KUCHING: PRS Women’s Wing laud and concur with the suggestion made by Chief Justice Richard Malanjum that the status of native courts be raised to be at par with the civil and shariah courts in both administration and jurisdiction over customary laws applicable to the natives.
“We fully support this. It is long overdue. This, of course, does not include penal laws,” said PRS Women chief Datuk Doris S Brodie (pic) in a statement yesterday.
Doris is of the view that having an independent judiciary system for the natives in Sarawak will enable laws affecting native customary rights such as the recognition of Marriage Based on Custom (Adat), Native Courts and Land Administration, Jurisdiction and Power of Native Courts etc. can be dealt with efficiently, effectively and justly.
“I strongly believe that in Sarawak the Native Courts are still relevant as almost two thirds of Sarawak’s population are Bumiputera and are still practising native custom.
“However, it is also important to ensure the Native Courts are efficiently and effectively administered; adjudication of breaches of the customary laws be heard by magistrates and the judges well-verse in the Customary Laws and enforcement of judgement to be expeditiously carried out,” she said.
She said to her knowledge, although there is a Chief Registrar in Kuching, the Native Courts share manpower resources with District Officers throughout Sarawak both for their administration, adjudication and also enforcement of judgements.
“This, I believed, has to a certain extent hampered the efficient administration of justice as the Residents, District Officers and Administration Officers have their own core tasks and duties to perform. More so in view of the intensive development programmes within their administrative jurisdictions that require their monitoring and supervision,” she pointed out.
