State Govt extends land lease

Published on: Thursday, March 14, 2013

 Kota Kinabalu: Business operators in the Kolombong Industrial Zone had something to cheer about, Wednesday, when Chief Minister Datuk Seri Musa Aman announced the State Cabinet's decision to extend their land lease.

The handing over of the Letter of Offer for Extension of Land Title Lease saw 167 land titles being extended through cluster method for a period of between 60 and 99 years.

"The issue took some time to be resolved because it involved technical matters and also streamlining of development planning of the various relevant department and agencies," said Musa at the handing over ceremony.

Before the Cabinet arrived at its decision, he said, they took into account the interest of all parties, especially the landowners.

He stressed that the State Government paid serious attention to the extension of the land lease period in Kolombong.

"This was proven when I issued a directive to all departments concerned to fine tune the matter before it was discussed at the State Cabinet meeting.

"And we are thankful that the Cabinet finally agreed to the extension."

He hoped the extension would put the owners' minds at ease so that they could continue to attend to their respective business operations, prosper and continue to contribute to Sabah's economic growth.

He said the government of the day is one that delivers and continues to do so for the people's welfare. "It is without doubt, that the Chinese community has significantly contributed to nation building and the growth of the local economy.

"And because of this, Musa said, the State Government values the community's contributions and commitment in the development of the local economy through various sectors.

He gave his assurance that the government is a business and investment friendly entity. "This is our commitment to the business community, and this has and will continue to be done through the implementation of numerous policies and initiatives at both the state and federal levels," he said.

Sabah, has in recent years seen a number of highly encouraging developments in its economy, he said, and attributed this to the hard work of the public and private sectors.

Sabah also, he said, has managed to attract significant domestic and foreign investments in recent years because of its stable, pro business and a government that is wise in its spending.

Musa said it also could not be denied that the economic prosperity that Sabah is enjoying today is the fruit of political stability and a government that strives towards improving its service to the people.

He said unity is also an important ingredient for economic prosperity.

"Staying united and respecting diversity are a way of life in Sabah, which has become a role model for 1Malaysia, a concept introduced by our Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak," he said.

Because of the prevailing unity among the people through the 1Malaysia concept, it helped to create a conducive environment for businesses to flourish.

To the Kota Kinabalu Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KKCCCI, he encouraged the organisation to increase cooperation with other chambers of commerce, especially those that are based in Sabah.

The Federation of Sabah Manufacturers (FSM), he said, must continue playing its role in making the manufacturing sector in Sabah more robust and dynamic.

"Both organisations would then be able to share experiences and expertise and through the linking with one another, strengthen business ties, expand networks and provide feedback to the government," he said.

Source : Daily Express

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615 claims on land pertaining to NCR

 

KOTA KINABALU: The Sabah Land and Survey Department received a total of 615 claims on land pertaining to Native Customary Rights (NCR), involving a total of 1,164 claimants over a period of 15 years, since 1997.
According to the director, Datuk Osman Jamal, from the total, 365 cases were approved, 70 rejected and 180 still remain unresolved.
“This means that the NCR issue is not a big thing as portrayed by some quarters because right now we only have a total of 180 cases still pending due to certain technicalities,” said Osman, in his briefing to senior officers of the Department of Information on land issues in Sabah, here, yesterday.
He said among the problems that arise which cause some cases to remain unresolved are because of overlapping land applications.
In the meantime, Osman denied claims by some people that the government had neglected Native Customary Rights in the administration of land.
He said until December 2012, the state government through the Department of Land and Survey had registered a total of 355,564 communal land titles throughout Sabah and of that number, 54 per cent or 192,438 titles were owned by natives.
“So if we are said to be unfair to the natives, it is not true because the natives have been given more than 50 per cent of the total number of land titles in Sabah,” he said.
In terms of area, Osman said a total of 550.987 hectares or 26.83 per cent of the 2.05 million hectares of land throughout Sabah issued with titles from the government belong to natives.
He said the government always acted fairly when considering land applications from natives.
“In their claims, the natives can choose their own lawyer to process the application and they can call any number of witnesses,” he said.
The Department of Land and Survey also allows unsuccessful applicants to appeal within 30 days after decisions are made or refer the case straight to court if they are dissatisfied with the government’s decision.
He said the department strives to expedite the application process so that more land can be approved to natives.
Among the measures taken is the implementation of the NCR Fast Mobile Unit to resolve NCR land issues especially in the interior.
He said the mobile unit to be launched next month will be equipped with the basic office facilities to facilitate natives in referring any problems they may have with their land applications.

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JV way to end K'batangan land dispute

Kota Kinabatangan: The land claim issue involving members of the Sungai Koyah A, Kinabatangan Phase I, II and III smallholders scheme here was resolved with the consent of the majority of them to enter into a joint venture with Syarikat Bagus Maju Berhad.

Land and Survey Department Director Datuk Osman Jamal said all the problems including doubts on the matter were resolved Monday, when most of the 400 members agreed to the joint venture.

"What the department will do after this is to issue an invitation letter to the company once we have agreed with the agreement letter related to joint venture mechanisms," he said.

"Two things important before a joint venture is formed is that the company will provide to the department a joint venture agreement and the 'cash flow' of the land," he added.

Osman said 'cash flow' is very important because it details how the land would be developed later, when it is expected to bring in profits and when the dividends would start to be given out to members as well as other opportunities.

He told reporters this after meeting with those concerned at Dewan Sri Lamag, here, Monday. Present, were Kinabatangan MP Datuk Bung Moktar Radin and Sukau Assemblyman Datuk Saddi Abdul Rahman.

He said the agreement is equally important for the discussion of how the current valuation of the land price as well as the benefits to be provided to the members.

Asked about allegations that he was not transparent in researching this problem, Osman said the department and the government does have a system of transparency.

He said everything should be there, mechanisms and legal and proper way.

"The meeting today (Monday) will allow us to meet with members of the small farmers, and they are also able to respond directly, and in this way, we find the majority of them agreed to the joint venture," he said.

Asked about the status of other land application, he said, the mechanism is needed and it is a priority in accordance with the practice of our department from time immemorial.

"If we recall, recently, the Chief Minister also explained the importance of Customary Land Rights (NCR) and we also see the government's achievements on land ownership is also clearly reflect the State Government to give priority to that respect."

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Communal ownership of farmland

Nabawan - In May 2010 the Chief Minister handed Sabah's first communal title to 1,400 heads of families in Kampung Salarom Taka of Nabawan comprising some 5,000 villagers. The title confers a collective ownership of 3,650 hectares (9,000 acres) of agricultural land to the villagers at a Juara Rakyat ceremony. The district officer of Nabawan Bubudan Majalu received it on the villagers' behalf.

Communal ownership of land is a permutation of the Agropolitan and Mesej schemes as part of the government’s poverty eradication measures. Under this arrangement, government agencies such as the Sabah Land Development Board (SLDB), the Rubber Fund Board help the villagers to grow plantation crops such as oil palms and rubber on the communal land, and the villagers are paid wages by these agencies for their labour on the plantation at the initial stage. In due course the villagers derive income from the proceeds of what the land produces. Based on what Datuk Musa calls a win-win formula, the 3,650 hectares of oil palms will yield about RM46 million from sales of fresh fruit bunches (FFB) at current prices. If the current variables stay this would translate to a monthly income of about RM2,716 for each of the 1,400 households. The Sabah government is giving about 12,000 hectares to rural natives for such projects under joint-land ownership, which is a built-in guarantee that none of them could sell the land for instant cash, a temptation that many rural land owners had found irresistible. With all the attention given to the efforts to combat poverty Datuk Musa was hopeful that the state government, with full support from the federal government, would be able to surmount hardcore poverty by the end of 2010. But he stressed that it is the people’s determination to help themselves that would win the day in the fight against poverty, not the cash handouts or more projects that the government must think up endlessly to end poverty. Besides providing monetary assistance and government assisted economic activities, he particularly stressed capacity building among the hardcore poor through improving access to skills training opportunities, motivating and building self-confidence and inculcating positive values and better work ethics, especially among the young in the villages. All that will be part of the inputs into the state’s socio-economic future in the ETP scheme of things.

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Leased Land Won't Be Taken Back, Says Sabah Government

KOTA KINABALU, Oct 23 (Bernama) -- The Sabah state government has given its assurance that it will not take back land leased to developers for 999 years and commercial land leased for 99 years.

Chief Minister Datuk Seri Musa Aman said the lease on the land may however be renewed 10 to 20 years before the expiry of the lease.

"Although there is 20 or 10 years left on the lease, the government can still approve a lease renewal as the land is owned by the people and not the government," he told reporters after receiving a courtesy call from the Federation of Chinese Associations Sabah at the State Legislative Assembly here today.

Musa, who is also Sabah Finance Minister, said the policy will be discussed at a state Cabinet meeting.

The Sabah Housing and Real Estate Developers Association (Shareda) had earlier urged the government to reinstate the 999-year land lease tenure for subdivided titles.

Read More : Bernama.com

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Three NCR Land Awarded For Oil Palm Cultivation

CM declared opened the Native Court Judiciary Conference

KOTA KINABALU, April 26 (Bernama) -- Three native customary rights (NCR) grants have been issued involving 7,258ha of land for the benefit of 1,702 people in the Nabawan and Tongod districts, said Sabah Chief Minister Datuk Seri Musa Aman.

He said with the issuance of the grants, a joint venture agreement to develop an oil palm plantation in Lalampas, Tongod was entered into with the Sabah Land Development Board (SLDB) for 25 years.

"The people will enjoy the benefits in the form of dividend as well as job and business opportunities," he said when responding to a question from Abdul Mijul Unaini (BN-Banggi) at the State Assembly here Tuesday.

He said that under the terms of the agreement, the beneficiaries or natives involved would get a dividend of 40 per cent while SLDB 60 per cent in a joint venture to cultivate 3,237ha of land with oil palm and 404ha with cash crops.

Musa said the oil palm plantation project would get off the ground in August at the cost of Rm74 million.

Meanwhile, the Land and Survey Department is processing the issuance of 43 NCR grants out of 15,780ha of the state land for 4,161 participants, he said, adding that a total of 24,592ha of state land was earmarked for NCR grants.

-- BERNAMA

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Importance of communal land titles, inquiry heard

5th June, 2012

KOTA KINABALU: Communal land titles are issued to villagers by the state government to protect the interest of Sabah natives, overcome the issues involving native customary rights (NCR) and solve overlapping land applications.

Communal titles are issued to villagers that have been identified living ‘in-situ’ by the village chief or village security and development committee chairman, said State Land and Survey Department deputy director Lee Chung Khiong during a public inquiry on the land issues affecting the natives in Sabah.

The title will eventually be sub-divided to the villagers, he said when responding to a query from the Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (Suhakam) chairman Tan Sri Hasmy Agam who chaired a public hearing at Dewan Sedco here yesterday. The hearing is scheduled from June 4 to 16.

Read More: http://www.newsabahtimes.com.my

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Land issues are meant to be solved?

Good day guys. I’m sure these few days; there are lots of articles talking about land issues in Sabah. 
As far as I concerned, land issues is one of the major issues in Sabah and yet to be solved. 
Well, I’m not here to pinpoint any faults or mistakes. 

There are many solutions to this problem and yet, every approach is not the same. 
In general, land is considered as sacred to all Bumi people in Sabah. I have seen lots of political parties; 
neither local nor national political parties are making headlines about this stuff. So how important is it!

So guys, what are the best mechanisms to solve these land issues? As a Sabahan, what we can do?
 Feel free to drop some ideas.

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