Month / May 2019

by Gerome Z.

Global Warming Threatens Future Of Malaysia’s Oil Palm Says Top Malaysian Crop Expert

Developing crop diversity is not a threat to Malaysia’s oil palm industry. Rather it could be a vital saviour, one of the world’s top crop scientists based in KL has been explaining to the country’s leading politicians, who appear to be listening.

Professor Sayed Azam-Ali heads the prestigious Crops For the Future Research Centre (CFFRC) supported by the Malaysian Government together with Nottingham University, which is fast becoming one of the world’s most highly regarded research centres in terms of meeting future challenges for global food security.

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by Gerome Z.

SEDC Taken For A Ride Or What?

Doing the rounds on social media is a story that has been raising eyebrows in Sarawak.

The public investment vehicle that is supposed to be assisting development in the state, namely the Sarawak Economic Development Corporation (SEDC), has just poured a very substantial sum into the purchase of a cattle farm over in Darwin: way over the valuation and market price, according to Australian media outlets.

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by Gerome Z.

Taib’s daughter fails again in bid for an injunction against Swiss NGO

Sarawak Governor Abdul Taib Mahmud’s daughter Jamilah Taib and her husband Sean Murray has failed again in their bid for an injunction against Switzerland-based NGO Bruno Manser Fund (BMF) over alleged defamation.

On Wednesday, a Swiss Court of Appeal rejected their bid for an injunction to provisionally ban 255 publications linking her, her closest family members and her Canadian real estate companies, Sakto Corporation and Sakto Development Corporation, to alleged money-laundering and to grand corruption in Sarawak.

“We are delighted about this extremely clear and favourable judgment,” said Lukas Straumann, the executive director of BMF, in a statement today.

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by Gerome Z.

How Much Did The ‘Sultans’ of Sarawak Receive In The Mulu Land Deal?

Records show that RM130 million has been raised by the controversial company Radiant Lagoon, which was secretly granted 4,500 hectares of forest land in 2008.

The combined US dollar and ringgit loans were registered last December, not long after the transfer of its shares from Governor Taib Mahmud of Sarawak’s son to new owners linked to the massive Double Dynasty logging and plantation business.

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by Gerome Z.

Bolstering Sarawak’s trade outlook

KUCHING: Separated from major routes by land and sea, Sarawak has always been rather left out in terms of foreign investment and trade.

However, as shown time and time again in world history, open trade policies and initiatives are essential in building up strong economies in a region.

For Sarawak, our main exports have always been bolstered by timber, palm oil, and oil and gas industries.

These industries have been the backbone of our state since the olden days.Today, these commodities are hampered by their sustainability issues in the longer-term and negative perceptions in the global market.

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by Gerome Z.

The Thief Of Sarawak Has No Right To Talk of Rights

Sarawak Governor Tun Abdul Taib Mahmud today urged Sarawakians to support the state government’s efforts to reclaim their rights enshrined in the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63).

He said he believed that a delegation led by Chief Minister Datuk Abang Johari Openg will continue to take the interests and the development of the state into account in the negotiation to reclaim the rights from Putrajaya.

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