By Shikin Louis
KUCHING, May 23: A total of 510 companies in Sarawak have been approved and gazetted as “deemed to be Native” to allow them to transact in Native Area Land as of April 30, 2025.
Deputy Minister for Urban Planning, Land Administration and Environment, Datuk Len Talif Salleh, said these companies were granted the status under Section 9(1)(d) of the Sarawak Land Code.
“The authority to approve applications from companies with 100 per cent Bumiputera equity lies with the Sarawak Secretary (Datuk Amar Mohamad Abu Bakar Marzuki).
“Meanwhile, for companies with less than 100 per cent Bumiputera equity, the approving authority is the Sarawak Cabinet,” he said when responding to a question from Ba’Kelalan assemblyman Baru Bian during the Sarawak Legislative Assembly (DUS) sitting here today.
Applications can be submitted to the Ministry of Natural Resources and Urban Development (MUDeNR) by completing the relevant forms, which are available for download from the Ministry’s official website.
In response to supplementary questions, Len Talif clarified that there are two types of applications for “deemed to be Native” status in Sarawak.
“The first type is for individuals under Section 9(1)(b) of the Sarawak Land Code, which must be submitted to the district office.
“The second is for non-individual entities such as companies, organisations, associations or boards under Section 9(1)(d), and these applications must be submitted to the Ministry,” he said.
He further explained that the status granted to companies is valid only as long as the company remains the registered proprietor or holds a registered interest in the listed Native Area Land.
“The status will cease once the land or registered interest is transferred to a third party,” he added. – DayakDaily
