Give Back the Lands that belong to the People

When it comes to land problem in Sarawak, strange things had happened and unless something is done fast, a lot of people would be kicked out of their own homes. That is why the Pakatan Rakyat calls for a change of government, for the betterment of everyone.

Even when a retired excavator operator has his only piece of land where he had been living for over 60 years, the government has been making life terrible for him and his family of six.

Liew Chin Koo, 65 inherited the parcel of land that was bought through his mother’s blood and sweat money, is now living in a limbo. He is not sure when he would be kicked out of his own home.

Before 1993 when Liew’s land lease expired, his effort to renew it failed. The Land and Survey let him squatted in his own land until 1998, while giving him a Temporary Occupation License (TOL).

After three years and efforts made to go to the Land and Survey to renew his land, he was told to wait. After waiting until this June, his daughter went to the Land and Survey, and was told that they had lost all the family’s land data.

Liew has no choice but to turn to the media to ask for an appeal. The Land and Survey has the cheek to reply to me, through the media, insinuating that I was lying and that Liew has three parcels of land.

I did a search, and public records clearly indicate that Liew’ does not own three parcels of land. Lot 285 Lundu Town District is the only land he used to own. Liew is still waiting for the Land and Survey to give him the two other parcels as claimed by them. I am asking Land and Survey not to talk too much or make allegation against me when they were the ones not doing their homework.

The Land and Survey even suggested that Liew had gone to their office on March 16 this year to check on his land title. How can he be in Land and Survey when he was still in Lundu. What a blatant lie. And let the people judge who is the real liar here.

I am helping Liew to re-apply for the land renewal since the Land and Survey said they did not have any background information. If the Land and Survey claimed that they are a caring government, they should be kind to automatically renew all lands. They should amend the Section 26 of the Land Code to put people out of their misery instead of taking the lands they fancy. Why were so many land owners so unhappy, people like Liew and those at Bako area.

Using these unfair laws against land owners, all lands shall revert to the state upon expiry of lease term and no compensation shall be paid to the land owners. This practice need to be stopped immediately and the people’s land bought with their sweat and blood or inherited by their parents should be kept by the rightful owner, not to be taken and sold to their cronies.

It is high time the Barisan Nasional State Government amends the SarawakLand Code to prevent them from further abusing the people and using the unfair law to kick land owners out without compensating them.

Change the Land code before people changed the government.

The DAP sales: Shopping Bag to Generate Election Expenses

Source: www.sarawakupdate.com

by Jamie Harrison

DAP is going green by encouraging people to get recycle bags for their shopping instead of using plastic bags.

Launching the recycle bag of the DAP designed with its cute cartoon rocket and “Love Earth”, State Assemblywoman for Pending, violet Yong said each bag cost RM2.

“The money generated is for the expenses of the coming State election,” she said.

Violet said the party also wanted to emphasis on a clean and healthy environment and urged people against using plastic bags.

She said when Pakatan Raykat took over Penang, MB Lim Guan Eng encouraged the people to go without a plastic bag once a day at all shopping centres. The move was so successful and created an awareness that the Penang government has now went on a three-day per week without using plastic bags.

Violet said they would set up a stall tomorrow at Premier 101 from 7.30 pm to 10 pm tomorrow and 8 am to 1 pm at Kenyalang Park on Sunday. At both times, they would also be registering new voters.

On another issue, Violet urged the JKR to get the U turn in front of the Traffic light at Chung Hua School, Jalan Tun Razak to be installed fast as a lot of vehicles had been making illegal U turn to go to Jalan Peace Selatan and other housing areas there.

She said the public has appealed through her in 2008 for the U turn to be constructed. Recently, she brought up the matter again in the last DUN sitting and the JKR replied to her that to get the project done, they need RM100,000 .

Violet said the JKR should considered the project as urgent as there were a few housing estates which need the U turn instead of making a big round.

Meanwhile, at Riverine Housing estate and Mid Way Crescent, Violet said the authority should consider making an opening to the housing estates instead of them making a big U-turn.

After going to the site, Violet said those who wished to go to Samarahan from Riverine Housing estate need to make at least 6 km U turn while at Mid Way Crescent those who wished to head towards town has to go 4 Km to head to the town.

She urged the authority to consider either to install a traffic light or an opening to these housing estates to avoid jams along the roads especially at peak hours.