KOTA KINABALU: Chief Justice Tan Sri Richard Malanjum yesterday proposed that the government conduct an audit on the rights of the indigenous people to ensure that they are in line with the United Nations declaration.
“I hope the laws in Sabah or Malaysia (as a whole) adhere to the UN declaration which states that the rights of the indigenous people should be protected.
“For that reason, we now have to conduct an audit to see whether our laws (on the rights of the indigenous people) are in line with or contrary to the declaration.
“If any law is contrary (to the declaration), then we (the government) will have to modify the law,” he told reporters after opening the Borneo Rainforest Law Conference 2019 here.
The one-day conference, attended by 325 people from the country and abroad, was organised by the Sabah Law Society with the cooperation of the Sabah Justices of the Peace Council (Majaps) and Sabah Native Customs and Mediation Resource Centre (Pusaka).
The conference served as a platform for a deeper understanding of the rights of the indigenous people and the legal developments pertaining to the community in today’s era of globalisation. – Bernama
