Sarawak lawyer Harrison Ngau Laing has accused certain politicians and big corporations of resorting to "dirty and desperate tricks in robbing the people of their native customary rights (NCR) land".

Posting on the Dayak Baru blog, he said the state government is afraid of losing not just power but also the opportunity of grabbing NCR land.

ulu niah 5 iban longhouse sarawak 011007 ng harrison "They want the NCR land at all costs (even)...offering bribes and resorting to threats by samseng (gangsters) and the police," wrote Harrison (second from left).

"We really have to work smart. Learn about all their dirty tricks and find out who are (those) involved."

Noting the victory of the native people in Peru who fought against licences or leases granted to big companies over their customary land, he said "the indigenous people there fought back against all odds and won".

"Similarly in Papua New Guinea, the natives fought big companies which robbed them of their customary land (and) won.

"So why can't we natives in Sarawak also win in our battle against (those stealing) our customary land?"

Harrison expressed the hope that in the next state elections, all the affected communities should remember how their land has been taken away.

protest at berawan on ncr land scam sarawak long terawan 230609 02 His comments came in the wake of Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak's assurance that the BN government would not take away NCR land. Najib had also urged the people to have confidence in the BN government.

"We have no intention of grabbing anybody's land. The Ibans should not worry. The BN will not snatch your property," Najib said when he visited Lubok Antu last week.

Another leading NCR land lawyer Baru Bian had described the assurance as coming "too little too late" because the "fact and the truth is that the people's land, in particular the NCR land, has already been taken, grabbed and snatched."

The Sarawak National Party joined the fray when secretary-general Stanley Jugol accused the state government of deliberately misinforming the prime minister about the true situation.

'No deal'

In related development, Harrison said he had attended a meeting last Thursday at the Miri District Office between his clients (comprising Ibans, Bidayuhs and Chinese), Mega Jutamas Sdn Bhd, and representatives of the Resident's Office and Land and Survey Department.

His clients have occupied and developed about 300 hectares of state land along the Miri/Bintulu road since 1996.

According to Harrison, the company offered compensation of RM13,000 per hectare, but they rejetced it as they prefer to keep their land and oil palm crop.

At the last hearing, his clients had told the High Court that, even if they lose the case, they would fight the company on the land.

He said the judge was had advised his clients and the company to try to settle the matter out of the court.