By Stan Thompson
BRISBANE — "For hundreds of years the indigenous peoples or 'orang asli' in Sarawak have lived and depended on the rainforest for food, shelter, clothing, medicine and other necessities, living in complete harmony with nature. However, this decade logging has intensified, making Malaysia the largest exporter of rainforest timbers in the world."
These were the words that greeted a strong crowd at Brisbane's weekly Green It Up! at the Celtic Club on Thursday night, August 19.
Eli, a Malaysian student working with the Network of Overseas Students Collective in Australia (NOSCA), was the featured guest among a host of popular talent gathered together for this special fundraiser — "Rise up Sarawak". The evening helped raised funds for communications and computer equipment for indigenous peoples of South-East Asia.
"The Malaysian government's message comes loud and clear: it's wholesale exploitation for export dollars without the consideration of long-term environmental consequences or of the welfare and rights of the indigenous peoples ... The hypocrisy is fairly blatant when the minister for the environment and tourism, James Wong, along with many other politicians, personally owns hundreds of thousands of hectares of rainforest concessions."
"The people of Malaysia have extremely limited access to any form of alternative media without risking imprisonment or worse", Eli told Green Left Weekly.
" What we get here in Australia is not what Malaysians in Malaysia would hear. In schools we are taught that 'orang asli' are backward and uncivilised and that they practise irresponsible cultivation. The government tells us that development is good for them and that logging is essential for the economy. They even go so far to say that relocation from traditional lands will improve their lifestyles. There are few alternatives to counter these views."
This situation, highlighted on his recent trip to Sarawak, has prompted Andrew Garton of Pegasus Networks to organise FIERCE, a cross-arts extravaganza designed to the fundraising venture. "It is because of this limited access to the simple truth for the people of Malaysia and people in Australia and around the world that we need to raise money to buy simple communications equipment for the indigenous peoples of South East Asia", Garton explains.
FIERCE, to be held at Boulder Lodge on September 24, has brought together a huge cross-section of the arts communities as well as environmental organisations such as Environmental Youth Alliance. All sponsors are donating their time for this cause. The night will also feature an on-line live "chat" with participants all over the world who will be linked up by computer just for the occasion.
Andrew Garton told Green Left Weekly, "The idea behind the live link-up, which we believe to be a first for this kind of event, is to stress the international solidarity that is needed now to counter these catastrophic circumstances".
Eli also stressed the need for international solidarity: "Men, women and children stand guard over the blockades amidst heavily armed military and anti-riot police. Many are assaulted, imprisoned and tortured — some are killed.
"Yet they will not rest until their rainforest, their home, is reclaimed and their rights acknowledged. Until this is achieved we cannot sit back whilst our brothers and sisters are killed, fighting for their rights and lives."
For more information regarding FIERCE and other fundraisers, contact Andrew Garton on (07) 257 1111.