Excerpts Chapter 4 : Unofficial Timber Rent Appropriation in Sarawak (Part 2 - Samling)

Samling

Sarawak’s and Malaysia’s largest timber concession holding company is the Samling group. As shown in Table 4.4 below, a number of concessions licensed to the Samling group include Chief Minister Taib’s family, proxies and political allies as board members and shareholders. Among the more interesting Taib-linked figures found in the table below are the chief minister’s cousin who serves as a senior business figure in the family, and the chief minister's bomoh (traditional healer and spiritual medium). Among the more straightforward recipients of political patronage are an assemblyman known by the nickname of "Giant Killer" because he successfully defeated Taib’s uncle and political rival in the 1987 election, and a nominee said to represent Sarawak’s Minister of Finance George Chan in two-thirds of Samling's timber concessions.

While many believe Sarawak's and Malaysia's largest timber group is Rimbunan Hijau, an internal spreadsheet compiled by a Samling employee put the total number of Samling concessions at 18, with four in Lawas, seven on the upper Baram region, and seven near Bintulu (Samling 1996). This total just over 1.6 million hectares, which just edges out the 1.5 million hectares of “official” holdings acknowledged by a Rimbunan Hijau official (26 October 1996 interview with William Wong). Samling is also the world’s largest owner of Caterpillar tractors (22 October 1996 interview with Samling official).

A well-placed and knowledgeable Sarawak source suspects that Samling is owned by the chief minister's family through nominees (26 May 1997 interview).

Table 4.4            Samling timber concessions in which family members, friends, proxies or political allies of Taib Mahmud are board members or shareholders.

Name of Samling-linked timber concession	Name of board member or shareholder	Position in or percentage of shares held in company	Relationship to current chief minister, source of information.
Adong; Baram Sawmill, 46,134 hectares; Dayalaba, 16,469 hectares; Kelapang; KTM Timor 71,657 hectares; Majau Timber; Pelutan, 55,912 hectares; Ravenscourt 136,659 hectares; Samling Plywood Miri, 160,954 hectares; Sertama; Syarikat Reloh; Tinjar Logging	Yong Nyan Siong	Holder of a single share; Director; Director and 40 percent shareholder; Director; Director; Director; Director; 30 percent shareholder; Director; Director; Director and 3 percent shareholder; Director	Nominee on behalf of Sarawak’s current Minister of Finance, George Chan (12 August 1997 interview with James Chin).
Paong Timber, 61,892 hectares	Edmund Ang @ Edmund Lea Ang, Bertram Raymond Regie Adai, Narulhuda Binte Mohd Mortadza, and Mustapha Bin Ismail, Sriemar Sdn Bhd.	1 percent shareholder, 1 percent shareholder, 3 percent shareholder, 1 percent shareholder, 5 percent shareholder.	Bertram Raymond Regie Adai is the former Editor in Chief of the Sarawak Tribune (11 June 1997 interview with former Sarawak Assistant Minister of Finance Patau Ubis).  He and three other shareholders, as well as the company Sriemar Sdn Bhd, all give the Chief Ministers palace guest house, Istana Tetemu, as their address (18 August 1997 interview with Raphael Pura).
Pelutan, 55,912 hectares; Sertama, size unknown	Ahmad bin Suut	20 percent shareholder; Director	Chief Minister Taib Mahmud's bomoh (traditional healer and spiritual medium) who owns between 15 and 17 luxury automobiles (4 June 1997 interview with a Sarawak state assemblyman).
Ravenscourt, 36,659 hectares	Abdul Hamid bin Sepawi	Director and 24 percent shareholder	First cousin to the chief minister, and an important business figure in the chief minister's family (6 June 1997 interview with State Assemblyman Aidan Wing). Abdul Hamid is “holding part of the money” for the chief minister (11 June 1997 interview with former Sarawak Assistant Minister of Finance Patau Ubis).

Table 4.4 (continued)    Samling timber concessions in which family members, friends, proxies or political allies of Chief Minister Taib Mahmud are board members or shareholders.

Name of Samling-linked timber concession	Name of board member or shareholder	Position in or % of shares held in company	Relationship to current Chief Minister, source of information.
Ravenscourt, 136,659 hectares	Wahab Dollah, Assistant Minister for Infrastructure Development (28 May 1997 interview with a Sarawak journalist).	Director	Known as "Giant Killer" because he defeated former Chief Minister Tun  Rahman in the elections in the aftermath of  the 1987 Ming Court affair.  Dollah acted on the chief minister's behalf in an attempt to obtain editorial control in the Borneo Post, where he is now a shareholder. Together with the chief minister's first cousin, Hamid Sepawi, Dollah owns 25 percent of the parent company of the Utusan Sarawak newspaper.  Dollah serves as political lieutenant of Taib by controlling political activities and seeing to material needs of eight PBB state assemblymen.  He is a strong public proponent of continued Melanau leadership in Sarawak.  Dollah is said to have been awarded eight timber concessions by Taib (Sayottaib 2001:  sulit 6, dokumen 1-4), although my study identified only five.  He makes profits from his timber concessions available to the PBB during election time (10 June 1997 interview with Kueh Yong Ann).
Seriku, 85,559 hectares; Sertama	Abang Abdul Karim Tun Abg. Hj. Openg	Director and 0.5 percent shareholder; Director	Older brother of one of the chief minister’s most important ministers, Abang Johari, Minister of Industry (28 May 1997 interview with a Sarawak journalist).
Seriku, 85,559 hectares	Abang Hj. Mohamed Bin Abang Sharkawi	Director, 0.5 percent shareholder	Former associate of Wahab Dollah.  Former official of Sarawak Economic Development Corporation (7 June 1997 interview with State Assemblyman Aidan Wing). A “Taib nominee” (12 August 1997 interview with James Chin).
Wan Abdul Rahman Timber, 28,407 hectares.	Thomas Kana	Director, 3 percent shareholder	Former senior official with the SNAP party (12 August 1997 interview with James Chin).  In the Sarawak state cabinet as a minister from about 1967-1969 (26 May 1997 interview with a reliable and informed academic).  Former state assemblyman  (4 June 1994 interview with state assemblyman Aidan Wing).  Still active with the PBB (11 June 1997 interview with former Sarawak Assistant Minister of Finance Patau Ubis).