KOTA SAMARAHAN: 442 residents from Kampung Empila, Kampung Pengkalan Kuap, and Tanjung Parang here received land titles under the new Native Customary Rights (NCR) land and traditional villages initiatives at the Kota Samarahan Civic Centre here yesterday.
The certificates were presented by Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Amar Awang Tengah Ali Hasan accompanied by Barisan Nasional (BN) candidate and Kota Samarahan incumbent Member of Parliament Rubiah Wang, Stakan assemblyman Datuk Seri Mohammad Ali Mahmud and Samarahan division Land and Survey Department Enforcer Abang Jamallidon Abang Ullie.
Earlier in his speech, the Deputy Chief Minister stressed the land titles presentation showed that the government was attentive to the needs of the people; in this case to give assurance in the form of full land ownership to land owners from villages that had long existed in the state.
He said under the initiative, 45 areas covering 23,919 hectares had been surveyed with 7,609 out of the total 19,758 lots being issued with land titles statewide under Section 18 of the State Land Code.
Tengah added the traditional village survey programme was an ongoing effort by the government to ensure the rights of the villagers concerned pertaining to their NCR land.
He said through land surveying, land boundaries became clearly defined to avoid any aggression and dispute.
“In fact, it also dismissed allegations by certain parties claiming to be squatters on their own land,” he said.
Tengah also pointed out that the process of issuing titles to lands belonging to traditional villages would take time.
“This programme is a continuous process. This is because Sarawak is such a big state and its people are scattered everywhere,” he said.
Thus he hoped the people will be patient as the government is doing its best to make sure that all land owners in Sarawak have the rights to their own lands.
He further added the people do not have to spend a single cent on premium taxes as the government would pay them instead.
