PUTRAJAYA – Natural Resources, Environment, and Climate Change Minister Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad said the data on the Malay reserve land in Kedah he presented at the Dewan Rakyat last week was obtained from the Director-General of Lands and Mines Department as of last year.
On March 29, he told the Dewan Rakyat that the size of Malay reserve land in Kedah had decreased, which was then denied by Kedah Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Muhammad Sanusi Md Nor.
Yesterday, Nik Nazmi said he had sent a letter of explanation to Dewan Rakyat Speaker Datuk Johari Abdul in response to the motion to refer him to the Rights and Freedom Committee.
“I have made it clear that the data was based on the information provided by the department which collects annual data on Malay reserve land from state land administrators.
“I also have the last letter from the Kedah government dated November 30, 2022, which shows the same figures on the Malay reserve land that I presented in Parliament,” he told a press conference here today.
On the allegation that there was an increase in the size of Malay reserve land in Kedah this year, Nik Nazmi said the federal government had yet to receive that information.
“The state government claims that there had been an increase (in size of Malay reserve land) in 2023. The data, however, has yet to be received by the federal government,” he added. – Bernama, April 5, 2023
