KOTA KINABALU – The handing over of some land in Sabah has caused a rift between politicians in the state with Bersatu Tawau chief Datuk Nizam Abu Bakar Titingan slamming Sepanggar MP Datuk Azis Jamman of Warisan over his criticism of the matter, which the latter says is causing public confusion.
Nizam said the land handed to the federal government on Thursday is already developed with public facilities, such as schools, hospitals, clinics and police stations.
“Azis knows very well that most of the land has already been developed with public facilities. He is now politicising the issue and confusing the public by twisting facts,” he said in a statement today.
Meanwhile, the Sabah Land and Survey Department today confirmed that the 177 land titles handed over to the federal government were meant for public facilities such as schools, hospitals, police stations and post offices.
Its director Bernard Liew Chau Min said that the 519.44ha – not 1,933ha as reported on Thursday – of land handed over was approved before 2016, with premiums fully paid by the federal government.
“Land for federal purposes are granted with leasehold titles of 99 years. The federal agencies will have to pay the premium and annual quit rent just like other landowners,” he said in a statement today.
Nizam, who is also state assistant finance minister, then hit out at Azis for claiming credit for Warisan about granting 4,046ha of native land titles to villagers from 2019 to 2020, when it was the work of the previous Barisan Nasional (BN) government.
“The truth is that land was surveyed and approved (for issuance of land titles) by BN. It had taken a long period to process and could only be handed to the people in 2019 and 2020.
“In 2011, the state Native Land Services programme (Pantas) was implemented to hasten the surveying and issuance of land titles for native customary right lands.
“This year, the federal government allocated RM20 million to Gabungan Rakyat Sabah to ensure that more native land can be returned to the people, mostly rural folk. Last year, the allocation for this was only RM7.5 million,” said Nizam. – The Vibes, February 20, 2021
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