DAP state assemblyperson Chiew Chin Sing said today that there would be many rich native oil-palm small-holders today if the Sarawak Government had directly assisted the natives to develop their customary rights (NCR) lands a decade ago.

Developing NCR land, he asserted, should not be left only to government agencies and private companies.

"There are many ways to develop NCR land, and (natives) working with government agencies is only one of them," the sole opposition member in the 62-member state assembly told malaysiakini.

He was responding to recent comments by the Barisan Nasional state assemblyperson for Kemena Dr Stephen Rundi, who said the Dayaks should change their mindset if they wanted to progress and work together with the authorities to develop their NCR land instead of leaving the land idle.

"The government can also help the natives develop their NCR land, including land claimed by them as NCR after 1958, by providing roads, financing and seedlings," Chiew added.

The DAP leader lamented that his motion in the state assembly two years ago calling on the government to carry out a perimeter survey of all NCR lands and issue ownership titles, was thrown out as there was no seconder.

He said the natives were actually keen to develop their NCR land. "But this is just not happening," he said, adding that if the government had helped 10 years ago "today you'll see so many rich oil-palm small-holder natives."

"Why has it not been done?," he asked, pointing out that the government might be suspected of having 'some ulterior motives' in failing to do so.

Chiew said he was aware there were some natives in Miri Division who had started their own small-holdings on NCR land and are doing well.

He stressed that the natives were more than willing to work together with the government to develop idle land.

"As I've said, there are many ways to go around it. The government should have more alternatives to offer, so that the natives can participate through many other channels."

He called on the government "to listen to the natives, help them and not to be prejudiced towards them, thinking they are backward and (therefore) do not know very much."

Chiew said he felt there was a lack of genuine efforts to help the natives in the first place to resolve their NCR land issues.

If there had been any genuine efforts to help the natives tackle the land problems, the "government should have sent a committed person like a Peace Corps member to go in and live with the natives, look at their problems and help solve them, even if settlement has taken place after 1958 and the land planted with whatever."

The government should talk to the natives about the land it wanted to develop and arrive at a win-win solution for the good of everyone, he added.

Many disputes

According to Chiew, there are as many disputes as there are plantation companies in Bintulu, which he said is between 10 and 20 with average of 10,000 acres each.

"Iban NCR land-owners are largely involved in the land disputes, although in the Tubau area, Kayan land is also involved."

At Kampung Jepak, Melanau lands were being acquired for a new township on the other side of Kemena River, Chiew said.

In Bintulu town area new Sibiew River, Chinese lands of between 30 and 40 acres were acquired for oxidation plants.

One million acres of NCR land in Tubau are being planted with fast-growing species known commercially as acasia under a Bintulu-based pulp and paper project.

"Hundreds of longhouses are affected (by this commercial tree-planting project)," according to Chiew.

He added that logging taking place near the border with Indonesia had also led to numerous disputes and clearing on lands the natives claimed as under NCR because of destruction to fruit trees and farms.