The Sarawak government has been urged to conduct a perimeter survey of all native customary rights (NCR) lands of the indigenous people of Sarawak to facilitate conversion into titled land.

“So many of the indigenous people of Sarawak feel insecure, as many of them do not have land titles to their NCR land,” State PKR chief Dominique Ng said in a statement in conjunction with the International Day of the World's Indigenous People (IDWIP) today.

“Thus they feel exposed as they may in future be deprived of living and farming on their NCR land which they have owned for hundreds of years,” he added.

dominique ng interview 010606 gesturing Quoting from UN Secretary-General’s message for IDWIP 2008, Ng said in 1994, the UN General Assembly proclaimed Aug 9 as the International Day of the World’s Indigenous People.

There were many reasons for this decision, but the fundamental motivation was the assembly’s recognition of the need to place the UN clearly and strongly behind the promotion and protection of the rights of indigenous peoples as the suffering of indigenous peoples includes some of the darkest episodes in human history

Ng urged all state and federal legislators and all levels of government to heed the message of UN chief Ban Ki Moon, whom he described as a towering figure knowledgeable about true Asian values which are consistent with universal values of human rights.

Duty bound

As a member of the United Nations, the state PKR chief said Malaysia is duty bound to observe the said declaration.

“Until Malaysia fully respects and actively promotes the human rights of our indigenous peoples, Malaysia would not be considered a developed and progressive nation in our own social conscience and in the eyes of the world,” Ng said.

According to Ng who is also state assemblyperson for Padungan, the infringement on native rights in Sarawak is the most severe among the states of Malaysia.

“In the last 30 days alone, I am burdened by personally listening to the grievances of several communities, including at Simunjan, Sg Sambop, Sg Limo and potentially in Biawak."

He added that there can be no justification for their forcible displacement, land deprivation and cultural infringement to promote the greater wealth of the wealthy and the absolute power of powerful elites.

"Let us back off from such unconscionable “development”, which destroys our social harmony and our own souls in the end,' said Ng.