Musa vows to end Sabah’s NCR woes under special programme

Musa Aman (right) hands over a land title to one of 330 applicants under the Pantas programme in Kinabatangan, as MP Bung Moktar Radin looks on.

KOTA KINABALU: Sabah Chief Minister Musa Aman today vowed to continue the state’s special programme to resolve problems related to native customary rights (NCR).

He said the Sabah Native Land Services (Pantas) initiative was being actively undertaken throughout the state to ensure natives had formal ownership of lands that they traditionally occupied, including for farming purposes.

“This is what the people have always wanted and the government will work hard to fulfil their wishes and give them what is theirs,” he said after witnessing an event to hand over land titles to 330 villagers in Kinabatangan, following a 20-year wait.

At the same event, Musa officiated a groundbreaking ceremony for a RM4 million community hall in Kinabatangan town, where he also announced the construction of a new public market.

Since the programme was introduced in 2011, the Sabah government through its land and surveys department had issued 21,378 titles for lands totalling 36,137.02 hectares in 92 villages.

In his speech, Musa lauded Kinabatangan MP Bung Moktar Radin as courageous and vocal when speaking up for the people in his constituency.

“We need brave leaders and not those who are scared to make demands on behalf of their constituents,” said Musa, who is the Sabah Umno chairman.

“I always say this in the peninsula: maybe the people there do not know that Kinabatangan is as big as Pahang, and that is why the Kinabatangan representative’s voice must be just as big,” he said.

“This constituency needs large funds for roads, electricity and many other matters. So when Bung speaks up for the people, I am proud of him,” he said, adding that the people should not be easily influenced by the opposition’s promises for the next general election.

He said the Barisan Nasional’s (BN) track record was evident but the opposition would appear only before the upcoming polls and would disappear afterwards.

Meanwhile, Musa said he would discuss with the forestry department a plan to build a road connecting Kinabatangan and Kuamut, which would cut through a forest reserve. -FMT