KUCHING: A one and half month bonus of Sarawak civil servants’ basic salary or a minimum of RM2,000 will be paid out by end of December this year, said Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari Tun Openg.
“This is for the hard work and dedication of all Sarawak civil servants throughout the year, and it is specifically only for them,” he said during the winding-up session at the State Legislative Assembly (DUN) sitting here yesterday.
Johari said the state government would deliver to the people of Sarawak at all costs and none of the expenses would be spared.
“Our people have been left too far behind and we must catch up. “If Putrajaya will not help us, we will help ourselves. How do we fund it? By hook or by crook, as they say in English. I will exhaust all avenues to exercise our rights to deliver to the people of Sarawak,” he said.
On the perimeter survey of NCR (Native Customary Rights) land, he said it was an important milestone for the indigenous communities of Sarawak.
“It is very difficult for individuals to accurately demarcate the boundaries of their individual lots, but not impossible to ascertain with some satisfaction on all sides the overall boundary for each respective community.
“The rights to NCR lands are implicit in the perimeter survey. Without recognising those rights, there would have been no perimeter survey. Since Putrajaya has refused to continue with the perimeter survey, the State will pay to get this survey job done quickly.
“The rights to land is an area which is flawed with intricate difficulties. However, the value of a piece of land is derived from the value that can be derived from output of that piece of land. In the middle of the jungle, that piece of land may have little economic value.
“Worse still is a piece of land that has been carved out from the general market whereby the number of buyers is severely restricted. In that smaller market, the value of the restricted land is sharply reduced,” he said.
