KUCHING: Works Minister Baru Bian has been told to source for funds from the federal government to carry out perimeter survey of native customary rights (NCR) land.
Political secretary to the chief minister Susan Chemerai Anding said the Selangau MP should not make excuses to divert from the fact that he was unable to secure funding from Putrajaya.
“If he is truly fighting for NCR land for the Dayaks, he should at least fight to get some funding for the survey. By his own admission he did not even try.
Susan Chemerai Anding
“Land was also not under the purview of the previous federal government, yet they saw it fit to give a large budget to the state for perimeter survey,” she said yesterday.
Susan claimed that Baru’s other excuse was that perimeter-surveyed land had uncertain status.
“I would like Baru Bian to check with those who have had their perimeter survey done, whether they have benefitted or not by this survey or whether their land has now been taken by the government. Please ask those NCR land owners themselves.
“Of course NCR exists whether or not it is surveyed. But the fact that it is surveyed through Section 6 (of the Sarawak Land Code) perimeter survey initiative is a big step towards individual title under Section 18 which he (Baru) said are the people’s preferred option.
“Surveying the land is also a big step towards releasing the land for economic and agricultural purposes which will improve the socio-economic status and income of rural Dayak communities,” she said.
Susan was reacting to a press statement by Baru on Monday in which he defended Putrajaya against criticism of the absence of specific allocations in the federal budget to conduct perimeter survey of NCR land.
In the statement, he said the recognition of NCR land by the Sarawak government was a bigger issue than allocation of federal funds for perimeter survey