Sarawak Govt Committed To Expediting Measurement Of NCR Land – Awang Tengah

SARIKEI, Oct 30 (Bernama) -- The Sarawak government is committed to ensuring the process of measuring and granting Native Customary Rights (NCR) land ownership is carried out more quickly and systematically to guarantee the people's rights to their customary land, said Sarawak Deputy Premier Datuk Amar Awang Tengah Ali Hasan.

He said that since the implementation of the NCR Land Measurement Programme in 2010, the Sarawak Land and Survey Department has successfully surveyed over 1.21 million hectares (ha) of land by perimeter across the state, with 938,342 ha of it having been gazetted as Native Communal Reserves under Section 6 of the State Land Code (SLC).

This programme is important because it provides official recognition to NCR land owners through the issuance of land titles under Section 18 of the State Land Code.

"It also ensures that the land boundaries are clear and not easily encroached upon," he said when speaking at the land title handover ceremony for Section 18 of the Sarawak Land Code for the Pakan–Sesco/Pakan–Entabai Road Area at Rumah Jetphare Empali in Pakan today.

According to him, as of Sept 30, 2025, a total of 105,344 individual lots have been successfully surveyed, covering an area of 125,703 ha, while 34,122 lots have been issued land titles, covering an area of 47,443 ha.

At the ceremony, a total of 112 land titles were presented to 90 recipients from the Iban community in the Jalan Pakan–Sesco/Pakan–Entabai area.

Awang Tengah emphasised that the full cooperation of the community, tribal chiefs, and NCR land owners is crucial to ensure the smooth implementation of the measurement programme.

“Without the cooperation of all parties, the process of surveying and issuing land ownership certificates will be delayed. The government wants this programme to run smoothly so that the rights of the people are fully guaranteed," he said.

He also said that all measurement work is carried out free of charge, without any fees or payments to landowners, and land ownership granted under Section 18 of the Sarawak Land Code is permanent and exempt from land tax and premium.

Meanwhile, Awang Tengah urged landowners not to sell their NCR land for short-term profit, but rather to utilise it to generate income and strengthen the rural community's economy.

“Use this land for productive agriculture and economic activities. The government, through the Ministry of Food Industry, Commodity and Regional Development Sarawak (M-FICORD), provides various assistance and programmes to develop NCR land," he added.

-- BERNAMA