SIBU: More than 500 land owners from nine longhouses in Ulu Ngemah, Kanowit have told a company they don’t want their NCR (native customary right) land to be used for the commercial planting of coconut and oil palm.
The land owners, who have gone on to form six associations to safeguard 4,000 hectares of their land from any encroachment, told the company not to go against their wish.
The associations are Pang Junan People’s Association (PJPA), Sungai Empurau/Lepong Gagup NCR Committee, Ulu Ngemah Native Committee, Ngemah Tengah Ulu Committee, Ngemah Sepali People Committee and Ulu Ngemah Semujan NCR Committee.
Chairman of Ulu Ngemah Native Land Committee, Thomas Laja, told a press conference yesterday said that as their land on which they have planted crops like rubber and fruit trees will be preserved in its present condition, “The real intention of the company is to extract timber from our land and not really to develop it for plantation,” he added.
Thomas claimed that the company had engaged certain people to coax the land owners into participating in the scheme by telling them that they would be given individual land titles under Section 18 of the Land Code instead of a single title under a longhouse chief’s name.
“These people have been moving quietly on the ground to persuade land owners to agree to have their land developed by the company. But 80 percent of the people of Ngemah are against the project,” he added.
According to Laja, the company had also engaged a middleman to approach the relevant authorities for approval.
“The land owners strongly opposed to this ‘behind the scene’ dealing,” he added.
Thomas said the company should not force the project down the people’s throat when the majority of the owners were not in favour.
Also speaking was chairman of Ulu Ngemah Native Committee, Entili Geraji.
