PMPG Committee urged to act quickly on findings
MIRI: The Pemakai Menoa and Pulau Galau ( PMPG) Committee is urged to act immediately on the result of their findings so that the status of such land here can be known and solutions to the many associated problems resolved.
Chairman of Dayak Think Thank Group, Elias Lipi Mat, also urged Dayak professionals and Dayak nongovernmental organisations, especially those with expertise in matters concerning ‘ tanah adat’ be given access to and understand the draft of the research work.
“This will ensure the effectiveness of the draft, in terms of its benefits to the Dayak community.
“We also want to know whether it is true that the state government has limited the size of the ‘pemakai menoa’ and ‘pulau galau’ land to half a day-walk from a longhouse,” he said.
Elias also expressed his anxiety over the committee which is made up mostly of officials from the State Attorney- General’s office and Majlis Adat Istiadat, since there is no mention of representatives from organisations such as Sarawak Dayak Iban Association (Sadia), and experts on ‘pemakai menoa’, ‘pulau galau’ and ‘tanah adat’ such as Nicholas Bawin and Jayl Langup, among others.
“In fact, land law lawyers such as Baru Bian, Harrison Ngau Laing and Abun Sui Anyit were not invited or included in the committee, which is headed by Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah,” he added.
Referring to Uggah’s statement during an event in Kuching recently, who said he had yet to brief Chief Minister Datuk Amar Abang Johari Tun Openg of the committee’s finding, and that the committee meeting had also been postponed to a later date, Elias said this showed that problems concerning ‘pemakai menoa’ and ‘pulau galau’ were not going to end soon.
“Such problems will not be settled anytime soon and the committee has not have any solutions from their eightmonth research.
“The Dayak community will continue to wait again for the issues to be resolved and recognised by the state government,” he said, adding that if the effort to amend the Sarawak Land Code was implemented, it would be good news to all Dayaks in Sarawak.
“Based on information received by the think tank, there are about 400 cases involving 1,000 families ( land owners) which have yet to be settled in court. These cases have big chances of having a good ending,” he said.
Elias said the Dayaks have lost many land cases in July, mostly involving native customary rights ( NCR) land, which is really disappointing.
It has made many people lose faith in the state government which has been given the mandate to look after their welfare.