KUCHING: The state government should review the mining lease in Bau, which is a major obstacle to the development of the area.
“The government has to relook at whether we should stop the mining and look into other alternatives or investments. Now, a major obstacle is the mining lease.
“To make Bau bigger, we have to move and decentralise. But when the land is hindered by the mining lease, this becomes a stumbling block to us,” said Tasik Biru incumbent Datuk Henry Harry Jinep in a recent exclusive interview.
He stressed that the state government has to review, reconsider and analyse whether mining was still bringing in socioeconomic benefits or whether it was surface value that would bring greater benefits.
“Surface value means development in terms of housing, commercial development, and the premium that the government takes,” he explained.
He also said that even if the gold in Bau were to be mined, it was uncertain how much was available there.
“Gold is the underground value, but how much can the government take from there? It is not much because the gold will go back to the company and they would not share much with the government,” he said.
On the other hand, he said surface value was where people would pay for the premium for the land, which would be revenue for the government.
“So, it is up to the government to analyse this matter,” urged Henry.
He also pointed out that if mining activities were actively carried out, this could cause Bau to sink.
He recalled that a major mining activity, which took place in Bau sometime around the 90’s, had caused the town to experience a sinkhole.
“If we continue to do mining and drain out all the water, I think Bau will lose its town. We do not want this to happen,” he said.
