PMS to request SAG for explanation on Land Code – President

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Bolhassan (centre) making a point during the interview.

KUCHING: Sarawak Malay Association (PMS) will request for an in-depth explanation from the State Attorney General (SAG) on the Land Code (Amendment) Bill 2018, as it may affect the recognition of Bumiputera native land.

Its president Datuk Bolhassan Di said he has yet to understand the law and how it is able to solve native land issues according to different districts and local customs.

“There’s a lot of buzz on the social media regarding the amendment sometime before July and has petered down. So our members want to know the purpose of the law. How do Malays benefit from the amendment which was approved in the last State Legislative Assembly sitting,” he said.

He is confident that the SAG can help the association explain the amendment to the community to prevent confusion.

“We want to know the issues related to Malay and Melanau community because Dayak community is different, thus it is important to meet the SAG to get explanation on this ordinance and its clauses.”

He said the association will only know if this law is good or not for the Malay/Melanau community after getting the full and detailed explanation from the SAG.

It will also obtain explanation from Badan Hak Adat Melayu (Baham) Sarawak which has been tasked to research on the native land issue and customary rights of Malay/Melanau community in Sarawak.

The association’s secretary general is its representative in Baham, and he will meet with Baham president Datu Dr Sanib Said to get direct explanation from him before writing a letter to meet the SAG, he said.

He added that Baham’s duty is to fight for Malay/Melanau rights to be included in the amendment of that law. He added that Sanib will list all the issues to be brought up to the SAG while the association will list out its issues.

He said input will be collected and compiled from Baham via WhatsApp.