KUCHING – Rural folk in Lawas who still hunt for their food are having some hiccups as the buying of cartridges for their firearms has become increasingly difficult.
This is because of an apparent delegation of power by the state secretary to the chief minister that residents and district officers (DO) sign off on for Form 11 – the licence to purchase cartridges – said Ba’Kelalan assemblyman Baru Bian.
He said previously, there was a sub-delegation of the same power by the DO to the state administrative officers (SAO) to do the same but the state attorney-general was of the opinion that the sub-delegation was not proper and hence, SAOs can no longer sign off on Form 11.
“This has caused a lot of inconvenience to rural folk (licencees) who travel to the nearest district office to make applications but, often, the DO is not around as he is travelling or attending to duties elsewhere.
“As a result, the applicants are asked to wait for the DO to be present and often, the officers are not certain when that will be. Sometimes, the applicants are told it could be a few days or perhaps one or two weeks.
“This is an additional financial burden on the licencees as they have to pay for accommodation in town while waiting, or have to make another trip.”
Baru said this is made worse with travel restrictions and risk of exposure during the pandemic.
He added that shotguns are essential for rural folk as they still hunt for their food and are not using it for recreation.
“Cartridges are necessary and hence, Form 11 is crucial because sellers are not permitted to sell cartridges to those without the approved form.
“I have written to the chief minister to request that he issue a fresh delegation of power immediately to include SAOs so that rural folk will not have to face the problem of having to go multiple times to get their licences.
“I hope the chief minister will understand the hardship of the rural community and execute a fresh delegation of power without delay,” he added. – The Vibes, May 27, 2021
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