SIBU, May 5: The Sibu Native Court is in need of security personnel as some cases are “too hot” to handle.
There has been an increase in the number of cases involving angry or emotional defendants and claimants at the courthouse, and it would be safer for all to have more staff around to control the situation, says Sibu District Officer Khalid Andong.
Besides that, a bigger complex for the court has also been requested, including a financial allocation.
“We hope that we can have more staff, especially auxiliary policemen, as sometimes some cases are too ‘hot’, involving angry defendants and claimants. We need someone with authority to control the situation,” said Khalid during a briefing in conjunction with Deputy Minister in Sarawak Premier’s Department (Native Law and Customs) Jefferson Jamit Unyat’s working visit to the Native Court office today.
Khalid said a bigger Native Court Complex is required as the current one lacks space.
“We have limited space here compared to our previous office at Wisma Sanyan. Imagine we have to store up to seven years of case documents, and we simply don’t have enough space for that,” he explained.
Financially, Khalid said that they required more funds to provide training to community leaders such as Tuai Rumah (longhouse chiefs) and Penghulu.
“Community leaders play a crucial role. They are empowered to handle court cases at their respective levels by speakers from the Native Court.
“Proper training is needed for them so that they have a better understanding of their role and responsibility,” he said.
He hoped that the State Native Law and Customs Ministry would find a solution to resolve the issues faced by them.
Separately Khalid said that the court has handled a total of 158 out of 283 cases since 2019, while another 125 are still being heard or have been postponed.
Meanwhile, a total of 397 out of 411 marriages registered under Native Court have been approved since 2019 here. — DayakDaily
