The latest resource to attract the clique of crony companies, who have achieved effective state capture of Sarawak, is the market for carbon credits.
Foremost amongst the competitors for this easy-money target is the timber cum plantation giant Samling, which is now accused of seeking to appropriate yet more native lands to profit from alleged eco-projects.
This, having razed millions of hectares of jungle for vast profits, thereby driving the climate crisis that created the market in the first place.
However, last weekend saw a noisy pushback from native communities who complain that Samling’s controversial SaraCarbon project, backed by the state government, is once again abusing their Native Customary Land Rights.
SaraCarbon Sdn. Bhd. plans to implement the carbon credit project in the region of three villages in Marudi—Logan Entasan, Lobang Kompeni, and Sungai Brit. However, at a press conference held in the presence of NGOs, media representatives, and the Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (SUHAKAM), local protestors from these communities issued a statement firmly rejecting SaraCarbon’s carbon credit project on their customary land.
The villagers emphasized that the project was introduced without their Free, Prior, and Informed Consent (FPIC) and offers no tangible benefits to their communities. Instead, they say it poses a serious threat to their customary land rights and violates their ownership.
Indeed, writing about the project last year, this blog examined expert analysis which questioned a project handed to a multi-billion ringgit family company, culpable of huge amounts of environmental damage, that provides for no tangible benefits to the local landowners and offers a peppercorn rate in terms of royalties to the state.
The native people are plainly angered to have been left out of the equation once more on their own lands which they fear they now stand to lose their ability to cultivate as Samling cashes in on an ‘eco-scheme’.
According to a Sarawak Report writer who attended the event:
Holding banners in protest, they expressed their strong dissatisfaction with SaraCarbon and the Sarawak government’s interpretation of customary land rights. Losing their customary land would mean losing their farmland, orchards, and hunting grounds, directly impacting their livelihoods.
Kampong’s 70-Year History and Crop-Based Livelihood
Logan Entasan Village JKKK [Village Committee] Vice Chairman, Jaba Anak Mawa explained at the demonstration that their kampong has existed for over 70 years. In the past, the community was small, but it has grown to more than 500 people today. The primary source of income for the villagers comes from agriculture, including vegetable farming and small-scale oil palm cultivation. While rice farming was once a staple activity, many villagers have transitioned to other crops due to changing economic and environmental factors.
For these villagers, the land is not just a place to live but a vital source of food and income. Any disruption to their land rights could jeopardize their ability to sustain themselves and future generations.
Lack of Transparency Raises Doubts
On March 15, 2023 The Borneo Post announced SaraCarbon Sdn. Bhd, a subsidiary of Samling Group, had become the first company in Sarawak to obtain a forest carbon study permit granted by the newly titled Sarawak Premier, Abang Johari.
The plan is apparently to allow SaraCarbon to conduct a ‘forest carbon project’ in Marudi, within an existing ‘industrial tree plantation zone” controlled by Samling!
Since 2023, SaraCarbon’s officials and consultants have attempted to reach and persuade villagers. However, the local people complain that these ‘outreach meetings’ have consistently failed to address and explain the concept and purpose of the carbon credits.
More to the point, as far as they are concerned, , SaraCarbon has entered native customary land (NCR land) to conduct surveys without villagers’ consent.
In response, Logan Entasan villagers filed a police report on January 24, 2025, while Lobang Kompeni villagers submitted a complaint on February 11, 2025.
As usual, such appeals to the officers of the law have proven fruitless in the face of land grabs by the powerful plantation giants.
On February 8, 2025, Lobang Kompeni villagers discovered that parts of their NCR land had been marked with a “Forest Carbon Area” sign by SaraCarbon Sdn Bhd. They complain they had received no prior information, and SaraCarbon had not consulted them.
Furious, the villagers placed a notice on the sign, declaring: “This is our customary land. No trespassing.”
Sahabat Alam Malaysia (SAM) Exposes Lack of Transparency in SaraCarbon’s Project
Jaba Anak Mawa stated at the rally that SaraCarbon Sdn. Bhd. has failed to provide detailed information about the carbon credit project, including its scope and implementation process. The absence of official documentation and clear explanations has left villagers confused and rejecting the project outright.
“The community believes that this carbon credit project does not benefit the indigenous people, does not solve climate change issues, and is instead an encroachment on NCR land,” said one village representative.
The coordinator for the native rights NGO SAM, Jok Jau Evong, highlighted that carbon credits are a relatively new concept, and most villagers do not understand how they work. Neither the company nor its government backers have provided any platform to explain the project or its scale in detail.
Even after gaining some understanding, the villagers remain firmly opposed to it.
Village representative Jaba Anak Mawa revealed that three formal protest letters have been submitted to relevant authorities, opposing SaraCarbon’s carbon credit project:
- November 28, 2024 – 319 villagers from 15 villages in Marudi signed a protest letter addressed to SaraCarbon, the Sarawak Premier, relevant government agencies, SUHAKAM, Bursa Carbon Exchange, and international carbon credit certification body Verra.
- January 11, 2025 – Lobang Kompeni villagers submitted a formal letter to Marudi district officials, stressing that the project involves Pemakai Menua and Pulau Galau customary land.
- January 20, 2025 – Logan Entasan villagers submitted a protest letter to Marudi district officials and SaraCarbon Sdn. Bhd.
No Benefits to Community Admit SaraCarbon!
On January 27, 2025, SaraCarbon responded to the protest letter from 15 villages, claiming that the carbon credit project would not affect the villagers as the designated project area is located on peatlands and wetlands.
However, the villagers refuted this, stating that the Logan area includes a vital fishing ground, which is a key source of food and income for their community.
Equally to the point, they want to know what benefit will the community get from this use of their lands, compared to the rich pickings plainly anticipated by a company that belongs to a family who have already grabbed so much from Sarawak’s resources?
The answer to that came on February 23 when SaraCarbon organised a two-day seminar at Dewan Suarah in Marudi to promote the Baram carbon credit project and raise awareness about climate change. The event was attended by government officials, academics, and Samling executives.
According to Roy Edimund from Lobang Kompeni, when the village chief asked SaraCarbon what benefits the project would bring to villagers, a SaraCarbon representative simply replied: “None.”!
So, what has encouraged Sarawak’s political establishment to once again favour the interests of this wealthy family firm to the detriment of the native people?
It is not hard to reach the obvious conclusions. The interests of companies like Samling have long dominated state government policy as they suck out resources like a giant leach in symbiosis with the ruling parties.
Battle Ongoing As Villagers Block Survey Work And SaraCarbon Attempts Waterway Entry
Roy Edimund said that, faced with resistance from villagers, SaraCarbon initially attempted to access customary land by road but was blocked. Subsequently, villagers discovered that the company has resorted to entering the area by boat via waterways to conduct surveys and studies.
At the public protest on February 22, 2025, Jaba Anak Mawa reaffirmed the villagers’ unwavering opposition to any carbon credit projects on their customary land and urged the Sarawak government to fully recognize indigenous customary land rights. He pointed out that indigenous land rights are protected under the Federal Constitution and upheld by court rulings, which have established that NCR land is part of indigenous people’s right to survival and property ownership.
Meanwhile, he also called on interior indigenous communities to stay vigilant about carbon credit projects, warning that “After Marudi, the Sarawak government may expand this project to more remote inland areas. We must be more alert and prepared to resist.”
The controversy surrounding SaraCarbon’s carbon credit project in Marudi highlights the ongoing conflict between indigenous customary land rights and development projects. As the Sarawak government and corporations continue to push for such initiatives, the villagers remain resolute in their fight to protect their land.
Until their customary land rights are fully recognised, they say their struggle will persist.