently as forty years ago, nearly 10,000 Penan people lived nomadic lives, moving through upland watersheds in search of wild game, fruiting trees and starchy sago palm trees. They built temporary shelters, leaving little trace of occupation. They carried the simplest of tools--blowpipes, machetes, mats and baskets woven from rattan. The Penan were self-sufficient, healthy and completely inseparable from the rainforest.
Today, only 400 Penan remain nomadic. For these groups, little has changed except the extent of their forests. Red clay timber roads now criss-cross Borneo's interior and penetrate all but the steepest of valleys. The nomadic Penan, who have been pushed into the few remaining tracts of undisturbed forest, see no alternative except human barricades to stop loggers from entering.

"I want to stay in the forest," explains nomadic elder Along Sega. "This is according to my tradition, the tradition of my father, the tradition of my elders in the forest. The government wants to bring prosperity, it wants to bring benefits, or at least that's what it says. But it does not bring prosperity. These 'benefits' it brings kill my people. If the government had a heart, it wouldn't bulldoze down the forest like this…. It is important to struggle for the land. I shall struggle until I die."

Settled Penan Face Increasing Poverty

In contrast to the 400 nomads, the vast majority of Penan now live in government-sponsored settlements. Few arrived here by choice. For these communities, who continue to rely heavily on the forest, the transition to sedentary farming has been extremely difficult. While timber companies provide a handful of jobs and a few modern amenities, the introduction of the cash economy and the depletion of forest resources have left many Penan communities destitute. Of all the ethnic groups in Borneo, the recently settled Penan face the highest rates of poverty, malnutrition, health-related afflictions and illiteracy.

In addition to protesting logging on their depleted lands, the recent blockades erected by settled communities are intended to highlight a lack of government action in response to the Penan plight. Over the years, the government has pledged to address the issues facing the Penan, but according to local leaders, all promises have been empty.
"What happened to all the money?," wonders Long Sayan headman Ajeng Kiew, referring to government promises for support. "Where is the funding for communities and the parks and reserves that are periodically announced in the nation's newspapers? Why has the government granted logging and plantation concessions over all these supposed Penan reserve areas?"

Unprecedented Gathering

Feeling that the time had come to set the record straight with the government, the Sarawak Penan Association called an open meeting of the Penan. This historic gathering offered a unique opportunity for Penan from across Sarawak to share their concerns and discuss joint strategies to address the problems they face.
One by one, Penan representatives from various regions reported on the issues confronted by their respective communities. While the details of each story differed, several themes persisted. Without exception, each community spoke of conflicts with local logging companies. Village representatives explained that while some companies were willing to negotiate, others simply would not listen.

Penan from each region cited frustration with the government. Representatives agreed that in most cases, the government is more interested in protecting logging company interests than the rights of the Penan. Leaders from the Upper Baram testified that police are still being used to dismantle blockades and intimidate the Penan. Other leaders discussed the problem of government-appointed headmen accepting payoffs from logging companies to sign agreements that give away Penan land rights.

Additionally, the Penan expressed frustration with government promises that have never been acted on. No Penan representative at the meeting had seen benefits from an alleged Penan fund the government has trumpeted in the press. Leaders claimed that all requests for Penan community forest reserves have been ignored. Furthermore, a 1994 promise by the government to establish a Penan Biosphere Reserve has never materialized.

Penan Call For Action

Seldom do the Penan have the opportunity to make their voices heard. Even more rarely do they gain access to the top-down decision-making processes that directly affect their lives. The meeting in June provided a unique opportunity for Penan communities to gather and articulate their needs and concerns to the government and the world.

To make their demands clear, those in attendance drafted and signed a declaration on the state of the Penan in Sarawak. The document, known as The Long Sayan Declaration, outlines the history of the Penan situation with regard to logging and human rights. It states in clear terms the impacts that logging and forest depletion have had on the overall health of Penan communities.

In addition, the declaration lists a set of actions that need to be taken by the government and logging companies to rectify the sustained injustice. The Penan call for:

• Recognition of their rights to customary lands;
  
• A fair and transparent compensation process;
  
• Meaningful state assistance to improve living conditions;
  
• A halt to all logging and plantation operations on Penan customary lands;
  
• Prior consultation with affected local inhabitants before commencing any future economic activities on their native customary lands, and;
  
• The right to choose development models that best suit Penan communities--development that is people-centered, with meaningful local participation and consent.
  

The Penan have delivered the declaration to the government and are now waiting for a response. If the Penan are ignored again, blockades will most likely be erected. A series of coordinated blockades in the late 1980's cost the timber industry millions in losses. Is this an outcome companies are willing to risk? Additionally, more than 500 Penan have been arrested over the years for anti logging activities. Is the government ready to continue the criminalization of native land rights protection?

One thing is clear, there is plenty of room for dialogue on the Penan issue. The government has the power and opportunity to take significant steps to address the issues raised by the Penan. The needs of the communities have been articulated. What remains to be seen is whether the government will take this opportunity to listen and act on behalf of the poorest, most disenfranchised group in Malaysia.

In the meantime, The Borneo Project will continue to support the Penan as they struggle for land rights, protection of their rainforest home and economic justice. With a coalition of local and international NGO's, work has already begun on a project to map all remaining forests claimed by the nomadic Penan. Maps have already been used to prevent the permanent loss of Penan land rights. Additional mapping support and follow-up legal advocacy will be needed in the coming months.