Malaysian megadam won't go away

Ambitious development schemes are relatively commonplace in Malaysia, but the Bakun Hydroelectric Dam project was one that stood out among the rest when it was first proposed in the mid-1990s.

From day one, we have argued that there is no need for this project

Malaysian environmentalist

It was a megaproject of megaprojects - it involved flooding an enormous tract of prime rainforest, displacing 10,000 native people and some highly sophisticated engineering, such as underwater cables transporting electricity.

Bakun drew enormous public controversy and was also among the issues that caused bitter dissension between Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad and his former deputy Anwar Ibrahim, who was later sacked and is now in jail.

Bakun's Original Plan

Biggest dam in south-east Asia

Energy capacity enough to serve Philadelphia and San Francisco

Land area the size of New York City to be flooded

600km of undersea cables to carry electricity from dam site in Borneo to peninsula Malaysia

Despite protests and law suits, the government went ahead with the $5bn hydroelectric project. A private company with close links to the ruling government undertook the project and began logging work.

But in 1997, at the height of the Asian economic crisis, the government shelved the scheme, along with other infrastructure projects, to slash public spending.

"Bakun... was so ostentatious, it took an almost divine intervention to arrest its development," the non-governmental organisation Sahabat Alam Malaysia (SAM) or Friends of the Earth, said.

A large tract of rainforest was to be flooded

However, Bakun's story is not over yet - the Malaysian Government has recently raised the proposal of restarting the project, although on a much-downsized plan.

Fresh controversy has also arisen over claims that the 9,000 native people resettled under the project have very poor living conditions.

New dam plan

The new proposed dam will reportedly not involve underwater cables to transport electricity from the project's site, on Borneo island, to peninsular Malaysia.

The 600km cables would have been the longest in the world.

But critics say there is no need for the energy in the local state, Sarawak, one of the country's less-developed states which already has enough energy.

This is an absurd kind of development policy

Kua Kia Soong

"Why throw good money after bad money? The way the government is carrying on with the project appears to about saving face," said social activist Meenakshi Raman, legal expert from SAM.

"This is an absurd kind of development policy," said Dr Kua Kia Soong, former opposition politician and social activist.

Critics contend that the project has reflected some of the worst failings of the ruling government - a lack of transparency and cronyism.

The project's environmental impact assessment was never shown to the public, although this is required under federal law - which environmentalists challenged in the high court.

"There is very little public participation in development projects," said Elizabeth Wong, a spokesperson from Suaram, a human rights group.