JOHOR Menteri Besar Onn Hafiz Ghazi today clarified that land gazetted as “sultanate land” will not become the personal property of the Johor ruler.

He said, instead, the land will come under the protection of the sultan.

Under section 2 of Johor’s Sultanate Land Enactment, land classified as sultanate lands belongs to the ruler and is not considered state property.

“His Majesty will be the custodian of the reserve land to protect the rights and interests of the Orang Asli in Johor,“ he said in a statement in response to grouses on the state government’s plans to turn Orang Asli reserves into “sultanate land”.

Onn Hafiz also stated that Orang Asli in the state could still use and enjoy forest produce as specified under the Orang Asli Act 1954.

Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar triggered the state’s action when on March 16 he urged the state government to classify all Orang Asli settlements and reserves in the state as sultanate land to prevent misuse of the land.

Sultan Ibrahim made the call after some Orang Asli had turned state forest reserves into large-scale oil palm and rubber plantations.

Orang Asli reserves are protected under the Aboriginal Peoples Act 1954.

Under the Act, such land cannot be alienated or disposed of, except for the Orang Asli who live on such land.

Prior to the Aboriginal Peoples Act of 1954, the Johor Orang Asli’s status and settlements have been protected since the time of Sultan Abu Bakar, Onn Hafiz said.

Johor Network of Orang Asli Villages chairman Dolah Tekoi had on Sunday objected to converting Orang Asli reserves into sultanate land.

He argued the Orang Asli reserves were already protected under the Aboriginal Peoples Act 1954 and the National Land Code. – April 5, 2023.