Dr Xavier told not to tamper with Sarawak, Sabah laws

SIBU: Federal Minister of Water, Land and Mineral Resources Dr Xavier Jayakumar has been told not to sweep aside laws practised in Sabah and Sarawak as stated in the Malaysia Agreement 1963.

Minister for Tourism, Arts, Culture, Youths and Sports Datuk Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah yesterday pointed out that Dr Xavier’s suggestion of combining the land codes of Sarawak and Sabah with that of Malaya into a single National Land Code reflects his ignorance and lack of sensitivity to the natives of Sabah and Sarawak, whose rights over Native Customary Land are `recognised’ by their Land Code but not in the National Land Code.

In this regard, he added that Sarawak Deputy Chief Minister ( DCM) had correctly stopped and advised Dr Xavier on his inappropriate suggestion.

Abdul Karim was responding to Dr Xavier’s statement in a media report that the state’s Deputy Chief Minister had misconstrued his suggestion as he never advocated the combination of the Land Codes of Malaya, Sabah and Sarawak into a single national land code.

Dr Xavier clarified that all he said was that he wanted all these three land codes to be combined into one document for the purpose of presentation at forums or conventions as this would enable him to present and explain the land and water issues.

If all these land codes were inside one single document, confusion could be avoided during presentation, Dr Xavier said when reacting to a news portal article on Monday entitled ` Xavier Jayakumar wanted to strip Sarawak’s autonomy, says DCM’.

On this, Abdul Karim, who is Asajaya assemblyman said: “Instead of accusing Sarawak DCM ( Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah Embas) of throwing wild accusation ... Dr Xavier should instead explain in detail what he meant by compiling National Land Code, Sarawak Land Code and Sabah Land Code into a single document for easy usage in international forum.

“What a ridiculous comment and remark from a minister in his attempt to get away from a controversial suggestion which reflects his lack of knowledge, tack and understanding of the land system in this country. Land systems are not developed overnight. It comes about through many years of `acceptance’ by communities which were later codified into Law.”

“Under the National Land Code, even if one has tilled the land for hundred of years,..if he doesn’t have a registrable land title to it, he is still deemed to be a squatter...unlike in Sarawak.. where the government recognises the native rights over this land if the occupier or his ancestors has tilled the land before 1958,” Abdul Karim said.