Sarawak polls: PSB pledges freehold land, secularism, reforestation

 

SARAWAK POLLS | Parti Sarawak Bersatu (PSB) launched its election manifesto today, pledging radical changes if it came to power.

Salient points of the documents, titled "It's time to change", are as follows:

Autonomy in education

Education management in Sarawak will be managed autonomously to meet the "needs and aspirations" of Sarawakians. Some non-government aided schools to receive government funding.

The option to use English as a teaching medium will be guaranteed.

Sovereign wealth fund

PSB wants to establish a RM100 billion sovereign wealth fund from its oil and gas and seashore income.

Freehold land

Sarawak's current policies do not provide security of land ownership. Typically, new residential land titles are on a 60 years or 90 years lease. 

PSB wants to address that by converting all leasehold residential land titles to freehold.

All established Native Customary Rights (NCR) Land will be issued titles in perpetuity.

Local council elections

PSB promises that 50 percent of municipal and rural council members will be elected by their respective residents.

Reforestation

PSB pledges to reforest one million hectares of land.

Housing grants for the poor

PSB pledges RM50,000 for each poor household to build new longhouses/houses or RM20,000 to repair existing premises.

Co-financing for first-time homebuyers

PSB pledges to co-finance housing loans, up to RM200,000, for first-time home buyers.

Hiring incentives

Employers will be offered RM6,000 a year to hire Sarawakians.

Monthly cash handouts

RM200 assistance for each child below three years old.

RM300 for each child between three to five.

RM500 for each child above five but below 18.

Recognition of children of mixed marriages

Children of mixed marriages between natives and non-natives will be recognised as native.

Sarawak as a 'model secular state'

PSB wants to set up a Religious Harmony Commission to ensure freedom of religion is practised in Sarawak.

It also pledges to ensure there is public funding for all recognised religions in the state.

The party also pledges to clearly demarcate between the Syariah and civil legal systems. - Mkini