KUCHING: Replace the Sarawak Land Code with the National Land Code? Never, says Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) Sarawak.
Mas Gading branch head and vice chairman of PKR Sarawak Boniface Willy Tumek expressed shock when he heard that when Deputy Chief Minister (DCM) Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah Embas spoke at a meet-the-people session at Rumah Entinggan in Spaoh last Saturday, he purportedly mentioned that – without revealing a name – a minister in the PH government had suggested to him that Sarawak adopt the National Land Code to replace the Sarawak Land Code.
Boniface explained that the National Land Code is the body of law that governs all land matters in the federated Malayan states otherwise known as Peninsular Malaysia whereas the Sarawak Land Code is the law that governs all land matters in Sarawak.
He was extremely offended and found it hard to believe that a full minister in the PH government would suggest something as audacious as replacing the Sarawak Land Code.
“If what the DCM said was true, then the minister should have been very aware of the prevailing sentiments of Sarawakians with regards to the Malaysia Agreement (MA63) and the autonomy of Sarawak,” he said, suggesting that anything which would imply further erosion of the rights of Sarawakians would have very profound ramifications in the coming state elections.
He said that land matters, even before the formation of Malaysia, was a matter for the government of Sarawak to administer, so replacing the Sarawak Land Code with the National Land Code is unthinkable as land matters fall within the State List of the Federal Constitution and that Sarawak has full control and legal jurisdiction over its lands and the federal government cannot impose any law over state lands.
“It would not be farfetched to say that such a suggestion would not have been made unless senior leaders in the PH government had been thinking about it. PKR now calls on Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah to, within three days, reveal the name of the minister who made the offensive suggestion and to call for an emergency sitting of the State Legislative Assembly (DUN) to condemn and reject the suggestion,” he said.
