Pairin wants Sabah govt to set up task force to resolve alleged land grabs

KOTA KINABALU: The Kadazan Dusun Cultural Association (KDCA) is urging the Sabah government to set up a task force to resolve the issue of alleged land grabs affecting natives in six districts.

Huguan Siou (paramount leader) Tan Sri Joseph Pairin Kitingan said the matter was brought to his attention by the Malaysian International Humanitarian Organisation (MHO) via a petition and memorandum on Sunday.

He said he had gone through the documents presented, and said the appeal concerned indigenous groups from six districts here who claimed that they had been wrongfully evicted from land they regarded as their ancestral rights.

The six districts are Tongod, Tawau, Nabawan, Tenom, Keningau and Ranau.

Pairin said that KDCA would do its part by forwarding the memorandum and appeal to the government for scrutiny and analysis, and providing the necessary relevant assistance.

“I would like to propose that a task force be formed to deal with the intricate issues arising out of each district as there are several districts involved, and each district would need a proper analysis to consider different situations.

“The task force would inquire, investigate and analyse the facts and issues so that the matter can be fully understood by all sides and the proper solutions established,” he told reporters at a press conference at the KDCA office here yesterday.

He added that the matter had also been brought to the attention of the federal government, the Sabah Yang di-Pertua Negeri and the Yang di-Pertuan Agong.

However, he deemed this ‘excessive’ as only the Sabah government would have the jurisdiction to deal with land matters in the state.

“Hence, I held this press conference so that the public would know that the government would help to resolve these issues. My sincere gratitude to the state government, especially Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor, for kindly providing the necessary attention to the people’s appeal, and I hope that the task force could be created to solve these issues,” he said.

It was recently reported that MHO had urged Pairin to step in and help the victims of land grabs at the six districts in Sabah.

Around 200 villagers from the districts had staged a peaceful demonstration at KDCA grounds last Friday.