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Daily Express
a day ago
- Politics
- Daily Express
Relief for 10 Sipitang villages: Settlements excised from Forest Reserve
Published on: Wednesday, July 16, 2025 Published on: Wed, Jul 16, 2025 Text Size: SIPITANG: A total of 15,000 hectares containing 10 villages have been excised from a Forest Reserve, following passing of the Forest Enactment (Establishment of Forest Reserves and Amendment) 2025 during the recent State Legislative Assembly sitting. Sindumin Assemblyman Datuk Dr Yusof Yacob said the move was in line with requests made by locals to the State Government to exclude areas already developed for settlements and agriculture from the Forest Reserve. Advertisement 'The land removed from the Forest Reserve includes areas formerly under Sabah Forest Industries (SFI) stretching to Kemabong, Tenom covering 15,000 hectares or about 40,000 acres. 'There are still a few villages awaiting approval, and I will continue to pursue this with the State Government,' he said at the Tunai Rahmah Cash Assistance Program in Kg Long Pasia, Tuesday. Also present was Datuk Ramlee Kariah, Chief Operating Officer of the Sabah Maju Jaya Secretariat. Dr Yusof, who is also Chairman of Qhazanah Sabah Berhad, listed the affected villages as Pakiak, Sungai Kanggalan, Motokop, Ulu Babatan Pangi, Basio Anampul Nanahas, Simbuan, Sungai Lukutan, Lamparion, Batu Nundok, and Komadang. He hoped areas along this route would be opened up, especially for the younger generation who do not yet own land, to engage in agricultural activities. According to him, this decision by the Gabungan Rakyat Sabah-Pakatan Harapan Plus state government demonstrates that the voices and needs of the people are being prioritised for their well-being. Dr Yusof also announced the approval of three projects to benefit residents of Kg Long Pasia namely the construction of a concrete drainage system around the Long Pasia open hall, upgrading of the Long Pasia Open Hall, and building a new bridge for Kg Long Pasia. * Follow us on our official WhatsApp channel and Telegram for breaking news alerts and key updates! * Do you have access to the Daily Express e-paper and online exclusive news? Check out subscription plans available. Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express's Telegram channel. Daily Express Malaysia
The Star
08-07-2025
- Politics
- The Star
Sabah state assembly's done for the current term, says Hajiji as polls loom
KOTA KINABALU: The Sabah state assembly has concluded its business for the current term, says Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor, paving the way for the next state election. The Chief Minister on Tuesday (July 8), when asked if the sitting that just ended was the last, replied with a grin, "More or less, yes." He said it would be up to the people to give the Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) another chance to govern as they had implemented initiatives and programmes to help the people and the state. 'We have done our best to bring development, address infrastructure woes, provide welfare aid to the poor, students and needy people. 'It is now up to the people to choose whether they want to give another chance to GRS,' Hajiji added. When pressed on when he would be dissolving the state assembly, Hajiji urged for patience. 'If we have set a time, we will call to announce it. Be patient, not much longer,' he said. When queried whether there would be an automatic dissolution (after the five-year term ends on Nov 11), Hajiji again repeated not to ask whether it would be automatic or not. 'Let me dream first, on when the best time would be,' he said, keeping to his often-repeated answer of 'tunggu saya mimpi dulu (wait for me to dream first)'. Earlier, the Sulaman assemblyman said seat allocations and negotiations were still being fine-tuned, with meetings held with 'friends', referring to Pakatan Harapan allies at the moment. 'Others, we will see about it later on,' said Hajiji, adding that the final seat arrangements should be decided before the assembly is dissolved. During the state assembly, a massive RM1.186bil supplementary Bill was passed for immediate infrastructure needs of the state, including the pressing water problem. The state also passed a comprehensive State Sales Tax Amendment, Climate and Carbon governance enactment, while another amendment - Forest Enactment - allowed for the creation of 40 villages with a combined population of over 12,000 by degazetting forest reserves in seven districts. Earlier on Tuesday, the assembly was told that the Sabah Maju Jaya (SMJ) 1.0 plan has delivered significant results, with 94% of its initiatives - from housing and healthcare to job creation and student aid- now implemented. Assistant Minister to the Chief Minister Datuk Nizam Abu Bakar Titingan reported that 366 out of 467 initiatives under the Sabah Maju Jaya development plan—launched in 2021—had been fully completed as of May this year.
The Star
08-07-2025
- Politics
- The Star
Sabah passes Bill to degazette 0.47% of forest reserves for rural settlements, development
KOTA KINABALU: The Sabah State Legislative Assembly has passed a Bill that clears the way for over 16,700ha of forest reserves to be degazetted for rural settlements and strategic development. The Forest Enactment (Constitution of Forest Reserves and Amendment) (Amendment) 2025 Bill, tabled by Assistant Minister to the Chief Minister Datuk Nizam Abu Bakar Titingan, was approved by voice vote on Tuesday (July 8). It seeks to legalise long-standing village communities, provide space for the construction of the Serudong-Simanggaris Immigration, Customs, quarantine and security (ICQS) complex near the Malaysia-Indonesia border, and support the state's broader socioeconomic development goals. It will affect parts of 10 forest reserves in seven districts, namely Sipitang, Tenom, Kemabong, Tawau, Kalabakan, Ranau and Pitas, impacting 40 villages with a combined population of over 12,000. 'These communities have occupied these areas for years, and this amendment is crucial to formalise their settlements and enable them to receive infrastructure support,' Nizam said when tabling the Bill. Among the areas affected is a 15,978ha portion of the Sipitang Forest Reserve (Class II), the largest to be degazetted under the amendment. Other affected reserves include those classified as protection (Class I), commercial (Class II), amenity (Class IV), mangrove (Class V), and virgin jungle reserves (Class VI). The Bill also facilitates the administration of a forest area in Kinarut by the Sabah Forestry Development Authority (Safoda) and makes provisions for other areas already used for settlements, schools and livelihood activities to be formally removed from forest reserve status. To allay environmental concerns, the government stressed that the degazettement would not significantly affect Sabah's forest cover, reducing the total gazetted forest reserve area by only 0.47%, from 3.575 million hectares to 3.558 million hectares. It also pledged to gazette new forest reserves of equivalent size and quality to maintain Sabah's commitment to keeping 50% of its land under forest cover, in line with its 2018 Forest Policy and international environmental obligations. Additionally, the government said it is on track to designate 30% of the state as Totally Protected Areas (TPAs) by the end of this year, through separate gazettement efforts under Section 5A of the Forest Enactment 1968. During the debate, Datuk Dr Yusof Yacob (GRS-Sindumin) voiced support for the Bill, calling it a long-awaited solution that addresses decades of uncertainty faced by rural communities living in forest reserves. 'For too long, these villagers lived in fear, not knowing if they could stay, build homes or develop infrastructure. With this Bill, that fear ends,' he said, describing the amendment as a 'gift' to the people of Sipitang. Yusof also urged the government to ensure that villages such as Kampung Pakiak, Tunas Baru, Meligan, Long Pasia, and others in his constituency were included in the gazetted areas, along with provisions for structured planning. He called for the land to be properly divided into residential lots, public amenities and agricultural plots to support sustainable livelihoods. Datuk Jannie Lasimbang (PH-Kapayan) supported the Bill in principle but urged the government to expedite the gazetting of affected villages to prevent land grabs or disputes. She called for more clarity on land allocation and greater collaboration with local communities in developing the areas. 'We must ensure that those who truly deserve the land are not pushed out by outsiders. "The process must be transparent and inclusive,' she said, while requesting a detailed list of affected villages and their respective land sizes. Datuk Masiung Banah (GRS-Kuamut) backed the Bill but stressed that effective implementation is key. He cautioned that past degazettements had led to frustration when villagers found their homes left out during land surveying exercises. 'What we approve in the state assembly must match what happens on the ground. In the past, villagers found their homes were still left out even after the forest reserve was degazetted,' he said, urging the government to allocate special funds for proper land measurement before the current term ends. He also raised the case of Kampung Pinangah, a large village with limited land surrounded by Yayasan Sabah-owned land, and asked whether such land could also be considered for redistribution to meet growing population demands.
New Straits Times
09-05-2025
- Business
- New Straits Times
Forest carbon credit revenue will go straight to state, says Hajiji
KOTA KINABALU: Any revenue generated from forest carbon credit activities will go directly to Sabah, said Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor. He said that the recent amendment to the 1968 Forest Enactment was timely. "It grants the state government full authority to regulate forest-based carbon credit trading activities. "These activities will be regulated under terms and conditions that safeguard the state's interests," he said at the Forestry Appreciation event at the Sabah International Convention Centre last night. His speech was delivered by state secretary Datuk Seri Safar Untong. Hajiji also said the amendment empowered the forests chief conservator to close certain sensitive forest reserves, issue permits, impose fees for specific activities in forest reserves, and amend penalties for forest offences. He added that since 2010, 34 arrests for encroachment into forest reserves could not be prosecuted because the affected reserves were not officially closed to public access. "This amendment, in line with the National Forest Act (Amendment) 2022, will strengthen forest enforcement in combating the illegal extraction of forest resources and bolster forest conservation efforts. We hope its implementation can be realised soon," he said. Hajiji also said that Sabah has collected a total of RM5.3 billion in timber royalties under the Sustainable Forest Management Licence Agreement (SFMLA) between 1999 and 2023. This figure represents an average annual revenue of RM213 million for the state, while the SFMLA initiative has also created approximately 40,000 jobs for Sabahans. He also said that the Forestry Department is preparing a proposal to gazette additional critical protected areas under Section 5A of the 1968 Forest Enactment to achieve the 30 per cent Total Protected Area (TPA) target this year. Currently, Sabah has already gazetted 2.012 million hectares of TPA, representing 27.15 per cent of the state's total land area.
