NCR LAND SURVEY
KUCHING: Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari Tun Openg has slammed certain parties who had instigated the natives against the government’s sincere effort in surveying their native customary rights (NCR) lands.
According to Abang Johari, more people have begun to accept the initiative where the lands are first surveyed under Section 6 and then Section of 18 of the Sarawak Land Code for issuance of individual land titles.
“There are some people who got their land through that process, but had instigated others not to accept the survey under Section 6,” he said at the presentation of government grant to Dayak Bidayuh National Association (DBNA) today.
Abang Johari reiterated that the state government’s intention was to help the people to own land, particularly NCR lands.
“When the late Pehin Sri Adenan Satem was on his deathbed, he had asked Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah Embas and I to try and settle the NCR land matter.
“So, we managed to have dialogues with the natives. As a result, we have amended our land code and now we have territorial domain or territorial land. And that becomes part of our method to protect our land,” he explained.
The chief minister said when the state wanted to survey the NCR land, Bidayuh community leaders and DBNA had volunteered to do the survey although there were some issues with the Land and Survey Department at first.
“But I managed to settle that problem and I told all the communities that the Bidayuh are a model, whereby they volunteer to survey the land under Section 6 and Section 18 – and then the people will get their individual land titles,” he said.
He said that before the government could go in to survey the land, there must be a request from the community leaders first.
“When there is a request, then the government can go in to survey the communal land under Section 6. Once this land is demarcated as communal land, we survey individual lots under Section 18. If leaders do not request for it, then the government cannot go in otherwise people say the government is taking the land,” he explained.
The Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) chairman said it was unfortunate that some people used social media to twist facts.
“Social media is like a knife – it can be good but it can also be abused by some people. But we the leaders are not afraid; we will tell the facts. Because at the end of the day people know and they can analyse,” he said.
He added that the state was heading towards digitalisation and that process could be a weapon against them such as with social media.
“Yet, we, the GPS government, want to go for digitalisation. We know people will abuse it; it may be a backlash to us.
“However, we are not afraid because at the end of the day we want people to be able to use digital devices as part of the process of modernisation,” said Abang Johari.
