MIRI, March 19: The recent news announcement made by the Assistant Minister of Local Government and Housing Datu Dr Penguang Manggil that the community leaders and longhouse chiefs in Tinjar villages had accepted the offer of the return of 5,000 hectares of native customary rights (NCR) land by IOI Corporation to villagers in Tinjar is very much welcomed by Dayaks of Tinjar as well as Dayaks in Baram, as a whole.
In welcoming this, Parti Bansa Dayak Sarawak Baru (PBDS Baru) president Bobby William said one of the main agenda of PBDS is to fight for the rights of the Dayaks and their NCR land.
“And as such, PBDS truly appreciates the efforts made by the Assistant Minister of local government and Housing, Datu Dr Penguang Manggil in achieving an amicable solution which is believed to be the first ever agreement made in Baram,” he said in a statement today.
However, with regards to Penguang’s proposed Section 6 perimeter survey to be carried out on these returned NCR land, he asserted the PBDS does not agreed to such a proposal and reject outright that the returned land be perimeter surveyed pursuant to Section 6 of the Sarawak Land Code (SLC) 1958.
PBDS reminded Penguang that if such claims are recognised by the government according to Section 5 of the SLC pertaining to rights as specified in the above section, then Section 18 titles should be issued outright after the land is sub divided amongst the native landowners.
“There should be no doubts as to whom the land returned by the company belongs to.
“In this respect the govt should not be dragging their feet in issuing the Section 18 land titles,” he opined.
Instead, he said PBDS insists that the returned land be given Section 18 titles immediately without further delay and without going through Section 6.
PBDS hoped that Penguang would consider giving Section 18 land titles not only to Tinjar communities but to all of Baram natives as well.
“PBDS also hopes that there is no hidden agenda in returning the NCR land to the natives in view of the coming state election which is just around the corner but mainly because the Dayak Gabung Parti Sarawak (GPS ) ministers are truly concerned about the wellbeing of its Dayak communities as well as their customary rights to their ancestral land,” he said.
PBDS will continue to monitor the progress of the said ‘amicable solution’ with the hope that all Dayak ministers do their part as Dayak leaders for the Dayak people, he concluded. — DayakDaily
