A group of 178 community leaders comprising a pemanca, six penghulus, two village headmen and 169 longhouse chiefs gathered at Saratok Rest House recently to protest against a Facebook account holder whom they claimed has disparaged their reputation.

Earlier on Saratok MP Service Centre head Penghulu Wilfred Empatie Lamit lodged a police report against the Facebook account holder for posting lies which they claimed were calculated to bring down Saratok MP Tan Sri William Mawan Ikom ahead of the next parliamentary election.

Empatie of Rumah Manggie Sungai Menua in Roban said the posting which said community leaders in Saratok are involved in logging activities was baseless. The facebook posting also urged them not to be rooting for Mawan in the next parliamentary election otherwise they would be part of the logging activities in Saratok.

“Such sweeping statement is a lie and calculated to tarnish our reputation and also that of our MP (Mawan). I have lodged a police report so that police can take action (against the maker of the offending statement),” Empatie said.

All the 178 community leaders want Mawan to be re-nominated as the BN candidate for Saratok in the next parliamentary election, he added.

Penghulu Latan Ambau accompanied Empatie to lodge the report at the Saratok police station before they proceeded to join the other community leaders including Pemanca Edward Baul Gella at the Rest House.

On Wednesday Parti Tenaga Rakyat Sarawak (Teras) executive secretary Banyi Beriak also lodged a separate police report at Sungai Maong police station urging the police to take action against the same person for allegedly posting lies that Teras was linked to logging activities in Saratok in the offending Facebook posting.

Banyi, who is Teras deputy secretary-general said, the party did not condone any illegal logging by any individual in Saratok.

“Neither Mawan nor Teras members has anything to do with illegal logging – contrary to the posting of the alleged person,” he said.

“We want to clear the good name of the party and also to defend the integrity of Tan Sri (Mawan). Hence we lodged a police report so that the police could take action against the person who posted the lies,” he said, adding the writer has malicious aim to run down the party and their MP.

Banyi is also Teras Krian division chairman.

Teras Krian division treasurer Albert Renggian and lawyer Frederick S Jamit accompanied Banyi to lodge the police report.

Source:
courtesy of THE BORNEO POST

by Churchill Edward

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