JULAU: Native Customary Right (NCR) land issue may again be exploited to the fullest in the run up to the 14th general election.
Parti Rakyat Sarawak (PRS) Secretary-General, Datuk Joseph Salang is hoping that rural folks will not be easily swayed by the many accusations made against the government. “This is because amendments to the State Land Code will be tabled in the state Legislative Assembly Sitting in July.
“The amendments will have clear definition and scope of the ‘Pulau Galau’ (community reserve) and the ‘Pemakai Menoa’ (territorial domain) related to Native Customary Land,” he said.
Salang said this at a meet-the-people session at Rumah Ubat Ego’s longhouse in Nanga Serau here on Tuesday. “I sit on the special state steering committee in dealing with these amendments, together with other dayak leaders and professionals. “We are just as concerned with looking after the rights of our community,”he said.
With the amendments the ‘Pemakai Menoa’ and ‘Pulau Galau’ concepts would be given official recognition.
Salang stressed the community was not asking for more land but for the government to recognise what actually belong to them and handed down from their forefathers. On politics, he said there was no way for any independent elected representative to be accepted into any BN party.
“The acceptance must have the tacit consent or support from all the component parties.
A single objection will mean the independent representative will have to stay outside the BN,” he said. He said Larry Sng intended to contest against him for the Julau parliamentary seat, believing that if he (Larry) won the seat, he would be admitted into the BN by joining one of its component parties. Salang said this was only his (Larry’s) tactic to cheat the people.
He reminded Julau voters that they would miss out on government programmes if they cast the wrong vote.
“The Julau and Pakan areas in Sarikei Division, for instance, are part of the very big regional agriculture project known as the Sadok Agropolitan.
“This is the plan to turn the Sarikei and Betong Divisions into the state’s main food producing areas.
“New roads would be built with more amenities brought in. Let us not jeopardise its implementation but continue to give our strongest support to the government and the BN candidate in the coming election,” he said.
Yesterday, Salang also attended similar sessions at Rumah Dinggai anak Enturan and Rumah Lila anak Sabai in Pakan.
