DALAT: A total of 47,532 house lot ownership letters have been issued throughout the state.
This was disclosed by Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Amar Awang Tengah Ali Hassan in his speech at the presentation ceremony of Traditional Village Landownership Letters for Kampung Balan, Kampung Sungai Ud and Kampung Medong at Stadium Perpaduan here, yesterday.
It was implemented through the Traditional Village Surveying Programme (Program Pengukuran Kpg Tradisi).
“It involves 350 villages from throughout the state and for Mukah Division, 10,139 lots had been issued under the programme involving 80 villages,” he said.
Some 1,124 land ownership letters under Section 18 of the State Land Code were presented to 1,112 recipients at the function.
Tengah added that the programme would be a continuous effort by the state government and advised those who have not received their letters to be patient as their turn will come.
“Under this programme, it is totally free, they don’t have to pay any premium, land tax and other related fees, and the holding period (tenure) is forever (perpetuity),” he added.
For the group application for the lands from the area, he said it would be approved provided the applicants have the basis to do so.
On an unrelated matter, Awang Tengah regarded Dalat and Mukah as the best examples of the 1Malaysia concept lauded by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Abdul Razak.
“Indeed we have been the living testimony of the 1Malaysia concept for so long already and the Prime Minister, himself considered Sarawak as the best example of the concept. To me, when talking about Sarawak, it is Dalat and Mukah as the most appropriate places to receive the accolade. I know this very well because I have worked here before. This area is like my own kampung. Just imagine, in the past during Hari Raya or Christmas celebration I visited a house in Dalat which indicated that in that particular house there were Muslims, Christians and many others,” he said, adding that the uniqueness is where people from various social, racial and religious backgrounds live together in peace and harmony.
In her welcoming speech earlier, Minister of Welfare, Community Wellbeing, Women, Family and Childhood Development, Dato Sri Hajah Fatimah Abdullah pointed out that land has, is and always be very close to the heart of the people of Dalat.
“We need the land to build houses, land to earn our living and so forth. Hence, land is always very close to the heart of our people and it has a very sentimental value for us. And for those who have planted sago palms (locally known as Balau) on their land and to send our children to school we `tubang’ (cut down) balau, for wedding…we also ‘tubang balau’ and when we needed money, we also ‘tubang balau’. The sago plam (balau) is more than a bank for the people of Dalat,” Fatimah said.
Other matters touched by Fatimah were clean water and electricity supply for Kampung Klid/Pelajau and Narub on upper Batang Oya.
“It is hoped that the government would expedite the implementation of clean water supply and electricity programme to these villages and also to build roads for the people there. Another problem faced by them is flood,” she pointed out.
