Resolve NCR land issue before GE14, says Masing

KUCHING: The native customary rights (NCR) land issue in Sarawak remains a thorny subject which needs to be resolved before the next general election, says Parti Rakyat Sarawak (PRS) president Tan Sri Dr James Masing.

He hopes that efforts to recognise pemakai menoa (territorial domain) and pulau galau (communal forest reserve) as NCR land will yield positive results.

“The NCR land issue may be a factor during GE14 due to uncertainty over how this government tackles this sensitive matter,” he said.

“This uncertainty can be dealt with quickly if those in authority just sit down and deal with the issue expeditiously.”

A pemakai menoa and pulau galau committee to find an acceptable solution to all native communities in the state is being headed by Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah Embas.

The state government’s move to set up the working committee came in the wake of the Federal Court’s decision in the Tuai Rumah Sandah case last December, which ruled that the native customs of pemakai menoa and pulau galau had no force of law in Sarawak.

Masing, who is also a Deputy Chief Minister, said: “PRS is ready for GE14 regardless of when it is called by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak.”

The party has more or less finalised its preparations.

On the NCR issue, Sarawak Barisan Nasional Backbenchers Club chairman Paulus Palu Gumbang said state Barisan elected representatives fully agreed that the Sarawak Land Code should be amended.

“We should give enough time for the special task force to complete the findings and provide further recommendations, especially on the relevant sections to be amended,” the Batu Danau assemblyman said.