KOTA KINABALU – A native community in an area near the Sabah-Kalimantan border is urgently seeking clarity from Malaysian authorities about a new integrated border post constructed by the Indonesian government which they say is being built over their ancestral land.
The Labang facility, situated along Pegalungan, which is in the Nabawan border district of southern Sabah over 200km from here, is now reaching its final stages of completion.
The distressed Murut community has sent a letter addressed to several ministers, including Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, expressing concerns that the Indonesian facility has been established on their customary land.
A copy of the letter has been viewed by The Vibes.
The majority of residents in the said area are from the Murut ethnic group.
The writer, identified as Kulan @ Haji Pakukang @ Bakukang, emphasised that the Indonesian government’s construction work is nearly finished.
“Currently, the construction work by the Indonesian government is nearly complete. Referring to the statement made by the prime minister in the 15th Parliamentary session, it was mentioned that the Malaysia-Indonesia border in Sabah is still not clearly defined and is under negotiation.
“Consequently, we, the local inhabitants of Malaysia residing in the area are concerned because the neighbouring country has erected a border post on our ancestral land (Customary Land) that we believe belongs to us as Malaysian citizens.
“This denies our rights to the customary land in the area and could potentially challenge the sovereignty of the nation,” he wrote.
“In light of this, we humbly request from the prime minister an explanation regarding the status of the Labang border post construction site, which is located within our customary land as Malaysian citizens.
“This request is made with the sole intention of maintaining harmony among us, the residents living in the Malaysia-Indonesia border area, in accordance with our customary land practices predating the independence of both Malaysia and Indonesia,” he added.
He said the Murut community in the mentioned area were also unaware of whether any individuals from their community had represented them to determine the boundaries of their ancestral land.
Kulan also said work to determine the border lines had always been a complicated issue between Malaysia and Indonesia after the confrontation in the 1960s and also before the formation of Malaysia. – The Vibes, August 16, 2023
