On Today Show
— Dr John Anthony Brian, Sarawak Political Analyst – The Real Cost of Resource Extraction: A Call for Fair Revenue Sharing in Sarawak
— Nicholas Mujah, Secretary General of SADIA – Empowering Communities: The Significance of Celebrating Indigenous Rights

Di Rancangan Hari Ini
— Dr John Anthony Brian, Penganalisis Politik Sarawak – Kos Sebenar Ekstraksi Sumber: Seruan untuk Perkongsian Hasil yang Adil di Sarawak
— Nicholas Mujah, Setiausaha Agung SADIA – Memperkasakan Komuniti: Kepentingan Merayakan Hak-hak Orang Asal

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Dr John Anthony Brian, Sarawak Political Analyst
*The Real Cost of Resource Extraction: A Call for Fair Revenue Sharing in Sarawak*
Sarawak Deputy Premier Awang Tengah Ali Hassan announced that the gold, rare earth, and bauxite reserves in Sarawak's underground are worth RM1.25 trillion. Therefore, mining expertise and technology from Canada are needed.
Almost every month, the GPS government announces good news about the expected increase in revenue for Sarawak. However, before celebrating this news, John Brian raises some critical questions: How many trillion ringgits of revenue have been generated from oil, natural gas, timber, palm oil plantations, and hydro dams over the years? What percentage of this revenue has been returned to the indigenous people living in the areas where these resources are extracted?
The answer, according to John Brian, is that the indigenous people in these areas face negative impacts and are becoming poorer. He highlights the coal mines in Sri Aman, the hydro dams in Belaga, the oil and natural gas in Miri and Bintulu, and the aluminum smelting in Samalaju. The local residents in these areas are given low-wage labor jobs and suffer the adverse effects of pollution, landslides, and floods. The same applies to the news about gold mining, which is expected to generate trillions of ringgits in revenue for Sarawak. The ones who will become rich are the investors and capitalists, because the GPS government’s policies favor capitalists and wealthy tycoons. The rights of the indigenous people and the poor are not prioritized.
John Brian questions who will speak for the people if GPS only speaks for the wealthy capitalists. He urges the people of Sarawak to be wise. Giving almost all the votes to GPS is not the right way to practice democracy. If the ruling government is doing something wrong, then the opposition is needed to speak for the people. He points out that the current seat distribution in the Sarawak State Legislative Assembly, with 80 GPS seats and only 2 DAP seats, is very disadvantageous for the people. The people need policies that favor them.
John Brian believes it is fair for local residents who own land for any industry generating billions of ringgits to share the revenue directly with the landowners in the area. He suggests that at least 30 percent of the shares should be given to the indigenous people, and they should be given job opportunities, contracts, and direct involvement in the mining projects. In simple terms, a JV (Joint Venture) sharing the revenue. Now is the time for the people to replace GPS representatives who favor the capitalists and to elect representatives who create policies that benefit them in the Sarawak State Legislative Assembly.

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