The Sarawak Government must stop the policy of giving land away cheaply to its cronies while the people receive nothing in terms of compensation.
Suresh Kashuerin | March 17, 2015
KUALA LUMPUR: Bandar Kuching MP Chong Chieng Jen on Tuesday submitted to the Speaker a motion under standing order 18 (1) to ask Parliament to give immediate consideration for the protection of the human rights and welfare of over 200 Orang Asal families in Bintulu “to avoid any serious conflict and fighting”.
One hundred and ten families in the Sebatang area, Tg. Kidurong road, Bintulu have been given until Wednesday to vacate the land or their houses will be demolished.
A company, which has been given the land by the Sarawak Government, has been seen going around the affected homes . “The affected folks said that it’s not that they do not want to move but they really do not have a place to move to,” said Chong.
A High Court Judge has set April 21, 2015 to hear the case of another 91 families in the same area who are defendants. The defendants had been brought up to the Bintulu High court to vacate the land Lot 3113, Kemena Land District where they had been staying for decades.
The second group of affected families are being represented by Padungan MP Wong King Wei.
Kidurong Assemblyman Chiew Chin Sing called on the government to step in and “allocate a place for the over 200 families to move to and resolve the situation amicably before it is too late”.
He said that it was ironical that the Sarawak Government should sell the 200-acre property for RM27.8 million in 2012 to a private company while the Orang Asal who had been staying there for decades received nothing and had to leave.
“The premium for the 200 acre land is RM27.8 million or RM139,000 an acre while the value of the land there is easily ten times that,” he said. “It is high time the Sarawak Government stop the policy of giving land cheaply to its cronies while the people continue to be neglected by it.”
