KUALA LUMPUR – Natural Resources, Environment, and Climate Change Minister Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad has defended his claim in Parliament on March 29 that Malay reserve land in Kedah had decreased.
In a Facebook post, the Setiawangsa MP explained that the statistics for his answer were prepared by the federal Lands and Mines Department, which collects data on Malay reserve land by the state’s land administration body every year.
The post included a letter from the Kedah Lands and Mines Office to the federal land department dated November 30, 2022, which showed figures similar to Nik Nazmi’s answer during the parliamentary session.
“The Lands and Mines Department did not receive additional information from the Kedah Lands and Mines Office from December 1, 2022, to March 29, 2023,” he said.
“Information of increased Kedah Malay reserve land area, as raised by Ahmad Tarmizi Sulaiman (Sik-PN), was not shared with the department.
“I have stated the figures provided by the department, based on information from the Kedah Lands and Mines Office, and I am confident in the work of civil servants involved at the federal and state levels,” he added.
On March 29, Nik Nazmi informed the Dewan Rakyat that the size of Malay reserve land decreased in Kedah, Perak, and Kuala Lumpur last year.
He added that Malay reserve land in Kedah dropped to 716,537.28ha as of November 30, 2022, as compared to 721,888.93ha in 2021.
Nik Nazmi also addressed the rebuttals made by Kedah Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Muhammad Sanusi Md Nor, who insisted that the Malay reserve land had increased.
“I am also aware of the statement made by (Sanusi) regarding the increase in Kedah Malay reserve land from 1933 until today,” he said.
“However, considering that he became menteri besar in 2020, the figures from 2021 to 2022 will be the focus, as compared to Kedah during the British era and when it was a Japanese or Siamese colony during World War II.”
Earlier today, Dewan Rakyat Speaker Datuk Johari Abdul said that he received a motion by Tarmizi against Nik Nazmi for allegedly lying to the lower House over his claim that Kedah is one of the states that had a reduction in Malay reserve land.
A debate on the claim led to three lawmakers – Datuk Awang Solahuddin Hashim (Pendang-PN), Datuk Seri Shahidan Kassim (Arau-PN), and R.S.N. Rayer (Jelutong-PH) – being temporarily ejected from the Dewan Rakyat yesterday. – The Vibes, April 4, 2023
