SARAWAK Deputy Chief Minister James Masing today dismissed a social media posting that said he had argued with his senior Douglas Uggah Embas and other leaders from Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB) over an opposition motion on native customary rights land.

Facebook user “Joe Tawie” claimed in his posting yesterday that the two senior Dayak leaders in the state cabinet had a “heated exchange” in a pre-council meeting over how the ruling Barisan Nasional should handle the motion Ba Kelalan assemblyman Baru Bian planned to table.

Baru, the Sarawak PKR chief, on November 9 sought leave to table a private member’s bill to amend the state Land Code in respect to the Dayak customary creation of land ownership on their “pemakai menua” (territorial domain) and “pulau galau” (communal forest reserve).

The bill was eventually voted down.

Tawie claimed Masing wanted Baru’s motion to be adopted by BN but with some amendments.

But Masing’s suggestion was “strongly opposed by a senior PBB leader” and Uggah, he wrote in his post.

He also claimed Uggah and the senior PBB leader were supported by another PBB leader Abdul Karim Hamzah and there was a heated exchange of views over the issue.

Tawie had also claimed that Masing deliberately absented himself when Baru tabled his motion as “he did not want to be seen rejecting the motion” but Masing, in a text message to The Malaysian Insight, denied there was such an argument.

“There was no clash between PRS and PBB over NCR land amendments.

“PRS (Parti Rakyat Sarawak) will wait till DA (Datuk Amar) Uggah finishes his work. We will give him our input when required,” Masing said.

It is learnt that Masing is overseas.

On the absence claim, Masing said he was absent when Baru tabled his motion “as I had urgent matters to attend to”.

Dayak native customary land issue, particularly their claim to the pemakai menoa and pulau galau had become sensitive following two Federal Court decisions.

In December last year, the Federal Court ruled that the NCR of the Dayaks to their pemakai menoa and pulau galau had no force of law and their claims to NCR land applied only to the “temuda” (farmland).

On October 13, the Federal Court dealt the Dayaks a second blow when it overturned the decisions of the High Court and Court of Appeal by ruling that Section 132 of the Sarawak Land Code protected the indefeasibility of the lease title.

The court ruling meant even if native landowners could prove their NCR land have been included in land that are alienated, they could not claim their land back.

Their only recourse is to seek compensation for their losses but the Dayaks have said they have no interest in claiming monetary compensation.

On Nov 13, they staged a rally in Kuching in an attempt to force the government to speed up the promised amendment to the Land Code to give the force of law to their claims.

Uggah, who heads the pemakai menoa, pulau galau committee tasked to consider and propose amicable and practicable solutions to resolve the land rights issues, had on November 17 in the state assembly promised to table the amendment in the legislature’s next sitting in May. – November 23, 2017.