Maximus, Ahmad Zaki and Nor Rizan sitting for a briefing session on Sabah Native Customary Rights Surveying Programme.
KOTA KINABALU: The federal government continues to support survey of Native Customary Rights lands through the issuance of the communal title, said Energy, Green Technology and Water Minister Datuk Seri Dr Maximus Ongkili.
He said that as of Oct 30, 96% or 13,025.84 ha of the targeted 13,600 ha land for surveying and division of both NCR and communal title lots had been achieved.
He said some RM80 million had been allocated for the exercise since its inception in 2011, and until end of September this year, benefiting a total of 9,325 communal title beneficiaries, and that 11,940 NCR occupancy lots and 1,837 NCR titles were issued.
The annual grants, he added, are channelled through the Cabinet Committee on Bumiputera Minorities of Sabah and Sarawak, chaired by the Prime Minister and the Sabah and Sarawak Bumiputera Technical Committee, which he jointly chairs with Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Joseph Entulu Belaun.
“These prove again that the federal government is concerned over the well-being of natives in East Malaysia with the allocation of the special grants.
“Actually, land matters fall under the purview of the state government. Yet, the federal government continues to give attention to natives in Sabah and Sarawak,” he said after being briefed on the Sabah NCR Surveying Programme, here, yesterday.
Ongkili added that the people should be grateful for the continuous assistance and support from the federal government, especially on matters solely under the state government’s control and finance.
Also present at the event were ICU director-general Datuk Seri Ahmad Zaki Ansore Mohd Yusof, ICU deputy director for General Strategic Development Datuk Haji Nor Rizan Mohd Thani, State Development Officer Ruji Ubi and other government officials.