Vulnerability, control and oil palm in Sarawak: globalization and a new era?

Abstract

In the post logging era, Sarawak is being restructured to make way for large-scale oil palm plantations. In this restructuring, the vulnerabilities of particular areas are being used in a wider battle to control production, particularly for export. Native customary lands, considered 'unproductive' or 'idle' by officials, are the target of oil palm plantation development under a new land development programme called Konsep Baru (New Concept). This article looks at the contradictions generated by the complex process of laying claims to 'idle' native customary land and focuses on Dayak organizing initiatives in northern Sarawak, Malaysia.