No more land conflicts between GLCs and locals

SANDAKAN: Chief Minister Datuk Seri Shafie Apdal asked all government-linked companies (GLCs) to stop fighting with the rakyat over lands.

“I do not want GLCs to be fighting over lands with the rakyat. I don’t think it is the right way to govern the state. Some of these villagers have been living there for 100 years, 50 years, and then suddenly the GLCs gazette their land as reserve, and they become illegal squatters on their land.

“Rather than bringing trouble to the rakyat, why not we compensate for the land? Let the GLC move on. I know cases like this happening and hundreds of people are forced to move out of their land. It is not right. We can find better ways to settle this,” he said.

Shafie said he was aware that the GLCs had the right (in law) to do that, but the government should not be bringing trouble to the rakyat, but instead help the rakyat.

“We have the right, but I am not the kind of Chief Minister to bring trouble to the rakyat, and then go back to them to ask for their votes when the election comes. We, as the government, are here to help the people,” he added.

Shafie said he had asked the state secretary to negotiate with GLCs when such a situation occurred in the future so that there would not be any more land conflicts between the GLCs and the locals.

He said this during a press conference after the launching of the new State Forestry Policy at the Forestry Department, Mile 6 here, yesterday.