KOTA KINABALU: Chief Minister Datuk Seri Musa Aman yesterday reprimanded Sugut assemblyman Datuk James Ratib for “jumping the gun and making a wild accusation that government has mistreated the natives” by denying them their rights to land.
Musa stressed that the current and previous governments have been very sensitive and generous in giving out state land to landless natives.
He said at the State Assembly sitting yesterday that it is sad, however, that most of the land given had been sold by villagers to companies from Peninsular Malaysia and Sarawak.
“Don’t say the government does not give land to the people, that is a lie. Lands have been given to them, but they sold them right away, even before Land Application (LA) can be issued to them. So, don’t blame the government. I am not being defensive. I am in charge of forestry, so I know. Don’t simply say things, make baseless accusations. We have satellite pictures, we know where they lived.
“I remember when the late Kuamut assemblyman, Malik Chua, brought up a similar issue. I accepted what he said because he was right. There were villagers in an area, then came this one Chief Minister and the land was sold to a local towkay (big boss) and he, being local, he knew there were people living in the area so he quickly sold the land to another towkay from KL.
“So, I called up the towkays, I said, give back 5,000 acres to the villagers because I know they have been living there for a long time. There are witnesses, the AG (Attorney General) was there, the Forestry director and Land and Survey director. I was angry and I scolded them.
“Elected representatives should know not to talk without checking the facts. Don’t say incorrect things, don’t talk too much. Check the facts first. I’m the Chief Minister, I don’t abuse the people. I condemn people who buy rakyat’s land. I challenged big companies. These people from Kuala Lumpur who come here to buy land better check if there are any villages on the land they are buying. Don’t only think about the oil palm,”he said.
Earlier, James, in asking a supplementary question to Special Affairs Minister Datuk Teo Chee Kang, said it appeared that the government was being unfair to the natives in his constituency when the forests they were living in were gazetted as protected reserves or included in Forest Management Unit (FMU).
He said villagers were being prohibited from continuing to cultivate these lands, despite they having resided in the area for generations and farming being their only source of living.
Musa, in answering this, said there have been cases where villagers were found trying to take advantage of the government’s people-friendly approach and leniency by encroaching into reserve forests, before claiming they have been living there for generations.
He said the government could not entertain such claim and authorities had to take drastic action to keep the intruders from continuing to encroach protected forests.
However, in cases where the natives have genuinely resided in the area before they are turned into a reserve, he said, special consideration will be given and affected villagers will be allowed to continue living in the area.
“What we don’t allow is when villagers enter reserve land. They plant oil palm in the middle of the night and claim they have been cultivating the land for years when in fact they only planted the trees last night. I have received report on this too.
“We cannot allow that. They sneak into the reserve to plant trees in the middle of the night. Why? To deceive the government to give them land, and after we do, they sell it off to someone. That’s why we have to be strict, otherwise we will not have any forest reserve left.
“State land is state land. Forest reserve is forest reserve. You don’t encroach them, or action will be taken against you. But wherever suitable, if it is true they have been residing there for generations, there are ancestral cemeteries as proof, for example, we will give it to them.
“In fact, I have fought for this because to me they have the rights because they have been there for so long,”he said.
Musa also said the government is on the lookout for individuals operating as free agents to buy land from native people and selling them in bulk to be developed by plantation companies.
He warned that these individuals will be caught and stern action will be taken against them, after revealing that he has received reports that these individuals moved around to persuade and manipulate villagers to sell their land.
Musa, who was responding to a supplementary question during winding up by Teo, said that the government could not afford to keep giving away land to the natives when they keep selling them to other parties.
“In every administration, since Usno, Berjaya and PBS, the government has been very sympathetic towards the people, because we know that we need to give them land. Of course, not all got land from the government, but the majority did.
“However, although we have been giving out land since the previous governments, giving priority to the people to own a land, people keep selling their land off, even before they get the title and grant. This happens not just in the past but is still happening even now. There are people asking villagers to sign their land off, they collect two to three thousand acres and sell them to big companies,” he said.
Musa added thousands of acres of state land had been alienated and given to the people but most of these lands ended up in the hands of private companies and cultivated with oil palm, while their former owners become landless and encroach on forest reserves.
He also explained that most of the people in the areas where the forest reserves in question are located traditionally reside in settlements along the river, with only a few having built their houses in the forest.
The Chief Minister said he still remembered during his early years in politics, where he campaigned in these settlements.
He said it was only in 1990, which was after the forest reserves were gazetted, that many villagers started moving into the forest.
“When I became the chief minister, I made it clear, I said give the villagers priority to own the land. We don’t allow them to encroach the reserve but at the same time we also give them opportunities to own a land. Unfortunately, they sell the land after we give it to them. We give, they sell.
“That is why I discussed with the Land and Survey Department, what is the best way to make sure that the villagers don’t sell the land, and the Communal Title was born. This is what happened. The villagers can do whatever to the land, cultivate it, pass it down to their children and grandchildren, but one thing they can’t do is to sell it,”he said.
To another question from DAP-Kapayan assemblyman Edwin Bosi who asked how the opposition can go about to help the many villagers who seek their help on land issues, Musa said the government had no problem helping the people or any parties with land related problems.
He said the Land and Survey and Forestry Department offices were always open to entertain the grievances from the people and the opposition could always get in contact with them if they too wanted to help the affected people.
“However, I must also state here for Kapayan and especially those (YBs) from Penampang, as well as the NGOs like PACOS, don’t simply object and criticise the government efforts just because you are the opposition or an NGO.
“I think they are not being genuine, sincere. They know what the purpose of the communal title is for and simply ignore it, they said this and that is wrong. Because if you are sincere, you should at least support the efforts by the government to provide land to the people.
“Our policy is not 100 per cent good and the government is not perfect, but what is good for the people, such as the communal title, deserve support from all,” he said.
Meanwhile, James also informed the House that there were about five villages where natives have been residing for generations but were included in the FMU for eco-plantation in Paitan.
He asked the Chief Minister if he, as the elected representative for the villagers there, could still bring about basic development such as road network to the people in the area, despite its status as protected forest.