By Samuel Aubrey

KUCHING:  An  unlikely ally has come out in support of Infrastructure Development and communication Minister Dato Sri Michael Manyin’s pledge to help gazette the Native Customary Rights (NCR) land of Bidayuh villages.

Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) Mas Gading committee member Boniface Willy Tumek said his family at Kampung Sudoh, Singai Bau are among those participating in the Dayak Bidayuh National Association’s (DBNA) land documentation initiative.

As such, he and his family welcomed the pledge made by Manyin because the GPS produced documents are currently not legally binding documents.

“It therefore came as a huge relief to us the statements made by Dato Sri Michael Manyin, especially considering that  participants in this exercise spent money to pay for the expenses involved in the exercise.

“We are greatly encouraged by his assurance that the DBNA land documentation initiative was and is to facilitate the survey processes by the Land and Survey Department and that the department will issue our land titles based on these DBNA initiative,” he said in a statement.

During the presentation of GPS documents at Kampung Sudoh on Nov 19, Manyin, who is DBNA chief advisor, had said he and other Bidayuh leaders in the government and DBNA would appeal to the state government to gazette the NCR land of villages participating in the land documentation project.

Manyin also said the effort was to facilitate the survey process under the new NCR initiative by the state.

Willy said he interpreted Manyin’s statements as a personal assurance that tittles for Bidayuh NCR land would be issued in due course.

The initial batch of land titles, he said, could be issued by Dec 31 as a New year gift.

Willy, who list in Opar during the last state election, added that he believed Bidayuh elected representatives would work as a team and give the necessary assistance to Manyin so that the Bidayuh community’s wish would become a reality.

(Source:  The Borneo Post, 27 November 2011)