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Extracted from Malaysiakini
Land policy of the
Apr 26,
Opposition
coalition Barisan Bersatu Sarawak (BBS) has unveiled its 10-point land policy
plan declaring that it will return all lands to the people if it wins the May
20 state polls as the government only holds them in trust for them.
BBS which comprises Snap, PKR and MDC said it acknowledges and recognises that
all lands in
BBS said in a statement that it would change to term 'state land' to ' people's
land' to reflect what it called the original and traditional status of land in
Sarawak as belonging to the people and not the government, except for 'waste or
unoccupied lands.'
Land will be made available to all landless and needy Sarawakian families as no
one should become a squatter in his own land, it said.
The statement said all
residential lands should be issued with grants in perpetuity and other
categories of lands for 999 years.
All lands currently held with 60 or 99-year lease periods should be
automatically converted to lands with such leases, with no further payment of
premiums, except for a nominal administrative charge.
(Chief Minister Abdul Taib Mahmud has declared that he will only approve leases
for no more than 60 years on the ground that few people could afford to pay the
premiums for longer leases, especially 999 leases).
Abolish premiums
BBS said it is totally opposed to the BN government's imposition of high
premiums on the renewal of leases, with a minimum of 25% (for agricultural
lands) to 60% (for residential lands) and up to 75% (for commercial lands), of
the current market value.
“A BBS government will abolish such premiums,” it said.
All native customary rights (NCR) lands must be surveyed and proper titles
issued to the rightful owners, BBS said, adding that NCR must be accorded with
full and complete recognition under the Sarawak Constitution and such other
laws like the Sarawak Land Code.
It added that a native customary rights land commission should be set up
to identify, determine and settle NCR lands issues and it should be vested with
powers to issue full titles to NCR landowners.
BBS also said there should be a Land Acquisition Ordinance in