Chief Minister
Datuk Seri Musa Aman said the Native Customary Right (NCR) issue was discussed
at length by the state Cabinet during its meeting yesterday. According
to Musa, he would soon invite Barisan Nasional (BN) component party leaders to
discuss further and hear their views on the matter.
“And I’m
also going to call and consult the expert on NCR and land issue,” he told
reporters after chairing the state cabinet meeting at Wisma Innoprise here
yesterday. “We had a
full briefing and of course discussion with the directors of Land and Survey,
Forestry Department as well as the Land Office. The Land and Survey Department
briefed the Cabinet on the situation of NCR,” Musa said.
He said
this when asked if the NCR issue was discussed during the state Cabinet meeting
as he had said in a statement in response to State Attorney General Datuk
Roderic Fernandez’s statement with regards to the matter.
Roderic in
a statement said his interpretation of the NCR provision in the Sabah Land
Ordinance (SLO) was that no fresh NCR land could be created after 1930 after
the SLO came into force. “Only land
‘still’ occupied by natives prior to December 13, 1930 are recognized with the
status,” Roderic said, adding that there was no provision in the SLO for
natives to go into occupation of land after 1930 and claim NCR on it. “A claimant
must, for NCR today, show occupation of the land prior to 1931,” he said.
Musa also
disclosed that the opening of the 13th state assembly sitting would be held on
March 23 with a policy speech to be delivered by Head of State Tun Juhar
Mahiruddin. This would
be followed by a three-day sitting where assemblymen would debate on the policy
speech, he said, adding that the winding up would be held on the third day,
March 28. “During the
sitting, an amendment to the Forestry Enactment will be tabled,” he said
March 8, 2012 The bornoePost Online