‘Impractical to just have national Land Code’
We have our peculiarities and complexities like the Native Customary Rights land. Then, there are the related issues like the Pemakai Menoa (Territorial Domain) and the Pulau Galau(Communal Forest Reserve). Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah, Deputy Chief Minister
KUCHING: It is not practical to have just one national Land Code to cover the whole country, said Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah, who is also Minister of Modernisation of Agriculture, Native Land and Regional Development.
The Bukit Saban assemblyman said the suggestion that it should apply to the whole country was not only preposterous but chose to ignore the peculiarities and complexities surrounding land issues in the states, particularly Sarawak.
He made the remarks following a suggestion put to him by a federal cabinet member during a meeting in Putrajaya recently.
Speaking at a meet-the-people session at Rh Entiggan in Munggu Gernis in Spaoh, Betong on Saturday, he said he had told off the minister that Sarawak had its own Land Code based on its State Constitution.
“We have our peculiarities and complexities like the Native Customary Rights land. Then, there are the related issues like the Pemakai Menoa ( Territorial Domain) and the Pulau Galau (Communal Forest Reserve).
“As such, a single national land code is impractical and a nonissue,” he said.
Uggah said the suggestion was another reason why the state needed to continue to be governed by its own leaders.
“We know our situation best. We know what our people want. We listen to their problems.
“We also have our own plans and programmes to solve them and to protect the state’s rights over its own resources and wealth,” he said, adding that Sarawak aimed to be more progressive.
On land issues, Uggah reminded the people not to easily believe constant postings on social media that the state GPS government would continue to grab the land of natives without fair compensation if it needed to do so for big development projects.
He dismissed this as mere rhetoric of the opposition to undermine the people’s confidence in the government.
“Do not believe everything that you read there.
“Verify them first. There are certain people whose only daily preoccupation it seems is to criticise the government and its leaders.
They must find faults and issues or make them up if they cannot find any, just to make their day,” he said.
On the ongoing perimeter survey of NCR land, he said the state government had set aside a sum of RM40 million for it next year as a gesture of its goodwill to help the landowners.
He also reminded rubber tappers that they were entitled to certain financial aid following the current decline in the price of the commodity.
“I am sad many are still ignorant of this. Please apply for the IPG (rubber production incentive) card to identify you are an owner or tapper issued by the Lembaga Getah Malaysia ( Malaysian Rubber Board),” he said.
He advised them to keep all sale receipts in order to make the claim for the aid.
Under the Rubber Production Incentive ( or IPG) Scheme they could make a claim for one Ringgit for every kilogramme they sold, he pointed out, adding they should check with the nearest Agriculture Department or the nearest Malaysian Rubber Board office for details.
Uggah was accompanied by a political secretary to the chief minister Dr Richard Rapu at the function.
The duo also visited two other longhouses in the area.