By DayakDaily Team
KUCHING, Sept 6: SAVE Rivers has criticised the accusations by the Forest Department Sarawak (FDS) that it is a profit-driven entity, calling the claims “baseless” and a deliberate attempt to mischaracterise the grassroots organisation’s work in defending indigenous and local communities, protecting forests, and promoting sustainable livelihoods.
The response follows a Sept 4 press release from FDS, in which its legal counsel accused SAVE Rivers of being “a private limited company with profitable motives, self-proclaiming to be an NGO.”
In a statement on Friday (Sept 5), SAVE Rivers said such an assertion was “an abhorrent misrepresentation for a government agency to spew in the face of the public”.
“While we are legally registered as a private limited company, this form does not change our nature or purpose: we are a non-profit entity dedicated to community service, not profit-making,” the group said, stressing that it has been indigenous-led since its establishment in Miri in 2011.
The organisation emphasised that it is widely recognised as one of Sarawak’s leading voices for Indigenous rights, working directly with communities across the State on issues ranging from forest defence to sustainable development, climate solutions, responsible business practices, and just energy transition.
“It is troubling that FDS chose to attack SAVE Rivers, which is not a party to the Judicial Review but merely submitted an affidavit in support of the Penan applicants. Such statements, made while the matter is before the courts, risk undermining due process and could be regarded as sub-judice,” the group said.
The NGO also criticised FDS for claiming that issuing timber licences was a solution to rural infrastructure needs in Ulu Baram.
“After 62 years of Malaysia’s formation, it is not acceptable that rural Indigenous communities must still rely on the destruction of their forest by logging companies in return for basic infrastructure. True development should not come at the expense of Indigenous rights or environmental destruction,” it said.
SAVE Rivers further dismissed the suggestion that it was profiting from its advocacy. “To put matters in perspective: the monthly revenue generated by timber extraction in the contested areas exceeds more than 40 years of SAVE Rivers’ modest annual budget. The real profits are clearly being made by timber corporations, not grassroots organisations standing with communities.”
The group contended that FDS’s attempt to discredit it betrayed “a deeper anxiety about the legality and legitimacy of its own actions” and urged the department to engage constructively with indigenous communities while respecting their constitutional right to seek redress in court.
“SAVE Rivers will not be intimidated. We will continue to stand firm with indigenous and local communities in Sarawak to defend their rights, protect their forests, and pursue a sustainable and just future for all,” it concluded. — DayakDaily
