KAPIT: The people of Rumah Lugat Baring at Sungai Majau are the first in Bukit Mabong District to have their native customary rights (NCR) land surveyed under Section 18 of the Sarawak Land Code (SLC).
Some two years ago, the perimeter survey was carried out by the Land and Survey Department under Section 6.
Last Sunday morning, Deputy Chief Minister Tan Sri Datuk Amar Dr James Jemut Masing was at Rumah Lugat officiating at the launch of the land surveying programme under Section 18.
“I have to prove to the critics that the government sincerely wants to help land owners to secure titles to their land,” said Masing.
“If I allow my area to be surveyed first then there is no reason why other people should worry about being deprived of their land. There is no such thing as the government taking away your land.”
There are 51,000 hectares of NCR land plus “pemakai menua” that have been surveyed by the divisional office of the Land and Survey Department in Kapit. A total of 103 hectares have been surveyed under Section 6 and 11,000 hectares will be surveyed under Section 18.
“Of the 11,000 hectares, 4,030 hectares, which will be surveyed beginning tomorrow under Section 18 for individual titles, belong to my people at Rumah Lugat Baring, Sungai Majau in Mujong, Baleh,” said Masing, who recalled that the perimeter survey was done under Section 6 two years ago. The survey work will be carried out over a period of two years.
He reiterated that this clearly proved that the government’s initiative to survey the NCR land under Section 6 is not to take away the people’s land.
He explained that once a person has secured his/her land title (which proves ownership of the said land), then nobody else has any right to the property.
“No one, not even logging or plantation companies, can develop the land without permission from the land owner. That is the beauty of it,” he stressed.
He went on to explain that phase one of the survey is the perimeter survey of NCR land surrounding a particular longhouse, village or settlement under Section 6 of the SLA, while phase two is the survey of individual plots of land under Section 18 for the purpose of giving the titles and as such, ownership.
“The Section 18 survey is very precise and will take time, but will get done eventually,” he said.
Prior to the launch of the Section 18 survey, Sagu Unting, a senior land officer from the Land and Survey Department headquarters in Kuching, gave a talk on Section 6 and Section 18.
The talk was attended by people from Majau itself as well as those from other villages in Baleh including Mujong, Merirai, Gaa’t, Antaroh, Sut, Sempili and Tunoh.
On the agriculture activity, Masing pointed out that rubber is the one which is quite good here.
Among those present at the launching ceremony were Hulu Rajang Member of Parliament Datuk Wilson Ugak Kumbong, Pelagus assemblyman Wilson Nyabong Ijang, and a political secretary to the chief minister, Nicholas Kudi Jantai.
