Kota Kinabalu: A TOTAL of 4,339 draft grants covering 8,787.41 hectares were prepared for Native Title and Field Register applications in 2023.
“The State Government’s approval for NT or Country Lease (CL) land applications is subject to on-field measurements before the NT/CL drafts can be prepared by the Land and Survey Department (JTU),” said Assistant Minister to the Chief Minister Datuk Nizam Abu Bakar Tintingan.
Additionally, he said, 406 draft grants with an area of 5,199 hectares for conditional land lease applications were prepared throughout 2023.
“Ownership for NT/FR grants are only eligible to Sabahans, while CL lands can be owned by companies, statutory bodies and individuals whether they are local or non-Sabahan.
Nizam said priority would be given to Sabahans, with the aim of poverty eradication and the improvement of their livelihoods.
In his reply to Appointed Assemblyman Datuk Raime Unggi on area of land, NT and CL titles approved by the state Government, Nizam said JTU statistics showed NT/FR registered draft land grants, as of March 31, 2024, stood at 230,540 or 54 per cent of total land grants registered in the state.
“The total number of registered leases is 200,087 or 46 per cent of total registered land grants,” said Nizam, who is also Apas Assemblyman.
He said leases are integral to the development of the national economy in terms of generating government revenue, development, investment and employment opportunities.
“The Government is constantly striving to ensure a balance between the total number of NT/FRs and leaseholders in terms of land ownership in order to fully achieve its goal of eradicating poverty and taking the country’s development to greater heights,” he said.
