‘Don’t force NCR titles on natives’

Sabah government making a mistake by compelling natives to accept 'new' NCR land titles.

KOTA KINABALU: Natives in Tongod district, about 240km in the heart of Sabah, have bitter tales to recount about land grabs and encroachments on their ancestral and native customary rights (NCR) land by state authorities.

It is a story they have bitterly repeated to different people at different times over the years.

Today Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin who visits Tongod, is attempting to mollify them by handing out “communal land titles” to land parcels that the natives had already rejected on the basis that it was not their original NCR sites.

The natives claimed that their original NCR land which they had occupied and cultivated had been taken away and allocated for agropolitan projects undertaken by corporations.

In its place, the communal titles which Muhyiddin is to hand out during a Juara Rakyat programme in Tongod today, were for land with “steep and hilly terrain unfit for cultivation”.

Ironically his pre-election gambit will be held at Entilibon community hall where just weeks ago United Borneo Front (UBF) leader, Jeffrey Kitingan, who has been campaigning for greater autonomy and recognition of native rights, was given a rousing welcome.

Muhyiddin, on the other hand, is expected to get a more subdued reception in Tongod given the residents’ grievances against the state government.

Sabah PKR presidential council member Kong Hong Ming said the government is making a mistake by compelling villagers to accept communal titles.

“They should not force the indigenous people to accept communal titles for land they have rejected because there was no claim for NCR on the land or the land is not suitable for planting purposes required by the native communities.

“The spirit and intent of communal titles must prevail and the possible abuses in the issuance of communal titles must be avoided in order not to deprive the native communities of their legitimate right in their ancestral and NCR land,” said Kong.

No NCR claims

Kong cited a recent complaint which was referred to him by the natives in 16 villages in Mukim Lalampas, Tongod. In two meetings with senior government officers and local communities leaders in March and April 2010, the villagers had objected to the offer of communal titles to the land identified by the state government.

He said the reason was the villagers had no NCR claims on the land and the land offered was not suitable for planting purposes required by the native communities. “According to the villages and the topographical map shown to me, the land offered by the state is located at a very steep and hilly terrain.

“At the same meetings, the villagers informed the authorities that their NCR and ancestral land held by 16 villages are located within the areas now earmarked by the state government for agropolitan projects covering 38,000 acres of land.

“The native communities made it clear they want the state government to issue communal titles for their NCR and ancestral land held by them instead of the steep and hilly land rejected by them,” said Kong.

He said it is unfair and unreasonable that the government had decided to grant communal titles to these people on the land that they had rejected.

“This is another incident of land grabs and encroachment of NCR and ancestral land by the government, the highest authority entrusted to safeguard the wellbeing and advancement of the natives of Sabah,” said Kong.

He added that the current BN government is fully aware of the existence of these native communities since before the formation of Malaysia or any form of government administration in Sabah.

According to Kong, the Land and Survey Department had received at least 1,194 land applications from the local inhabitants of the 16 villages.

“Despite the long lapse of time, no land title was issued to them. With the implementation of land development schemes now targeted by the BN government, the NCR and ancestral land belonging to the indigenous communities will be lost permanently.”

“Terminating the property right in NCR land belonging to the indigenous communities in these 16 villages without compensation is unconstitutional.” - FMT