DAP Sarawak reveals ‘blanket refusal’ for the renewal of Betong town landowner's leases making current residents 'squatters' in their houses and shops.
KUCHING: DAP Sarawak claim that the Sarawak government are ‘robbing the people of Betong town of all their landed property’.
The reason, DAP Sarawak chairman Chong Chieng Jen said, was the authorities refusal to renew expiring or expired land leases for plots within a 3 km radius of Betong town centre, the administrative centre for Betong division.
Chong, who is also Bandar Kuching MP, told apress conference here today that “no government development project or any reason would justify such a massive ‘land-robbing’ exercise”.
“Inexplicably, this (the justification for the renewal rejection) only applies in Betong.
Perhaps they (the government) dare to do that to the people in Betong, as it is their ‘fixed deposit’,” said Chong.
Earlier in July, Chong brought attention to the predicament of the landowners in Betong town and nearby longhouses who were alleging that land lease renewals for land within a 5 km radius from the town centre had been ‘frozen’.
Chong stated then that DAP had received complaints about the Land and Survey Department’s refusal to renew land leases for land within the stated radius.
He said that he came to know of this policy during a dialogue session with Betong town residents.
Land and property owners informed him that the ‘freeze’ was up to that time, for land within a 3 km radius, but it had been expanded to 5 km. This radius encompasses the entire Betong town and many longhouses situated nearby.
At today’s press conference, Chong said that the Land and Survey Department had ‘been unable to consider’ many of the land renewal applications as they were ‘situated within 3 km from Betong town centre’, which is predominantely Chinese.
Some of the renewal applications date back to 2010 and has resulted in some of the leases expiring.
“So technically, these people are now squatters in their own shop-lots or houses,” said Chong.
Quoting from a letter he wrote to the Land and Survey superintendent for Betong division, Chong said, ‘such a policy is most absurd and its affect is most devastating to the people of Betong’.
“A radius of 3 km from Betong town centre, covers an area of 28.26 square km or 6.983 acres of land. It covers all categories of land, be it shop-houses, residential houses, agricultural land and even longhouses.
“It literally affects everyone in Betong town and takes away all the landed property of everyone in Betong town,” said Chong.
DAP Betong protem chairman, Stephen Dass who was also at the press conference, pointed out that the affected longhouses had been in existence for a long time.
“Even if the landowners can renew the leases, it is highly likely they will not (be able to) afford it. Certainly what they need to pay will be very high, considering the change in the land type from rural land to town land,” he said.
Chong demands that the Land and Survey Department cancel the said policy of ‘blanket refusal’ and renew all expired and expiring land leaseholds, and provide an explanation as to why the policy was implemented in the first place.
“Please note that land and home are sacred to every land and house owner.
“To rob the people of a whole town of their houses and land will result in the most massive and violent retaliation from the people of that town,” Chong stated.
He also reminded the people of Betong that it was their time to stand together and fight for a basic issue that affects them all.
Chong stated that he had enquired about the matter at the recent Sarawak state assembly sitting.
“I asked Awang Tengah (Sarawak second minister of resource planning) during his winding up speech for his explanation, but however, he had totally skirted my question,” he said.
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