Government recognises customary rights land

KUCHING: The government will accord recognition to the customary rights (NCR) lands under the existing law and state land code.

State Planning and Resource Management Minister II Datuk Amar Awang Tengah Ali Hassan said on March 1 the government had never seized the rights of the people and instead wanted to help them to develop the NCR lands to lift the rural folk from the grip of poverty.

"We want the NCR lands developed and not transferred to irresponsible parties," he said at a seminar on land matters in conjunction with the 12th Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB) Convention here.

He said that since 1965 when Sarawak was hit with a land development crisis, the state government had defended the NCR lands to prevent them from falling into the hands of irresponsible developers.

He said that under the Land Custody and Development Authority (LCDA) the government would ensure that every NCR land development project observed the conditions and rules agreed upon by the developer and landowner.

On the provisional list (PL), he said it was issued for NCR land to be developed by the plantation industry and those landowners who did not want to be involved in oil palm plantation and reforestation could withdraw from the project.

He said any problems relating to NCR land, especially those involving the PL, should be resolved as soon as possible. — Bernama