Urgent need for Bidayuh NCR landowners to receive their land titles

KUCHING: The Bidayuh assemblymen in Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) are appealing to the relevant agency to expedite the issuance of individual titles to the Bidayuh NCR landowners under Section 18.

Speaking on behalf of the assemblymen, Tasik Biru assemblyman Datuk Harry Henry Jinep lamented that there was not much progress on the issuance of individual titles under Section 18 after the issuance of Section 6 or perimeter survey in Bidayuh areas.

“We are appealing to the relevant authority to expedite this process because we are experiencing the title issue all the time although efforts had been made by us to explain to the public, the villagers, that the government is doing something.

“But the people really want to see the results and they are getting anxious with the situation because of the lack of progress,.

“We are here today to call on the relevant authority to look into this matter,” he told a joint press conference with Serembu assemblyman Miro Simuh and Bukit Semuja assemblyman John Ilus at the DUN lobby today.

Miro said they (GPS assemblymen) want to see steady progress in the issuance of NCR land titles to the Bidayuh community under Section 18.

He noted that the Dayak Bidayuh National Association (DBNA) had taken the initiative to document the land – both for perimeter and individual lots.

“We hope what DBNA has done will complement what the Land and Survey Department are doing.

“We want to see the progress in the issuance of titles under Section 18 to at least ease our burden of being questioned by the people on the ground,” he said.

He said the Bidayuh areas are only concentrated in Kuching, Serian and Samarahan Divisions and there should not be any problem for the authorities to carry out the ground survey.

“I think the community themselves have helped a lot in assisting in terms of resolving the boundary issues, conflicts and so on.

“So we hope to see some progress on this matter as soon as possible,” he said.