By Christine T
KUCHING, Oct 16: Churches in Sarawak must first establish ownership and obtain registered titles for donated Native Customary Rights (NCR) land before registering it as a religious endowment under a new provision of the Sarawak Land Code.
According to Deputy Minister of Natural Resources and Urban Development Datuk Len Talif Salleh, the requirement is necessary to ensure certainty over ownership before an endowment can be registered under Section 171A of the Sarawak Land Code.
He also said the Land and Survey Department Sarawak is working with the Unit for Other Religions (UNIFOR) to establish procedures for registering land endowments covering different religious bodies in the State.
“The determination of ownership of NCR rights under Section 18 of the Sarawak Land Code is required before such registration under the new provision of Section 171A of the Sarawak Land Code,” he said during a question-and-answer session in the Sarawak Legislative Assembly (DUS) sitting here today.
Len was responding to a question from Katibas assemblyman Lidam Assan on the status of applications and registrations, including vesting orders and religious endowments for non-Muslim religious bodies, as well as efforts to harmonise registration procedures for different churches, particularly involving untitled NCR land.
He added that Section 171A was intended to facilitate the registration of endowments to their respective religious bodies through a clear, structured legal mechanism, and that the provision aims to ensure endowed land is properly administered with little to no risk of future disputes.
The Land Code (Amendment) Ordinance, 2025 introduced the provision to facilitate the registration of land endowed to religious bodies specifically. — DayakDaily
