KUCHING: The state government is drafting the conditions and requirements for the recognition of natives under the Interpretation (Amendment) Ordinance 2022.
The ordinance which was passed by State Legislative Assembly on Feb 15 and published in the Sarawak Gazette on Feb 25, however, has yet to come into force.
Deputy Minister in Premier of Sarawak’s Department (Law, MA63 and State-Federal Relations) Datuk Sharifah Hasidah Syeed Aman Ghazali said the government was in the midst of drafting the conditions and requirements to be imposed by the State Executive Council for the recognition of a person as a native of Sarawak as stipulated in the said Ordinance.
“To safeguard the special position and rights of the natives of Sarawak as enshrined under the Federal Constitution, the state government needs to ensure that the said conditions and requirements are suitable, reasonable, practical and more importantly are not redundant with current conditions, requirement and process.
“Once it’s done, the draft conditions and requirements will be presented to the State Cabinet Council for approval. And upon approval, the ordinance will be gazetted for enforcement,” she said in a statement today.
Hasidah said the government had also directed the relevant government agencies to look into the drafting of the conditions and requirements to be imposed holistically.
She was responding to Ba’kelalan assemblyman Baru Bian who had sought an explanation recently from Hasidah on the delay in gazetting the amendment.
“The natives of Sarawak were understandably elated when the amendment was passed in February, thinking that their native status was finally being recognised.
“However, many are still encountering obstacles in land transfers and other matters, reason being that the amendment has not yet been gazetted,” said Baru.
On Feb 15, the State Legislative Assembly unanimously passed the Interpretation (Amendment) Bill 2022 which among others, updates the list of indigenous races in the state.
The amendment was done principally to add 12 additional races to the Schedule of the Interpretation Ordinance and to give effect to the recent amendment in Clause (6)(a) of Article 161A Federal Constitution on the indigenous races of Sarawak.
The 12 additional races included in the proposed amendment are Bagatan, Bakong, Bemali, Berawan, Dali, Lakiput, Jatti Miriek, Narom, Sa’ban, Tatau, Tring and Vaie.
