Land ordinance amended

KOTA KINABALU: The State Legislative Assembly yesterday passed an amendment to the Land Ordinance allowing Sabah to collect sales tax on natural resources extracted from its waters.

The amendment will refine the definition of land to include the bed of any river, stream, lake or water course and the area of the continental shelf being the seabed and its subsoil which lies beneath the high seas contiguous to the territorial waters of Sabah as stated in the North Borneo (Alteration of Boundaries) Order in Council 1954.

Assistant Minister to the Chief Minister Arifin Asgali said the amendment was in line with the existing provisions in the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63) and Article 1(3) of the Federal Constitution which stipulated that the boundary of Sabah were the territories preceding Malaysia Day as stated in the North Borneo (Alteration of Boundaries) Order in Council 1954.

"This includes the bed of any river, stream, lake or water course and the area of the continental shelf that being the seabed and its subsoil which lies beneath the high seas contiguous to the territorial waters of Sabah," he said when tabling the Land (Amendment) Bill 2018 at the State Legislative Assembly sitting in Likas yesterday.

Tambunan assemblyman Datuk Dr Jeffrey Kitingan, who is also the opposition leader, expressed his full support for the amendment and hailed it as 'one of the best changes made by the present government'.

Jeffrey said when debating the Bill, that the amendment would strengthen Sabah's position over its territories and enabled the State to act on longstanding issues such as Petronas' licence.

Additionally, he requested the State Government to refine the definition of state land to include native customary right, as well as proposed the setting up of a land tribunal to resolve land dispute issues.

At the same time, he suggested a review to be carried out on outdated laws and to establish a bipartisan Sabah law reform committee.

Meanwhile, Balung assemblyman Datuk Osman Jamal also welcomed the amendment, saying that the move would allow Sabah to impose sales tax on resources extracted in our territorial waters.

He added that the amendment had made clear Sabah's absolute power under MA63.