KUCHING: Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah yesterday told the High Court he did not betray the Dayak community, particularly the Iban, by introducing the Land Code Amendment Bill 2018.
Responding to this suggestion by Desmond Kho, defence counsel for Vernon Kedit, Uggah said this was because the Land Code Amendment Bill 2018 neither affected NCR ownership nor limited its size to 1,000 hectares as per claim.
He said this during cross examination by Kho on the second day of the hearing of a defamation suit against Vernon who is the state PKR information chief.
Vernon had accused Uggah of being a liar and a traitor to the community in his posting in the PKR Sarawak State Media WhatsApp group early last year.
He said in the Bill, which is to be implemented soon, not an inch of NCR land had been reduced.
“As a matter of fact, the Sarawak government has, to-date, recognised 3.3 million acres statewide,” he said.
Uggah told the court that Vernon was not fighting about NCR land issues but had slandered and defamed him with his comment.
He also objected to another suggestion that the defendant made his comment in the context of the amended Bill and that it was “strictly made” on behalf of the Dayak Iban community and in his (Vernon) capacity as a politician.
Uggah told the court he had been a politician for 40 years and had received comments and criticisms as well.
“I did not sue anybody else except the defendant because he had slandered and defamed me,” he added.
He said Vernon in his political capacity had campaigned against his political party, PBB, and against him in past elections.
On the amended Bill, Uggah explained, among others, it had given the force of law to the Native Territorial Domain (NTD) concept of Pemakai Menoa and Pulau Galau.
“The Bill allows us to give native communal titles in perpetuity to NTD.
“I am shocked at the learned statement to say that the Bill only grants usufructuary right because I have mentioned earlier, we are giving native communal titles which are proprietary rights in perpetuity to NTD,” Uggah said.
Replying to Simon Siah, another of the defendant’s lawyer, Uggah said that he was familiar with Adat Iban or Iban Laws over NCR land.
To a suggestion, Uggah said he disagreed that the amended Bill was “not completely in accordance with the Adat” because it had put a limitation on the size of land considered as NTD.
He said in Sarawak, the State Land Code had led to the creation of NCR land and the government was enhancing its existence and security.
Judge Ravithran Paramaguru adjourned hearing to May 27 and 28 and June 17 to 19.
