KUCHING, Aug 29: One cannot claim ignorance as defense, says Muara Tuang assemblyman Datuk Idris Buang, the latest in the ongoing dispute on whether Ba Kelalan assemblyman Baru Bian had any knowledge on his land being surveyed under Section 6.
Idris said that there should have been a Section 6A Gazette Notification (GN) issued by the Land and Survey Department when conducting survey on Baru’s area.
Thus, Idris refused to believe that Baru knew nothing of the survey when the latter denied having any knowledge that the Land and Survey Department had conducted a survey on his area under Section 6 of the Sarawak Land Code.
In yesterday’s statement, Baru even demanded Idris and Mulu assemblyman Dato Gerawat Gala to provide evidence of himself knowing the intention of the Land and Survey department in surveying their native customary rights (NCR) land.
“Did he turn a blind eye to the GN? His fellow ‘kampung’ folks or community and family members should under normal circumstances also know of this.
“Once their Territorial Domain (TD) was gazetted under Section 6A of the (Sarawak) Land Code, it would be easier for the survey of individual plots within the TD for each plots be issued with Section 18 title,” asserted Idris in a statement earlier today.
Following this, he explained that the surveying process would be made easier because there would be no inter or intra community disputes or cross-claims.
“I urge Baru Bian to personally find out from the Director of the Land and Survey and his department about this very fact about the challenges, obstacles and hindrance caused by such inter and intra disputes or cross-claims between communities.
“He cannot be in a state of denial all the time about this fact,” he said.
In stating this, he urged Baru not to lure his followers for another round of “wild goose chase” and instead be honest, accept the factual truth and move on. —DayakDaily
