MIRI – The Sarawak Public Communications Unit shot down ongoing allegations that the ruling Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) government had seized vast tracks of native customary rights (NCR) land belonging to indigenous natives for development projects.
The official GPS mouthpiece today quoted caretaker Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Awang Tengah Ali Hasan as saying that the state government “acquires” native land when needed, and does not “seize” them.
“The state will acquire NCR land when there are development projects that need to be carried out on the land in native areas.
“The state government will pay compensation to landowners based on the market price of the land. GPS does not seize land from the people. The accusations against GPS are from opposition (parties) with political motives,” said the unit.
Many of Sarawak’s 1.7 million natives have been seeking property titles for NCR land that they claim to have inherited from their ancestors centuries ago.
The state government insisted that land titles can only be issued, if the natives can prove they have ownership over the land through certification by the Sarawak Land and Survey Department.
Numerous disputes between native landowners and the state had erupted over the years, as the former were not happy with the amount of money paid by state authorities during these land “acquisitions”.
From the 1970s to the 1990s, multiple incidents of violent physical confrontations had occurred over land disputes between the natives and state developers. Nowadays, these disputes are settled via court cases.
Seeing that Sarawak is heading to the polls on December 18, and that the native land rights issue could touch raw nerves, it has inevitably become a hot election topic among the contesting parties. – The Vibes, December 13, 2021
