DON'T BLAME THESE DEPTS BUT POLITICAL LEADERS

Don't blame these depts but political leaders, Suhakam told

Kota Kinabalu June 12, 2012: Yayasan Islam Sabah (YIS) expressed disgust over the issue of native land rights currently pursued by Suhakam.

Its Sec-Gen OKK Yahya Ahmad Shah said it appears that the Land and Survey Department and Sabah Forestry Department were to be blamed for all the woes faced by the natives in Sabah.

"But there is no mention at all that native land rights are almost gone because of political masters' decisions and not the Land and Survey Department or Forestry Department.

"It is sickening to read time and time again about Suhakam inquiry on native land rights," he said in a statement.

He said records would show and prove that the problems faced by the natives on land rights were all due to the political masters.

He also expressed disgust that not a word was mentioned at the Suhakam Inquiry that the natives and other Sabahans lost 906,330 acres to plantation companies that 90 per cent of its now belongs to Peninsular Malaysia-based companies.

The land concerned, he said, was reserved for about 60,000 landless Sabahans in 1983. "So, what happened to all this land?

And where are the Forest Management Units, which seems to cover all over Sabah, including the villages?

"Surely Suhakam, who is supposed to be an independent organisation should go after these 906,330 acres instead of harping on the Land and Survey Department and Forestry Department," he said.

Yahya said that Suhakam should in no uncertain terms request the State Government to purchase back all the land that have bee reserved for more than 60,000 Sabahans and alienate to those who are registered to be allocated 15 acres each.

He said what the Government could do is to acquire the land but not based on market land price and then alienate them to the 60,000 Sabahans.

Sabah, he said, is an agricultural state.

With the population in Sabah keep on increasing and coupled this with shortage of food around the world, Sabah should become an exporting country for agricultural food, he said.