SANDAKAN: The State Government is giving attention to long-established villages that have yet to be gazetted, including those in forest reserves, to ensure residents can continue living there legally.
Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor said the move included the recent approval of about 40,000 acres of land to be gazetted as villages in areas such as Sipitang, Tenom and several other districts.
He said the gazetting exercise demonstrates the government’s commitment to resolving long-standing issues faced by villagers, many of whom have lived on the land for generations.
window.googletag = window.googletag || {cmd: []};googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.defineSlot('/22826383987/dailyexpress_inline', [1, 1], 'gpt-passback').addService(googletag.pubads());googletag.enableServices();googletag.display('gpt-passback');});Hajiji said this assurance means villagers will no longer be seen as squatters but recognised as legitimate residents in settlements they have called home for decades.
He was speaking at the Land Allocation Ceremony for the gazettement of Kampung Karamunting Baharu at SK Karamunting Open Hall on Friday, where he witnessed the handover of land owned by the Sandakan Municipal Council to be gazetted as Native Reserve Land.
Hajiji described the event as a historic moment for the community, not only as a handover of land but also as recognition of the rights and history of residents who have lived in the area for more than 30 years.
He also urged local authorities across Sabah to ease dealings with the public, citing Sandakan Municipal Council’s recent effort to cut business licence approvals from weeks to just one day as an example of how services can be improved.