KOTA KINABALU: The Sabah government takes the issue of native customary land rights (NCR) seriously and will look for the best solution to ensure in a win-win situation for all.
Chief Minister Datuk Seri Musa Aman urged those reacting to Sabah Attorney-General Datuk Roderick Fernandez’s recent statement on the NCR issue not to be unduly worried.
“I will bring this matter to the Cabinet for indepth discussion with my colleagues, and also invite Barisan Nasional (BN) component party leaders to discuss the issue,” he said in a statement here yesterday.
Musa said the state government would also be seeking the opinion of the legal fraternity, especially experts on land matters.
“The important thing is that we can sit down and resolve this issue and find a solution. Until then, there is no point for us to debate over the matter via the media.”
Several state BN component party leaders, including United Pasokmomogun Kadazandusun Murut Organisation president Tan Sri Bernard Dompok and Parti Bersatu Sabah deputy president Datuk Seri Dr Maximus Ongkili, have expressed disagreement over Fernandez’s interpretation of the NCR provision in the Sabah Land Ordinance (SLO) that there is “no NCR land after 1930”.
Describing it as a wrong interpretation, he said that unlike in Sarawak, there was no cut-off point with regards to NCR land in the context of Sabah.
On Thursday, Fernandez was quoted as saying that no fresh NCR land could be created as only land ‘still’ occupied by natives, prior to the date when the SLO came into force, are recognised with the status. — Bernama