SIBU: Bako landowners here were in joyful mood when they heard the news that the government had finally decided to rescind the acquisition of the land in the Bako peninsula.
Chairman of Bako Land Rights Committee Wong Kwong Toh described the move as the greatest piece of good news ever to the Bako landowners.
“Finally, after 40 years of endless wait we received this piece of good news. It is definitely the greatest relief to all the Bako landowners, and all our longstanding problem and anxieties are resolved once and for all,” he added in a statement.
Sarawak Land and Survey director Datu Surdarsono Osman said recently that the rescission took effect on March 16 following the approval under Section 79 notice of the Sarawak Land Code.
Section 79 is a public notice to inform that land will no longer be acquired for public purposes.
“For the past few months, the Bako landowners had been living in a nightmare as they fought for a fair compensation to their lands based on the current market valuation.
“With the problems resolved, all the landowners who are mostly senior citizens now will no longer have to worry about the issue anymore,” Wong said.
He was also grateful to the Chief Minister for showing great statesmanship by lifting Section 47 of the Land Code.
“Once again, it shows that our chief minister is an open-minded and capable person who always takes into consideration the plight of the people.”
In addition, Wong also expressed his gratitude to a bevy of other sympathisers and leaders for their continual guidance in ensuring that the issue was resolved amicably.
“Such leaders are rare and they definitely deserve our respect. We thank them for all their great resilience to finally resolve the Bako landowners’ predicament.”