Saturday July 3, 2010

Longhouse hit by health problems

STEPHEN THEN
stephenthen@thestar.com.my

MIRI: Residents of a 200-door longhouse in Long Bemang are afflicted by serious health
problems after the river they depend on for drinking, cooking and bathing is allegedly
contaminated with pesticides from an oil palm plantation.

Long Bemang is about three hours’ drive by timber road from here.

Despite a police report lodged by the residents on March 8, no action was taken to resolve the
problem.

A Kayan housewife from the longhouse, Bai Ngau claimed the contamination had affected about
4,000 people in Long Bemang.

“We lodged a report months ago but no action is forthcoming. In fact workers from the plantation
are still spraying the chemicals,” she claimed.

Help us: Bai from Long Bemang showing a copy of the police report lodged by
the longhouse folk from her settlement in northern Sarawak.

The report was lodged at the Long Lama police station by a Kayan farmer, Wan Jau, from Sungai
Buan Tabi, Kampung Long Bemang.

Bai appealed to the police to help put a stop to the use of these chemicals, saying the affected
river, Sungai Buan, had caused health problems to the longhouse folk and students of a nearby
school.
“We are very worried as the river is the only source of water for our daily use since we do not
have any piped-water supply. Our people are afflicted by skin disease, stomach ailments and
food poisoning because the chemicals are affecting the fish, too.

Marudi OCPD Deputy Supt Abu Bakar Mokhtar said: “I will look into this case and find out what is
happening.’’

According to Wan Jau, villagers had found huge areas of scorched land near their longhouse.
“We found two pumps and a container with chemicals inside. The container has the label Garlon
250.

“The poison has flowed into Sungai Buan and have flowed into Long Bemang.”

References

Then, S. (2010). Longhouse Hit by Health Problems, The Star, Retrieved September, 13, 2010,
from http://biz.thestar.com.my
Tuesday February 9, 2010

Labour shortage affecting oil palm

plantations
Commodities Talk - By Hanim Adna

OF the country’s total plantation labour force, the oil palm sector has the highest number at about
577,900 workers comprising some 350,000 foreigners.

This is not surprising. As Malaysia aggressively expands its oil palm plantations, there is a huge
dependency, about 50% to 90%, on foreign labour in the upstream side which is well known for
being labour intensive.

The pressing issue now is the acute shortage of foreign labourers who work as oil palm fruit
harvesters in the local plantations given the dwindling labour supply from neighbouring countries
and also tightening regulations on foreign labour by the Government due to the rising social and
security problems.

Other problems include the recruitment process, the conduct of induction course in the home
country and the freeze of workers from Bangladesh. Given the eroding labour supply from
Indonesia, many in the plantation sector suggest that the freeze should be lifted.

The cost of foreign labour is also increasing following higher recruitment costs besides payment
for the levy, medical checkup, security bond and medical costs by the employers, thus affecting
the cost of palm oil production.

To quote an oil palm industry veteran, Datuk Mamat Salleh, chief executive of Malaysian Palm Oil
Association, “In Malaysia, money grows on oil palm trees but without harvesters, the money will
be just hanging up there. So, there is less revenue for local plantation companies and foregone
export earnings for the country.”

The normal harvesting round of 15 days has to be extended to 25 days now given the acute
worker shortage.

Planters generally believe that the oil palm plantation sector should not be penalised for the rising
social and security problems in Malaysia brought about mostly by illegal immigrant workers in the
urban areas.

Therefore, efforts to reduce social problems among the foreign workers should be targeted on the
problematic illegal immigrant sector instead of directed towards foreign workers in the plantations.
Indonesia, particularly in Kalimantan, is also experiencing rapid growth of oil palm cultivation
which will require a large domestic labour force. The wage rate offered is comparable to
Malaysia, the cost of living is lower and the workers can bring along their family.

Thousands of well-trained foreign workers have to be sent home after five years’ stay and many
will not be returning to Malaysia. Local planters are not only finding it hard to obtain foreign labour
as direct workers but it is also getting more difficult to outsource the harvesting job to contractors.

The problem is compounded by the fact that it is difficult to get local workers and the progress on
mechanisation has also not been encouraging.

Some suggest that the plantations should provide better facilities as their corporate social
responsibility to attract local workers. Under Workers Minimum Housing Standards and Amenities
Act, plantation workers are provided with the facilities that are recognised as better standards
compared with other sectors.

However, some argued that most of these improved facilities are enjoyed by foreign workers.

Nevertheless, Malaysia need to quickly review its policy and strategy on foreign labour in the oil
palm sector to ensure that it can be managed in a more integrated manner among the ministries,
agencies and industry’s associations.

LI>Hanim Adnan is assistant news editor at The Star. She believes the oil palm industry is too
important economically, socially and politically to Malaysia and should not be hindered by labour
issues.

References