Kota Kinabalu: The Federal Government has allocated RM191.054 million to accelerate the resolution of Native Customary Rights (NCR) land issues in Sabah through the Sabah Native Customary Land Services Programme (Pantas), with more than 60,000 land titles issued to date.
Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Sabah and Sarawak Affairs) Datuk Mustapha Sakmud said the Madani Government remains committed to expediting the settlement of NCR land issues in the State through the programme.
Responding to issues raised by Tuaran MP Datuk Seri Wilfred Madius Tangau during the Special Chamber sitting of the Dewan Rakyat, Tuesday, Mustapha said Pantas, introduced in 2011, aims to expedite land surveying, the preparation of land titles and provide certainty of land ownership to eligible Sabahans.
He said the Federal Government has so far provided a total allocation of RM191.054 million under the 10th, 11th and 12th Malaysia Plans, as well as Rolling Plan 1 (2026) under the 13th Malaysia Plan (13MP), to support the implementation of the programme.
As of June 30, Pantas recorded encouraging progress, with 214,171 hectares successfully surveyed, benefiting 95,206 recipients throughout Sabah, while 60,559 land titles had been issued.
Mustapha acknowledged that there were still NCR land areas yet to be surveyed and processed due to the vastness of interior areas, challenging terrain, overlapping ownership claims, as well as the need for verification by the Sabah Government and compliance with legal procedures.
He said the Federal Government would continue strengthening cooperation with the Sabah Government and the Sabah Lands and Surveys Department to ensure Pantas was implemented more efficiently and effectively.
To maintain the programme’s momentum, he said allocations had been provided under the 13th Malaysia Plan to continue NCR land surveys in Sabah.
He added that additional funding could also be considered through the annual Rolling Plan mechanism, subject to justification and more accurate land survey target data.
Mustapha said the Federal Government would continue coordinating with implementing agencies and the Sabah Government to obtain comprehensive data on the remaining NCR land yet to be surveyed, as well as the number of claims still under processing.
“The more complete data will form the basis for more accurate allocation planning in the future,” he said.
