Uggah (fourth left) and Dr Rundi on his left and others raise their hands to show support for BN.
LUNDU: Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah Embas yesterday said the government will find ways and means to resolve the NCR land issues in the state.
He said it was not “rhetoric” when the government made a statement that it would resolve NCR land issues, including over ‘pulau galau’ (communal forest reserve) and ‘pemakai menoa’ (territorial domain).
“We (government) are looking into the issue (NCR land issues, including ‘pilau galau’ and ‘pemakai menoa’) and finding ways and means to resolve the issue.
“We need to do a more in-depth study like the historical, customary and so on and so forth before we can report to the Chief Minister (Datuk Amar Abang Johari Tun Openg)…and this is not rhetoric for the election, but to resolve the problem,” Uggah, who chairs the working committee on native customary rights (NCR) land, told reporters.
Earlier, he officiated at a ‘leader meet the people’ gathering at Kpg Sg Limo, here, organised by Department of Agriculture and the village development and security committee (JKKK).
Addressing the people, Uggah, who is also Minister of Modern Agriculture and Rural Economy, said the Chief Minister would give serious attention to the NCR land issues in the state.
He told the villagers that the Chief Minister would be looking into solving the provisional leases reportedly issued on native lands, including the very lots where their houses were built on in the village.
The villagers alleged that three companies had encroached on their land – clearing trees, oil palm holdings and other farm plots, including communal forest reserves and territorial domain estimated to be close to 1,600 hectares.
Uggah urged the people in Tanjong Datu to continue supporting Barisan Nasional (BN) to carry on the legacy of the late incumbent Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Adenan Satem.
“He (the late Adenan) has brought tremendous development in the area and his legacy to develop the area must continue, and this can be done by voting for BN,” he said.
Datin Patinggi Datuk Amar Jamilah Anu, the wife of the late Adenan, is the BN candidate for Tanjong Datu, where polling is on Feb 18.
To the 21 Iban villages in the area, he called on them to support BN in order for the Dayak elected representatives to have a stronger voice in the State Legislative Assembly to bring up their problems.
Present were BN secretary-general and Minister of Public Utilities Dato Sri Dr Stephen Rundi, Assistant Minister for Public Utilities (Water Supply) Datuk Roland Sagah Wee Inn and former deputy chief minister Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Alfred Jabu.