Proposed native land tribunal for BN committee

KOTA KINABALU, February 2, 2012 (The Borneo Post) -- Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS) has expressed full support and plan to bring the proposed setting up of the native land tribunal to the Barisan Nasional committee on land issues chaired by the Chief Minister of Sabah for discussion and recommendation to the State Government.

PBS secretary general Datuk Henrynus Amin said the idea of a native land tribunal is very good and the party expects its implementation by the relevant authorities.

“BN Sabah has identified land issues as one of its priorities with the Chief Minister himself now taking the lead to find solution,” said Henrynus when commenting on the proposal of a native land tribunal by Chief Judge of Sabah and Sarawak, Richard Malanjum, during the Symposium on Sabah Native Land Rights at Universiti Malaysia Sabah on Monday.

Henrynus said PBS is fully aware and sympathetic to the numerous cases of unresolved land dispute between villagers and big companies where illiterate and ignorant villagers may have lost their native land to big companies through fraudulent means.

“There were cases where villagers were being duped into selling their land or forced to sign unfair agreement by unscrupulous land brokers who then resell agricultural land to land developers at higher prices.”

He said PBS is seriously looking into cases where illegal syndicates actively applying for native land without title and without the knowledge of the unsuspecting land owners who may have fully developed their land under native customer rights (NCR).

He added the numerous reports of victims of these syndicates who cheated native land owners of their property simply boggled the mind.

In most cases, aggrieved villagers or native land owners have no means to get legal redress as they could not afford the hefty legal fee, he said.

“Though there were some legal assistance rendered by NGOs or in some cases politically motivated lawyers in the past, the long process and cost of traveling back and forth to Kota Kinabalu have deterred them from pursuing their case,” he said.

“As a result, the vast majority of aggrieved villagers or native land owners simply had no access to legal assistance.”

Henrynus said the proposed native land tribunal should provide aggrieved native land owners or NCR owners with an easy and affordable venue to seek legal redress in their land dispute in the same way as house buyers or consumers can get legal redress for their problems.