Susan Anding schools Aziz Isa on who brought up the issue of native court's upgrading first

Letter to Editor

By Susan Chemerai Anding, political secretary to chief minister

I refer to the press statement of Abdul Aziz Isa the Special Assistant to YB Chong Chieng Jen in which he stated that the proposal to elevate the native court came from the Chief Justice of Malaysia Tan Sri Malanjum and not the Chief Minister of Sarawak Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari Tun Openg and GPS state government.

 

Susan Chemerai Anding

Malanjum made this proposal in his plenary paper presented during the Borneo Rainforest Law Conference 2019 in Kota Kinabalu on Thursday last week that the status of native courts be raised to the same level as civil and shariah courts.

This statement clearly showed that Aziz is ignorant of the subject matter and does not follow the development of the issue.

The elevation of the native court has been in the agenda as early as August 2018. In his speech at the 25th Anniversary of the Native Court held in Kuching in August 2018, the Chief Minister said that he agreed to the proposal to relook at the current system of the Native Courts of Sarawak.

He urged for a special committee to be formed comprising members of the legal fraternity, community leaders very familiar with the adat (native law) and academicians, to come up with recommendations to the government on the new structure of the native court.

He explained this special committee would  study thoroughly this matter so that the Native Court can be elevated and have the same autonomous and independence just like the Civil and Syariah Courts.

The Chief Minister also further referred to this matter in his speech in Bintulu in October 2018 at the dinner in conjunction with the 7th Iban Cultural Symposium.

On the native court, he said the court has to be elevated thus a thorough study must be conducted to establish a native court which is equivalent to Civil and Syariah court.

Aziz has picked up the recent statement on elevating the native court by the Chief Minister when he mentioned the matter again during the dinner last Sunday on the 20th of January held at the close of the 7th Sarawak Cultural Symposium.

Thus for Aziz to say that the Chief Minister only responded to the Chief Justice is not right. He should get his facts right first and follow the development of the native court before commenting.

Aziz further stated that CM‘s move is to garner popularity amongs the Dayak which he alleged are ditching GPS. This is very far from the truth.

The press statement by Aziz is a very clear sign of the desperation of PH precisely because they now realised that GPS has strong Dayak support and in fact beginning to attract those who were once with PH especially after the launching of GPS which attracted massive support state wide.

They have also realised that the people of Sarawak are beginning to see the true colours of PH making non-factual statement such as this, along with their broken promises and lies, lack of leadership quality, in-fighting among the individual members and between component parties, the hike in prices and high cost of living, the decline in prices of commodities like oil palm, pepper and rubber which affect the Dayak communities, the withdrawal of subsidies to farmers and fisherman, their broken promises on PTPTN, the cancellation of projects in Sarawak by the federal government and many more.  

Our Chief Minister has come up with 65 initiatives since becoming Chief Minister two years ago which is a huge achievement and good measure of his visionary leadership and commitment to develop Sarawak and improve the socio-economic status of its people.

He has also tabled in the last DUN sitting the largest budget ever for Sarawak in the tune of RM11 billion. Perhaps Aziz care to share with Sarawakians what are the achievements of Chong Chieng Jen and PH government since PRU14.

With regards to Section 5(2)(f) of the Sarawak Land Code, it has been reinstated at the July DUN sitting.    

It is Aziz who should stop embarrassing himself and the PH government by issuing such embarrassing press statements, because Sarawakians can judge for themselves. - January 24, 2019