KUCHING, July 11: See Chee How (PKR-Batu Lintang) today criticised Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah Embas for rejecting Baru Bian’s (PKR-Ba’Kelalan) Private Member’s Bill that sought to amend only Section 2 of the Land Code last year.
Debating the Land Code (Amendment) Bill, 2018 this afternoon, he said Baru’s intention to amend Section 2 was to give full recognition and full force of law to ‘Pemakai Menoa’ and ‘Pulau Galau’ (PMPG) and similar native customary or ancestral territorial domains.
This, he explained, included the ‘tempat cari makan’ for the Malay natives, and allowing the other provisions of the Land Code as they are, such as Section 18, to give effect to the recognition and force of law to native customary rights (NCR) land of all native communities.
“To take it objectively, I verily believe that Honourable Deputy Chief Minister (Uggah) would agree with me that the title granted under the existing Section 18 of the Land Code is more superior than the title issued under the proposed Section 6A in this Land Code (Amendment) Bill because of the restrictions mentioned in the latter,” said See.
On the inequitable constraint that the native territorial domain shall not exceed 500 hectares, See said in accordance with the proposed Section 6A(2), it would in fact not give full recognition and full force of law to PMPG or similar native customary or ancestral territorial domains, including ‘tempat cari makan’ of the native Malay communities.
“This is contrary to what Honourable Deputy Chief Minister has claimed that this amendment bill has intended,” argued See. — DayakDaily
