by Johnson K Saai and Geryl Ogilvy Ruekeith, reporters@theborneopost.com.
Posted on July 12, 2012, Thursday
LUNDU: All land yet to be granted to the people is state land, and the government never had any reason to grab the people’s land.
“As we all know, most development starts from land, but, unfortunately, some quarters try to mislead the people so that they will oppose these projects for fear that the government will take away their land.
Pehin Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud, who said this yesterday, said allegations by certain quarters that the government are land grabbers were baseless.
He said what the government had been doing all this while was helping the people develop their land for their own benefit.
“Why should the government grab people’s land when all the land that has yet to be granted to the people belongs to the government?”
The chief minister said the people must understand that most development projects required the opening up of land.
“What we want our people to fully understand is that if they want their area to be developed they have to give their full support to the implementing agencies such as the district offices and local authorities,” he said at the Lundu District Office’s 135th anniversary celebration here yesterday.
He added that cooperation between administrators and the people was vital for the development of any area.
Taib said he was glad to note that some leaders had begun to realise that cooperation was the key to success.
For instance, he said, the change taking place in Bau and Lundu had come about because of the cooperation and support of Bidayuh leaders in these two places.
“The strong support given by the Bidayuh leaders and their people towards the government’s development programmes has enabled their idle land to be developed … many has been turned into oil palm estates.
“The people in Lundu are now no longer dependant on fishing as their major source of income. Many of them are earning their living through other means, including involvement in agriculture activities.”
Taib said the transformation that had taken place here and in other parts of the state had been made possible by the strong mandate given by the people.
“However, as time goes by, the demand for greater mandate is now even more crucial. It is not for the benefit of the government, but for the people as a whole.”
Among those present at the event were Special Function Minister in the Chief Minister’s Office Tan Sri Datuk Amar Adenan Satem, Infrastructure Development and Communication Minister Dato Sri Michael Manyin, Deputy Dewan Rakyat Speaker Datuk Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar and Lundu District Officer Azmi Bujang.
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