Abdul Karim hands over a land title deed to a recipient during the presentation at Kampung Moyan Laut in Asajaya.

KUCHING (April 22): The cost of the traditional village survey programme is fully borne by the government, and landowners or villagers who apply are not required to pay any fees, says Deputy Premier Datuk Amar Awang Tengah Ali Hasan.

According to him, once the surveying is completed, the land title deeds will be issued under Section 18 of the Sarawak Land Code.

“Through the surveying and issuance of land title deeds, land boundaries are clearly recorded to prevent any encroachment or disputes.

“The government will issue land title deeds under Section 18 of the Sarawak Land Code, which are not subject to land tax; exempted from premium payments; and the holding period is perpetual. This means, as long as the moon and stars exist, the land remains yours.

“This is the government’s commitment and promise. All of this is for the benefit of the people,” he said in his speech for the presentation of land titles to the landowners of Kampung Moyan Laut in Asajaya here yesterday.

Awang Tengah was represented at the event by Asajaya assemblyman Dato Sri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah.

During the ceremony, 66 land title deeds were supposed to be handed over, but only 57 recipients were present to collect them.

“I hope we will make the best use of this land – never sell your land merely for a short-term profit. It is better to cultivate or develop the land, as this will create a better future for our community,” said Awang Tengah in the speech, delivered by Abdul Karim.

The Deputy Premier also said the Sarawak government was implementing the traditional village survey in stages, and would continue as long as there was a request for surveying works.

The programme is a continuous effort to ensure land ownership rights for village residents, especially those living in long-established villages, whether they are already gazetted as Native Communal Reserves under Section 6 of the Land Code (Village) or not.

“What is most important is that villagers must submit an application to the Land and Survey Department. This programme represents the government’s commitment to recognising land ownership by issuing land title deeds to the Bumiputera communities residing in traditional villages,” said Awang Tengah.

He also disclosed that a total of 58,194 village residential lots across Sarawak hadalready been surveyed, and from that figure, some 52,915 lots were issued with land title deeds.