There is no need to establish a Native Land Commission to investigate, recognise rights and issue titles to Native Customary Rights (NCR) land, Sarawak Minister of Special Functions Adenan Satem said yesterday.

He said the state government had long-recognised and respected the natives’ rights to their land provided the right was created in accordance with the law.

“The Sarawak Land Code has adequate provisions to better-achieve the same objectives of investigating, recognising rights and issuing titles to NCR land,” he said in his winding-up speech at the state legislative assembly sitting in Kuching yesterday.

adenan satem and sarawak Adenan added that Section 2 of the Sarawak Land Code offered clear definition of NCR, Section 5 (2) outlined the methods by which NCR may be created while Part V of the same Code detailed the process by which land titles may be issued to the natives under Section 18 of the Sarawak Land Code.  

He said the above law was administered by the Land and Survey Department which had established procedures to deal with all aspects of the NCR issue and adopted a fair and professional approach.

For the settlement of disputes, be it amongst the natives, between natives and plantations owners, or between natives and the government, Adenan said all elected representatives had an important role to play in giving correct explanations to the people on government policies, assisting them in settling disputes amicably at the local levels wihtout resorting to the court.  

In rebutting allegations by opposition assemblymen that the state government issued timber licences when the state assembly was dissolved, Adenan said the licences were issued in accordance with the provisions of the Forest Ordinance (Cap 126).

He said the forest timber licence could be issued over gazetted water catchment areas. However, the licensee was required to strictly observe all the conditions such as the requirement for environmental impact assessment (EIA) reports in accordance with the Natural Resource and Environment (Prescribed Activities) Order 1994.

“Forest Timber Licences can also be issued over the Native Customary Right land provided that the NCR owner himself applies for the licence,” he said.

- Bernama