Sarawak-based NGO SAVE Rivers has rejected the Sarawak forest department’s claim that it is a “private limited company with profitable motives”, calling the allegation false and misleading.
The NGO clarified that it is not a party to the judicial review heard on Wednesday in the Miri High Court challenging a forest timber licence issued over a logged-over area in Baram, and had only filed an affidavit in support of the Penan applicants.
“We are a non-profit entity dedicated to community service, not profit-making.
“Such statements, made while the case is before the courts, risk undermining due process and may amount to sub judice.
“A government department should respect the judicial proceedings instead of discrediting community partners through public mischaracterisation,” it said in a statement today.
Yesterday, Dayak Daily reported the department as saying NGOs and foreign activists should stop instigating opposition to development in Ulu Baram, claiming the Penan community has voiced support for “sustainable progress”.
The judicial review in question names the Sarawak forests director, the natural resources and urban development minister and the state government as respondents.
The respondents accused SAVE Rivers of instigating the review, which they said was “frivolous, vexatious and an abuse of process”, and claimed it was a “private limited company with profitable motives self-proclaiming to be an NGO”.
They stressed that the licence was issued to meet urgent community needs, including roads, infrastructure and sustainable projects, at the request of local residents.
However, SAVE Rivers disputed this, saying real development should not come at the expense of indigenous rights or the environment.
It said accusations of profiteering were baseless, pointing out that the monthly revenue from timber extraction in the disputed areas far exceeds over 40 years’ worth of the NGO’s “modest annual budget”.
“The real profits are clearly being made by timber companies, not by grassroots organisations standing with communities,” it said.
The decision will be delivered by Miri High Court judge Dean Wayne Daly on Oct 30.
