Kota Kinabalu: Indigenous communities in Sarawak have voiced strong support for their counterparts in Sabah, echoing calls for greater recognition of native customary rights (NCR) and stronger protections for Indigenous heritage.
“We, the Indigenous people of Sarawak, stand in solidarity with the Indigenous communities of Sabah in demanding a transparent and inclusive process to recognize and enforce NCR land boundaries,” said Peter John Jaban, a Humans and Land Rights defender, in a statement.
Peter, who is also a member of the International Indigenous Peoples Movement for Self-Determination and Liberation (IPMSDL), urged for concrete measures to safeguard Indigenous languages, traditions and heritage, as well as ensuring that development projects are only carried out with the Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC) of affected communities.
He said that Indigenous peoples must receive fair benefits from any projects impacting their lands.
The challenges faced by Sabah’s Indigenous communities, land encroachment, displacement due to large-scale development and the erosion of cultural identity are all too familiar to Sarawak’s native populations.
Systemic issues such as inadequate access to basic services, limited political representation and exclusion from decision-making processes further compound these struggles.
Citing the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP), Peter emphasised the legal and moral obligation of governments to uphold Indigenous rights.
Key provisions include Article 32 Indigenous peoples must give FPIC before any development projects proceed on their lands, Article 10 Protection against forced removal from territories and Article 19 Governments must consult Indigenous communities before passing laws affecting them.
The groups are calling for transparent NCR land boundary recognition to prevent disputes and displacement, stronger legal protections for Indigenous languages, traditions and sacred sites.
Additionally, they also called for effective FPIC implementation to ensure communities have a say in development projects and inclusive governance where Indigenous voices are heard at all policy levels.
“The future of Sarawak’s and Sabah’s Indigenous peoples and Malaysia’s rich cultural heritage depends on upholding justice, equity and human rights,” Peter said.
“We urge authorities to take immediate action,” he added.
