KUCHING, July 10 — The federal government has agreed to return 54 out of 218 plots of lands leased to it by the Sarawak government, said Deputy Premier Datuk Amar Awang Tengah Ali Hasan.
Awang Tengah, who is also natural resources and urban development minister, said the decision on this was made in April this year, and that the process is in accordance with the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63).
“Sarawak maintains the principles of the handover that were agreed at the last Special Council Meeting of the Malaysia Agreement, without imposing any other bureaucracy,” he said.
He said this in his speech during a courtesy call by federal Minister of Natural Resources, Environment and Climate Change Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad at Borneo Convention Centre Kuching today.
Awang Tengah, also minister on international trade, industry and investment, said the plots of land returned to the state were those that had not been developed or occupied for more than five years.
The return, he added, was also because their usage was different from the original approval.
He also said that land acquired or owned without any incurred cost should be handed back to the state free of charge, while those previously acquired at a cost borne by the federal government will be returned at the same cost.
“The handover procedure is based on the Sarawak Land Code, Cap. 81. Additionally, government-reserve lands occupied and developed by the federal government based on approved uses will be issued with title deeds to the Federal Lands Commissioner through existing methods,” he added. — Borneo Post
