Chief Minister Tan Sri Musa Haji Aman has announced that Kiulu will be upgraded into a sub-district, thus granting the wishes of its people.

The decision was made as per the request of the local leaders of Kiulu such as its assemblyman, Datuk Joniston Bangkuai and Tuaran member of parliament cum Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation Datuk Seri Panglima Wilfred Madius Tangau.

He made the announcement during the presentation of the Native Land Services (Pantas) land grants to the villagers of Kiulu yesterday.

“When I was asked by the local leaders to upgrade the status of Kiulu into a sub-district, I told them that it had been approved. Here with us today, is the State Secretary (Tan Sri Sukarti Wakiman) and the Local Housing and Government Minister (Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor),” Musa said.

In line with this and the fact that Kiulu had been constantly developing, Musa added that the district would also have its own district chief.

Kiulu will also be receiving RM200,000 for the development of its road that connects Kampung Pahu and Kampung Wasai and it will have its own mini-secretariat.

Musa asserted that all these were granted because Kiulu is under the administration of Barisan Nasional (BN), which made it very easy for the government leaders to assess what is truly wanted by the people.

“This is possible because we have the power do so,” Musa stressed, adding that as long as BN had the power, it would continue to serve the people accordingly and it would never misuse its power.

He said he was pleased to see all the leaders in the Tuaran constituency working together like brothers and for sharing the same goals.

The Chief Minister also distributed a total of 1,034 land grants to four villages in Kiulu, in conjunction with the Native Land Services (Pantas) programme.

Speaking at the presentation ceremony yesterday, Musa asserted that the feat was possible due to efforts of the state government in attending the needs of the local leaders of Kiulu.

“The local leaders (of Kiulu and Tuaran) had been approaching me to ask what is good for the people in their respective districts. This is the truth. They came to me to address this long overdue issue (the native land issue) and for it to be resolved promptly.

“Thus, I have ordered the Land and Survey Department to expedite the process of distributing the grants so that the people can benefit from it,” Musa said.

In this regard, Musa went on to stress the importance of voting for leaders who are from the Barisan Nasional (BN) government as they are the only ones who can truly fulfil the needs of the people.

He said these are the benefits of voting for BN, a party that actually has the power to help the people, unlike the opposition parties, who would only prey on empty promises.

State Land and Survey Department director Datuk Safar Untong explained that Pantas is a programme that seeks to measure customary lands belonging to the anak-anak negeri (natives) of Sabah. These are the lands that rightly belong to them as they have occupied and operated the lands for generations.

“Pantas is one of the state government’s initiatives to expedite the distribution of grants belonging to the anak-anak negeri (natives) of Sabah. This programme has been launched in 16 districts from across the state and it has been receiving overwhelming response from the public,” Safar said in his speech earlier.

He disclosed that the Pantas programme in Kiulu was first launched in June 30 2015 and that the measurement works took place from February 1 2015 to January 30 2017, which included 29 survey teams.

“There were four villages from Kiulu that were involved, namely Kg Lokos, Kg Nulu, Kg Tiong Ratau and Kg Tiong Simpodon. As a result, a total 2,141 lots of land was measured.

“One thousand and forty-three lots were approved by the district surveyor for the release of grants while the remaining 1,098 are still in the process of revision. Meanwhile, 2,055 land applications were registered and had received support from the Tuaran Land Usage Committee,” Safar said.

However, out of the 2,141 lots that were measured, there are still 86 lots that are yet to be applied for by the natives. Thus, Safar expressed his hope Tuaran member of parliament Datuk Seri Panglima Wilfred Madius Tangau can help locate the respective landowners.

“For your information, the State Land and Survey Department had received funding amounting to RM20 million, specifically for the implementation of the Pantas programme and Communal Grants programmes from across the state,” he added.

Among those present in the event were Tangau, Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Seri Panglima Yahya Hussin, Kiulu assemblyman Datuk Joniston Bangkuai and Local Housing and Government Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor.

Source:
courtesy of THE BORNEO POST

by Neil Brian Joseph

If you have any stories or news that you would like to share with the global online community, please feel free to share it with us by contacting us directly at [email protected]