Saturday, December 11

“Ignorant” Minister draws flak over NCR land

By Joseph Tawie

(The story was first published by Free Malaysia Today)

KUCHING: Sarawak’s Minister of Infrastructure Development and Communication Michael Manyin has come under fire for saying that community leaders do not have the authority to endorse native customary right (NCR) lands.

Sarawak PKR leaders Baru Bian and Nicholas Bawin accused him of being “ignorant” of the Land Code.

Bian (photo), who is chairman of Sarawak PKR, said that community leaders had an important role to play in confirming whether the land was NCR land or not.

“It will be a serious abdication of responsibility for headmen to shy away or be prevented by certain political powers or individuals from discharging their important duties. It is irresponsible of them not to exercise their rights. I smell something fishy,” he said.

Manyin had reminded community leaders not to assume that they had the authority to validate the rightful owner of a NCR land.

“Only the Land and Survey Department has the authority to do that,” he said, adding that he came across cases of community leaders, especially in Bidayuh areas, certifying individuals as the rightful owner of a piece of land in their village.

“I would like to remind them that they have no power to do so. Even the chief minister who is also the planning and resource management minster can only endorse the land as NCR upon the advice of the department,” he said.

Government is worried

Speaking to FMT, Bian said: “I think this is political. It is the pressure from the political masters. The natives are getting more educated and aware of their rights and willing to make a stand.”

“The government is worried. Because at the end of the day who do you expect to confirm our rights over land? Certainly you don’t expect (Chief Minister) Abdul Taib Mahmud and non-natives to come forward to decide for our rights.

“It is we who should decide our right on our land. If it is left to the government to decide it, then it will be dangerous,” he warned.

Bian, a well-known NCR land lawyer, said that it would appear that native leaders were succumbing to a third force which was higher than them.

“Our Tuai Rumah (village chiefs) should be elected by the people and not appointed by the government as many of them are not qualified on the customs and adat of the Dayaks,” he said.

Bian said that under the Barisan Nasional government the Dayaks had no future, pointing out that under Pakatan Rakyat, the people would get a better deal.

'If I was him, I'll shut up'

Meanwhile, PKR election bureau director Bawin blasted Manyin for his ignorance with regards to the customs and adat of Dayaks.

“Under the adat, the Tuai Rumah, Penghulu, Pemancha and Temenggong are custodians of the adat. They are appointed because they have substantial knowledge of the land," he said.

Bawin, a former deputy president of the Council of Native Customary Laws, said land was an integral and important part of the native community.

"Land means so much to the natives. It is where the people do their farming, planting fruit trees and foraging for food.

"If I was Manyin, I will shut my mouth. By reminding them of their role, you are actually threatening them. Later on they may not want to stand for the rights of the people under their jurisdiction.

“The community leaders are in the best position to know the rights of their people. It cannot be anybody else from outside,” he said, adding that community leaders’ land were also taken away.

Courts recognise NCR

Accusing the minister of lying that the government did not take away people’s land, he said: “The fact there are about 250 land cases brought by landowners is evidence to say that the government has been grabbing people’s land.”

“Even though the state government does not recognise our native customary rights over land, we are happy that the court recognises the ‘pemakai menua’ (territorial rights) of the community which has existed before any legislation on this land,” he added.

To the question that only the Land and Survey Department and the minister of planning and resources management had the prerogative of endorsing NCR land, Bawin said: “My fear and worry about this statement is that how far have they done the survey work. We know the attitude of the people in the Land and Survey Department. They do not want to go to the ground.”

“We have been independent for 47 years and it appears nothing much has been done regarding the surveying of the land. NCR land should have been given titles over 47 years ago,” he said.

Bawin called on the Land and Survey Department to respect the adat and rights of the people over land.

He said the deparment must work hand-in-hand with the landowners to get their views and not only seek the views of one party.

He said native landowners had no problem with their land when Sarawak was under the Brooke regime, the colonial government and even during the Japanese occupation.

“The problem only occurred when the BN state government took over the administration of the state and has since seized lands owned by the natives and leased them to their cronies under the concept of politics of development,” he said.

15 comments:

Anonymous said...

Let me change my mode to Melaya Mode *tooooott*: Laa...aper nak diherankan...Manyin bukannya reti sangatpun pasal Sarawak Land Code! Itu yang dia habis2 mati cakap mengarut tak tentu pasal!! Dia bukannya tak faham, tapi saja buat tak faham sebab tak nak rakyat faham dan tahu perkara sebenar. Nak tau kenaper? Laa...dia lagi nak pegang kuasa tu...ksian dia...

Anonymous said...

manyin ingat dia satu orang saja skolah tinggi...dia lupa...memang dia mudah lupa...sudah tua maa...

Sunday Prayer said...

Jabu, Manyin, Jacob, Masing and Mawan.

Please, In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ BADU BETRAY BANSA DIRI.

Tu list authorised surveyors ke di kena Land & Survey ngereja tanah dayak.

Abdul Kadir B. Haji Mentarang, Perunding Ukurtanah Watan,

Alex Ting Lik Kiun
Terra Survey Services

Bong Sin Seng
X.Y.Z. Surveys

Cheu Kuok Siong, Zapari Bin Mardan, John Cheu Teck Hook
Resources Surveys Services

Collin Cheong Yeong Guang
Survey Solutions

Dato Sri Haji Borhan Sablo Mohamad
Jurukur Boraini

Datuk Haji Sapawi Ariffin, Bong Sen Kui
Ukurancang Perunding Sdn Bhd.

Daud Bin Majeni
Wann Geomatics Survey

Dennis Chong Nyuk Loi, Chua Kwang Chih, Sukman Haji Said
Jurukon Malaysia

George Chai Min Hiung
Geosurvey Consultant

Haji Mustafa Bin Haji Jol, Peter Chai Ching Wang, James Chan Chok Chung
Ukurunding Kenyalang Sdn Bhd

Husaini Bin Suhaili
Putra Geomatics Survey


Joseph Lau Ik Hung
Jurukur Jaya

Kho Teng Hong
Global Survey Services

Leong Chin Hin, Edmund Song Swee Khoon, Kiu Chiong Ting @ Kiew Chiong Ting Chan Guan Seng
Bormap Surveys Sdn Bhd

Lu Hieng Lee, Saimi@Saini Bin Mahmud
Asia Survey Consultant

Lucas Lai Siet Chong, Valentine Liaw Aik Sin
LS Survey Consultant Sdn. Bhd.

Luke Khiu Khon Sem, Chai Kit Kin, Ku Beng Hock
Survey Development Services

Masri Bin Juni@Mohamad Juni, Quek Chiew Siam
Saland Survey Services

Patrick Yii See Heng
Juruukur Prima

Ramdan Bin Mahari
Jurukur Ramdan

Saudi Bin Morinie, Jonathan Ngu Liew Ing
Juru Survei Konsult

Stephen Kong Swee Meng, Joseph Tay Sau Kang
United Survey Consultants

Sulaiman Bin Salleh
Geomatics Survey Consultants

Wong Tiong Seng
Perunding Survei TS

Anonymous said...

I gonna get all my friends and children to apply for jobs at the Land & Survei Department. If they have the autonomy to decide who gets what on NCR lands, I think my friends and children shall stand to benefit heaps of $$$ from this. Anyone knows whether there are 'Jawatan Kosong' available in this Department, especially in the survey and native land claims section?
malsia1206

Apai Semalau said...

This typical dayak minister is not "ignorant". Just simply that he cares for his "ricebowl" more than that of the rakyat he is supposed to be serving! Acting ignorant is nothing new amongst BN. Ybs. It guarantees them regular "kang tou" to line their pockets at the expense of the poor and stupid (illiterate might be a less harsh word to use). But then isn't it a manifestation of our sheer dayak stupidity when comes election time we still sell our voting rights for RM20?

apai irau said...

Manyin does not need NCR land to live,acting as ball licker,without reasonably think of the impact of his statement,is just enough to allow him going for another round of election.It's pity to hear all this stupid statement from our Dayak ministers again and again..I wish Jabu,Masing and Mawan dare to come out with different statement,otherwise never claim yourselves as Dayak leaders.

Anonymous said...

Too much about NCR land. This is getting bored,Jetty.
Can you write something about this coming election.

Anonymous said...

perrggghhh....why no comment was being put up yet? no body comment? thats weird...

Anonymous said...

why so hard to give NCR land title to owner...the land is a source of natives income...to long already...still nyadi orang kampar (orang asing) in their own land. Poor natives..one day new generation will not recognize their own ancestor land due to kuno minded YB never awake what is going o happen in future...killing own people

Anonymous said...

nama hal nadai orang ngomen eh?

Anonymous said...

Election Fever...is coming..
Tip for the Voter (1/4)
1.Know your right as a voter
Anang alah kena kuing laban penemu orang, anang takut kena pejal enti bisi orang ngenakut ka kitai madah sida nemu kitai ngundi sapa? Enti bisi orang madah kitai ngundi mana - mana parti , minta iya ngemansut ka bukti, enti bisi bukti, report ngagai polis lalu report ngagai SPR (Suruhanjaya Pilihan Raya) madah ka undi bocor laban hak kitai ngundi adalah rahsia keni tau ditemu orang ?. Cara/Taktik tuk selalu diguna orang maya berpilih kena ngenakut ka bala enti sida enda ngundi parti tuk sida enda diberi pemangsang.

Mata Kuching said...

Leave election aside.Malaysians are always hungry for saucy news. We want to ask Taib Mahmud and George Chan what it was like and how they feel to be the world’s first pair of cuckold chief minister and deputy chief minister? It seems that they are very confident and certain when the next election will be but they are too concerned at the moment when their own next erection will be.

Anonymous said...

astaga manyin...bawak mexXxcap banyak-banyak...ingatlah orang miskin kat kampung tu... ramai lagi tu...dari mula jadi YB sampai sekarang ni lagi...yang peliknya YB komfom makin kaya...

Anonymous said...

“We have been independent for 47 years and it appears nothing much has been done regarding the surveying of the land. NCR land should have been given titles over 47 years ago,” he said.

And don't forget the Dayaks roamed the lands for thousands of years so what is that thing called BN 47 years old to tell the Dayaks their lands aren't theirs!

But for BN cronies that keeping, parking their names on cheap dubious NCR land deals hoping for big compensations and takeover for govt projects or ready-sell to another crony developers (buy cheap sell high later), the approval is lightspeed! Even NCR lands can be converted easily and speedily into mixed zone lands!

Anonymous said...

Manyin, you wanna bet? How much? WE the DAYAKS have all the facts and evidences.Stop uttering gibberish! The Dayaks are no longer sleeping, you are!

Sarawakians, don't ever vote for this man next election. Vote for his opponent, whoever that may be!