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Extracted from Malaysiakini
Jabu told to
check facts on NCR issue
Apr 27,
Deputy Chief Minister Alfred Jabu has been told to check
his facts before condemning native landowners in
“Police reports have been lodged over the years by
landowners pertaining to the trespassing of native customary rights (NCR) land
and against companies given licences to work within NCR land belonging to
native landowners,” leading NCR lawyer Baru Bian said today in response to
Jabu's latest comment.
“But no action has been taken so far,” he added.
For example, in Tebedu near Kuching, at least 100 police
reports were made at the police station against the government for “snatching people's
land,” claimed Baru, a Kuching-based Orang Ulu lawyer who handles half of more
than 100 court cases brought up by native landowners.
“They not only lodge police reports, they have also taken
legal action to reinforce their rights under the law,” he said.
Jabu was quoted in The Borneo Post
today as challenging the opposition and native landowners to lodge police
reports if they think that the government had snatched their land.
Refer
Suhakam report
“Snatching is the same as stealing, so if the opposition is accusing the
government of snatching people's land, report the matter to the police,” he
challenged.
Early this week, the opposition group Barisan Bersatu Sarawak (BBS) unveiled
their land policy, declaring that if elected in next month's state election,
BBS would return to the people all lands that rightly belong to them.
Baru, who is expected to contest in Ba'kelalan for the opposition also quoted a
Suhakam report published in The Borneo
Post on
The report said the complainants were made to look like criminals when they
lodged the reports.
“Who is really telling lies? Jabu keeps on saying we are telling lies. We don't
politicise. We are stating the facts,” Baru said.
He
claimed that Jabu is trying to suppress the facts, adding that “he is afraid of
the truth which is that the government is snatching the people's land.”
The issuance of hundreds of leases and licences for oil palm plantations,
logging, quarrying and reforestration projects has encroached into native land
rights, NGOs and many native landowners claim.
But the state government has been insisting that no such thing was carried
out and that development is for the benefit of the people.