burn brasuh

Posted by dari on September 03, 2002 at 16:34:09:

Burning the farm till 'brasuh' is part of Bidayuh's way of farming, old and ancient but effective way to provide natural fertiliser to the land, the technique still practice today. Yes, until today and shall go on as long as there is land. Now do not try to think about stopping it ever!

Why?
One of the main reasons has something to do with Bidayuh farmers' ingenuity. The one way they know best of providing that enriched nutrient for the crops. For example, maize and cucumber grow best in those conditions. Spinach and host of other short-term food crops flourish like no body's business when planted in such scorched land! And do not blame those folks for doing such slash and burn and admit that rural folks has nothing to do with it except to scream and shout, the way politicians know best! The result of such technique of providing natural nutrient for vegetables would mean top grade vegetables to sell and feed the family. On the top of that, such vegetables could fetch the highest demand in Sunday market. Who would rush to buy them at a cut-throat prize? Well, the very same people who demand that 'slash and burnt' should be stopped! That's a hypocrite of the highest order number one!

Do not be alarmed by such technique which has been perfected by Sir Kutieng's father as he explained earlier (posting 16688.html ). Again he talked of Bidayuh's ingenuity. No such controlled situation applied by open burning river banks and all when carried out by mad-rush-for-profit kind of plantation goons. Their sole purpose is to save cost and by resorting to such technique is the only (by designed) profitable alternative for them. Yet those goons could burn the same amount of land in 10 days with such ferocious intensity much bigger and massive than all of Bidayuh farmers put together could burn in 100 years! That's a hypocrite of the highest order number two!

Now tell me where else could those poor folks turn to in time of need when every aspect of rural life becomes expensive. A fat bundle of spinach cost a mere rm1.50 versus a simple meal cost rm5.00?
How much is he gonna earn to send his kid to school so he could break off from the rut? Farming is the only answer…to start with.

The same folks would vote to put them in office during election time but all those poor folks got back are reckless discrimination, selective exploitation from the so-called people's representative.

And to add salt to an open wound, we now shall see solid development (solid waste that is…) The project they bring are claimed to be of the people's wishes. But the real issue here is stink! The so-called high-technology project shall bring dung, trashes-upgrading, garbage factory, pollution and all, ripping off the fertile land that once belonged to the rural landowners, polluting the very air we breathe. So our very own backyard (my God, our very own backyard) will be erected with barbs wires and trenches until every bit of the soil fertility has been drained of its nutrient, fulfilled not with seed of development we deserve but with garbage and trashed of the city goons! That's a hypocrite of the highest order number three and counting!

I have an old brick road painted yellow on the land where the proposed project is to take place. It's now 'Goodbye Yellow Brick Road..." for me.

Burn……

(taken from Deep Purple Album 'Burn' 1973)