TUARAN: UPKO Tuaran Komulakan has urged the state government to implement the ‘Pelan Tanah Terancang dan Permuafakatan Peraturan Kampung’ as a policy towards resolving land ownership issues.
According to the movement’s chief, Rayner Ebi, the plan was the initiative of Tuaran member of parliament Datuk Wilfred Madius Tangau as a solution to villages on hilly areas in Kiulu, and has been accepted by the district’s Land Use Committee (LUC).
“The plan has benefited 24 villages in the area where the land applications by villagers were approved following recommendations in the district LUC meetings based on the recommendations of the initiative,” he said.
Rayner added that the Tuaran District Officer is very committed in resolving the land ownership problem in the district and expressed the movement’s appreciation of his efforts.
“I propose that this approach be implemented in other districts, especially those where native customary rights villages are located in the highlands,” he said and lamented that land ownership was still a major issue affecting the native community.
He pointed out that the village plan gave a mandate to the Board of Trustees to manage land affairs including to ensure that the eco-system and wildlife habitat in the area were preserved.
He also welcomed the RM50 million allocated in Budget 2014 for the surveying of native customary rights land.