Firm pays out RM400 for encroaching on graves
KUCHING: A developer has put aside RM400 in token sum for each family of the 106 deceased persons whose graves had been encroached on by the company, according to the current technical committee overseeing the Munggu Sabun graveyard along Jalan Pending here.
Its secretary Nicholl Ragai Lang said he could not describe the token of RM400 as ‘compensation’ but more or less something he hoped could appease the spirits of the dead following the encroachment on the graveyard as only the company and the officials who issued the permit could tell why.
He said: “I dare not say its compensation but in Iban it is just ‘Adat Basa, Kurus Semengat enggau Kering Semengat’. At the moment it is just a token to appease the spirits.”
When pressed further on the alleged ‘ nominal value’ of the token sum, Nicholl said the amount in Ringgit and Sen was fixed by Majlis Adat Istiadat Sarawak ( Mais).
He said out of the 106 families, 30 had not talked to the committee about claiming the token sum.
The rest collected theirs during the first session of pay- outs from July 26 to 28 but he hoped the 30 families could meet the committee members during the second session slated for Aug 9 to 11.
Nicholl said the committee has to fix a deadline for the representatives because they cannot hold the funds for too long.
Technical committee chairman Datuk Paduka Anthony Nait Mani said unclaimed monies after the Aug 11 deadline would be used for the maintenance of the graveyard.
“That is why the families of the deceased or their representatives must claim it,” Nait said.
Others in the technical committee are treasurer Datin Laceylona Thomas and executive members Dom Ricky, Tuai Rumah Jeffery Kemping, Tuai Rumah Willie Bohen, Philip Sempurai, Gumba Ripin and Hugh Lawrence Zender.
Representatives of the families of the deceased persons can meet these members at the Kuching District Office on the 6th Floor of Majma Complex ( behind Hopoh) along Jalan P Ramlee here.
According to Nicholl, the graveyard was first used during the era of Rajah James Brooke and the number of graves there could be in the hundreds. The graveyard is under the purview of Kuching South City Council (formerly Kuching Municipal Council).
On another matter, both Nait and Nicholl called upon members of families of the deceased persons to conduct a ‘gotong-royong’ (work party) to clear the graveyard at least twice a year, preferably a day in the week before Gawai Dayak and a day in the week before Christmas Day.
For detailed information and clarification, the public are advised to contact Nait at 0178075196.