Current status of Native Court a great disadvantage – DCM

BINTULU: There will be discussion regarding means to elevate the status of the Native Courts to be on par with the High Court in dealing with land cases, specifically those categorised under native customary rights (NCR).

On this matter, Uggah said discussions would be held with the Attorney-General's Chamber of Sarawak.

“Our Native Court is at a great disadvantage. Its status is low where the magistrates are the Residents, the district officers and the Sarawak administrative officers – (those) who are not trained legally, so to speak.

“Now we have a situation where those who can afford to engage the services of lawyers (in land cases); this obviously puts the government administrators and the community leaders at a great disadvantage,” he spoke at the opening of the ‘Seventh Iban Cultural Symposium' here on Thursday evening. Uggah – also the Minister of Modernisation of Agriculture, Native Land and Regional Development – said Chief Justice Tan Sri Richard Malanjun had come to see him and present the proposal.

“I too have discussed with our Chief Minister (Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari Tun Openg). Our Attorney-General (Datuk Talat Mahmood Abdul Rashid) will follow up on this with Putrajaya.

“We hope to get qualified judge to hear the cases and at the end of the day, all the native cases could be heard and settled in our Native Court,” said Uggah.