They take away our 'riches"

While doing some research to write a paper on development issues in Sabah and Sarawak, I came across this powerful statement by a Punan (an ethnic group found in Sarawak) leader:

“We have never been poor, we have been made poor. I am telling the truth, and that’s why I am not afraid of the consequences of my words. The Punan were rich, all our life depends on the forest. From the forest we obtain medicinal plants, sagu, rattan, fruits and wild pigs. We never had to ask for food to anyone, because we had everything. The companies are destroying our forest, our source of life. Day after day, food becomes scarce, rivers become dirty, life becomes miserable. Now the government tells us that we are poor, and they want give us the same privileges enjoyed by the civilised world. This is a big lie, in reality they are taking everything away from us, they take away our ‘richness’, they transform us into poor.” (Tangga Unyak, a Punan elder from Long Halanga)