PRS members concerned about slow pace of NCR land survey – Masing
KUCHING: The RM36-million federal allocation this year for perimeter survey of native customary rights (NCR) land in Sarawak must not be diverted for other purposes.
Parti Rakyat Sarawak (PRS) president Tan Sri Datuk Amar Dr James Jemut Masing, who stressed this, pointed out that his party members were concerned because surveying of the NCR land had been quite slow despite the amount of money already allocated for this initiative under the national budget.
"A lot of our YBs (elected representatives) said the surveying hadn't been done, and they have been asking why. Therefore, the RM36 million given by federal government must be used expeditiously and to be used up this year (to conduct the perimeter survey). Don't use it for other purposes," he told reporters after chairing PRS supreme council meeting at the party headquarters here yesterday.
Based on previous news reports, the perimeter surveying of NCR land under the NCR New Initiative and funded by the federal government has been implemented since 2010 to ensure more NCR land titles are issued to the Dayak community.
Masing, who is also Deputy Chief Minister, said PRS just like other Dayak-based parties is normally concerned when touching on NCR land.
He said based on input from yesterday's meeting, the party's Supreme Council suggested the perimeter survey to be done by complete (land) blocks and not by longhouse to longhouse to ensure there is separation between NCR land and state land.
"The problem is always between NCR land and state land, that's where the problem always comes. If there is dispute between longhouse to longhouse, they settle themselves, so it doesn't concern the government.
"So, we will suggest to survey the whole area, first between NCR land belonging to, let's say, 10 longhouses, and the state land. Later, the second move is to divide the demarcation between individual longhouses, which has to be settled and agreed among themselves.
"The demarcation between state land and NCR land must be settled first," he said.
He said NCR perimeter surveying based on Section 18 of the Land Code had been very time consuming and cost a lot of money.
On another matter, Masing said PRS was also concerned with the slow disbursement of longhouse loans to the applicants.
He said the federal government had allocated RM50 million for interest-free loans for the purpose of building or repairing longhouses, but the disbursement had been faced with technical problems.
"We suggest therefore to the authority concerned to handle it fast, because there are a lot of longhouses in need of this loan. One door, or a family, can apply for maximum of RM50,000 loan.
"We want the loans to be disbursed very quickly because many people in the longhouses are need of funds for their longhouse," he said.
He also mentioned the party had told its deputy treasurer general Edwin Banta, who is a board member of Housing Development Corporation (HDC), to bring this matter up to the HDC.
Masing, however, declined questions on politics during the press conference. When asked on his opinion on the newly-formed Pakatan Harapan presidential council, he refused to comment but several supreme council members were heard saying they did not care about it.
Meanwhile, yesterday's supreme council meeting was the second held by PRS this year and it saw almost full attendance of supreme council principal office bearers and ordinary members.
The notable persons present included deputy president Datuk Joseph Entulu Belaun, secretary general Datuk Joseph Salang Gandum, and vice presidents Majang Renggie, Liwan Lagang, Datuk Masir Kujat, Datuk Mong Dagang and Datuk John Sikie Tayai, as well as women chief Datuk Seri Doris Sophia Brodie and youth chief Snowdan Lawan.