Uggah chairs meeting on issuance of titles for Bidayuh village land
KUCHING: The state government is actively looking into the issuance of titles for land in 128 Bidayuh villages.
Yesterday Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah Embas chaired a Bidayuh Special Working Committee to look into ways to resolve the issue.
The meeting was attended by a group of Bidayuh leaders headed by Minister for Youth and Sports and Solidarity Datuk Seri Michael Manyin Jawong and Dayak Bidayuh National Association ( DBNA) president Datu Ik Pahon Joyik. The meeting was held as a follow up to Chief Minister Datuk Amar Abang Johari Tun Openg’s statement made during the launch of Pesta Bimuruh recently, that this Bidayuh’s community’s grouse over the titles for their village land must be addressed immediately through the committee chaired by Uggah.
When briefing the media yesterday, Uggah said DBNA needs to submit official applications complete with necessary documents to the Director of Land and Survey on behalf of the 126 applications for land titles. The Land and Survey Department are to identify problems in issuance of land titles in two of the villages surveyed so far, he said.
Assisting Uggah at the meeting were Assistant Minister of Local Government Datu Dr Penguang Manggil, Permanent Secretary to the Ministry of Resource Planning and Environment Dr Wanlizozman Wan Omar, State Land and Survey Director Zaidi Mahdi and Serian Land and Survey superintendent Abang Jamalidon Abang Ullie.
Uggah said he will report the outcome of the meeting to Abang Johari to get his approval and that he hoped DBNA could document the survey works as soon as possible. Manyin said during Pesta Bimuruh that DBNA has documented 128 traditional villages in the Bidayuh heartland as NCR land. Out of the 128 only two were granted land titles by the government thus far, he pointed out.
He said the DBNA initiative to document the NCR land and took up group application has save the government cost of operation and management by 60 to 70 per cent.
Land titles would provide the villagers with certainty of ownership and would make it easier for them to charge properties in order to get bank loans for the purpose of agriculture or land development, he said.