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Uggah’s Office receives NCR Declaration

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Former Temenggong Pahang Deng (front right) and Sarawak Native Customary Rights (NCR) Forum Coordinator Michael M. Jok (back right) showing the NCR Declaration documents at Wisma Bapa Malaysia, Kuching yesterday. PHOTO: MARVIN KUDANG
Former Temenggong Pahang Deng (front right) and Sarawak Native Customary Rights (NCR) Forum Coordinator Michael M. Jok (back right) showing the NCR Declaration documents at Wisma Bapa Malaysia, Kuching yesterday. PHOTO: MARVIN KUDANG

KUCHING: The Sarawak Native Customary Rights (NCR) Land Forum and Society for Rights of Indigenous People of Sarawak (SCRIPS) members submitted a NCR Declaration to the Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah’s Office here yesterday.

SCRIPS Legal Advisor Henry Joseph Usau said the purpose of submitting the declaration was to declare lands of which belong to the native communities.

“We are not demanding or challenging anything, we just want to tell the world the land is ours. It is like you having a wife – nobody can simply take someone’s wife,” he told reporters after submitting the declaration at Wisma Bapa Malaysia yesterday.

According to him, the declaration contents documents of native communities’ declarations of their lands.

“We have been collecting the communities’ declaration with maps and facts throughout Sarawak for three years,” he said, pointing out there were competent surveyors on the ground to do the land mapping on which land belongs to the native communities.

“Some of these lands are subject to dispute, and it involves the Kenyah, Kayan, Orang Ulu, Iban, Bidayuh, Lun Bawang, Malays, and Melanau communities,” he added.

Henry further explained that the native communities have their own traditional systems in claiming lands – which is through customs (Adat).

“Our land is divided by rivers and mountains. We marked our boundaries by rivers and mountains unlike modern systems,” he said.

Meanwhile, Forum Coordinator Michael M. Jok said that 80 communities throughout Sarawak have come forward to seek the forum and SCRIPS help to gain back their lands and wanted it to be protected.

“The Orang Ulu want their over 2.7 million hectares land back,” he said, same goes to the Iban, Bidayuh, and Malay communities in the state with 869,413.5 hectares of land.

Former Temenggong Pahang Deng said the government must return the lands to the villagers as it has been given to them from their ancestors.

“If you want to conduct any projects on these lands, yes, it is good for development. But at least give us some commission or royalty, not just take it as you wish,” he pointed out.

He added on the definition of NCR, some people have twisted the meaning of it and said NCR was only subject to farm land, but then it includes the whole land, rivers, trees, woods, and stones.

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