KUALA LUMPUR – Indigenous reserve land with sultanate land status in Johor only preserves the rights of the people there, said Johor Menteri Besar Datuk Onn Hafiz Ghazi.
Onn Hafiz said this in support of a decree by Johor ruler Sultan Ibrahim Iskandar to have indigenous land protected as sultanate land, when officiating the second term of the 15th Johor assembly on March 16.
He clarified that it only indicated that the reserve land is only protected by the sultan, and is not personally owned by the royalty.
“His Highness ordered that all indigenous settlement areas and reserve land be placed under sultanate land, so that no party can do as they please,” he said in a statement today.
“The gazettement of any area as sultanate land does not indicate that the land is the sultan’s personal property, but that it is protected by the sultan, so that no party takes advantage of the reserve land.
“His Highness is the ‘custodian’ of the reserve land, and will continue protecting the rights and interests of Johorian indigenous people,” he added.
Onn Hafiz said that the Johor government had received numerous complaints about indigenous people being exploited by “irresponsible parties” for personal gain.
This includes using Orang Asli as guides to hunt wildlife protected under the Wildlife Conservation Act, to illegally extract forest resources, and exploiting their reserve land for commercial purposes.
Onn Hafiz reminded the parties of Johor’s existing laws, which will be continuously used to continue safeguarding the indigenous people’s rights
The laws include the Aboriginal People’s Act 1954, National Land Code, Sultanate Land Enactment 1934, Wildlife Conservation Act 2010, and Johor Land Rules 1966.
Onn Hafiz added that the indigenous people in Johor can exercise their right to enjoy forest resources, as stated in the Aboriginal Peoples Act 1954.
He also said that the indigenous people’s settlement and position in the state have always been defended by the sultanate of Johor, even before the inception of the act.
Moving forward, he said, he hoped no party would attempt to dispute and confuse the indigenous people, as well as distort the pure intentions of the state government.– The Vibes, April 5, 2023
