Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) Sarawak has claimed “practices of supremacy” and “one-sided decisions” have marginalised local communities in tourist spots around the state.

According to PKR Sarawak chief Roland Engan, the state government needs to revamp the management of the tourism industry and ensure greater participation of local communities as stakeholders.

“PKR takes seriously practices of supremacy and one-sided decisions in the tourism sector that marginalise the people around the tourist centres such as granting concessions or the appointment of a tourism industry management body that ignores the voice of the people around the tourism centre,” he said in a statement.

Citing Mulu National Park, he claimed locals are not empowered to be fully involved in the Unesco World Heritage Site, while piped water supply around the park was not extended to homestay chalets set up by locals.

According to him, Native Customary Rights (NCR) land claims over certain hotel sites around the tourist destination are also still pending and the pledge by former chief minister the late Pehin Sri Adenan Satem that the NCR of the people in this area would be included have yet to be fulfilled.

He said PKR Sarawak acknowledged that tourism is an important economic sector in the state and as such local communities should be accorded priority and opportunities to participate at every level.

PKR Sarawak also called for the issuance or extension of logging licences to be halted to protect the natural environment that attracts tourists.

Roland further claimed the state has failed to set strict conditions for sustainable forest management to be implemented as the tourism and logging sectors are contradictory.

Source:
courtesy of THE BORNEO POST

by PHILIP KIEW

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