Sabah assembly passes amendments on forest carbon, housing and land

The Sabah Legislative Assembly today passed amendments to the Forest Enactment 1968, among others, to regulate forest-based carbon activities in the state.

When tabling the amendment, Assistant Minister to the Chief Minister Abidin Madingkir said there was a need to establish a regulatory mechanism for forest carbon activities, including international trade, to ensure Sabah’s rights are protected.

He said that through this amendment, forest-based carbon activities in forest reserves, state land and titled land would be licensed according to agreed terms and conditions, safeguarding the state's interests.

“Carbon in trees has already been defined as forest produce through the amendment of Section 2 of the Forest Enactment 1968 in 2013. Accordingly, any benefits from forest carbon credit trading must bring direct advantages to Sabah.

“This is important to support the Sabah government’s efforts to balance conservation efforts, revenue generation and sustainable state development in the future,” he said.

Abidin said the federal government is expected to table a climate change act in Parliament this year, and as such, it is important for the state to amend the enactment to ensure that forest carbon credit trading activities remain under state jurisdiction.

“Now is the most appropriate time for us to legislate specific laws to regulate forest carbon credit trading activities in order to protect the state’s interests and ensure the sustainability of forest resources,” he said.

Apart from forest-based carbon activities, the amendment also grants powers to the Chief Conservator of Forests to close off parts of forest reserves, impose charges, issue permits and deal with related matters, he said.

He said Sabah still maintains 63 percent of its land area under forest cover, and in line with the 2018 Sabah Forest Policy, the state government remains committed to gazetting no less than 30 percent of the state’s total land area as totally protected areas.

Housing and land

The assembly also passed amendments to the Housing Development (Control and Licensing) Enactment 1978, tabled by Deputy Chief Minister II Joachim Gunsalam, who is also the state housing and local government minister.

Joachim said the amendment, among others, seeks to reduce the imprisonment term for offences related to abandoned licensed housing developments from five years to three years.

The amendment also exempts bodies or agencies under the control of the ministry from the enactment’s provisions, subject to limitations, restrictions or conditions; and it allows the Housing Controller to use the deposit paid by developers to fulfil obligations under the terms of the sale and purchase agreement if they fail to do so.

The legislative meeting today also approved amendments to the Sabah Land Ordinance (Chapter 68), tabled by Assistant Minister to the Chief Minister Nizam Abu Bakar Titingan, concerning the voluntary surrender of part of titled land by landowners to the state government.

The amendments also ensure that registered landowners obtain indefeasible ownership or interest in their land, with ownership only being disputable if acquired through fraud, forgery or illegal means.

- Bernama

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