Cabaran dalam mempertahankan tanah adat di Malaysia: Kajian kes tanah NCR suku kaum Bidayuh di Sarawak (The challenge of defending customary land in Malaysia: The case of the Sarawak’s Bidayuh NCR lands)

Abstract

Adat mempengaruhi hak dan status pemilikan tanah dalam kalangan pelbagai suku kaum di Sarawak. Bagi sukukaum Bidayuh, maklumat tentang pemilikan tanah yang diwarisi daripada nenek moyang telah menjadi sumberrujukan utama dalam mempertahankan hak mereka. Hal ini menjadi isu apabila tanah mereka terlibat dengan projekpembangunan. Kaum Bidayah melihat pembangunan setempat sebagai cabaran utama kepada mereka bagimengekalkan tanah adat. Kajian ini bertujuan untuk meneliti cabaran yang dihadapi suku kaum Bidayuh dalammempertahankan hak milik tanah adat mereka yang terlibat dengan projek pembangunan. Penekanan diberikanterhadap usaha para pemilik untuk mempertahankan hak mereka terhadap tanah adat. Maklumat kajian diperolehmelalui perbincangan secara berkelompok dengan kumpulan focus (FGD) serta temu bual mendalam denganpemilik tanah adat di kawasan kajian. Dapatan kajian menunjukkan bahawa cabaran mempertahankan tanah adatdipengaruhi beberapa perkara seperti kelewatan proses persempadanan, pencerobohan ke atas tanah adat, bayaranpampasan, penglibatan komuniti dalam skim pembangunan, tiada kesepakatan dan konflik dalaman suku, sertapersaingan terhadap tanah adat. Situasi ini akhirnya mendorong para pemilik tanah adat kaum Bidayuh berusahamendapatkan geran tanah secara individu. Bagi melestarikan status tanah adat, prosedur pemilikannya perluditambah baik dengan mengambil kira aspek sosiobudaya komuniti berkenaan.Katakunci: hak milik tanah, Kanun Tanah Sarawak, kerajaan negeri, komuniti Bidayuh, sosiobudaya, tanah NCRCustoms may influence the land ownership rights of indigeneous communities in Sarawak. Among the Bidayuhtribe, information on land ownership which have been inherited from their ancestors become the principal source ofreference in defending their status rights to the land which has become an issue when their lands are affected bydevelopment projects. This study examined the challenges faced by the Bidayuh in defending their rights andownership over customary lands involved with development projects, in particular, the owners efforts in defendingtheir rights over the lands. Primary data were obtained through in-depth discussions with focus groups (FGD)comprising customary land owners in the study area. The findings showed that the challenges of defending thecustomary lands are influenced by several factors such as delays in the process of delimitation, intrusion to thecustomary land, land compensation, community involvement in development schemes, disagreement among landowners and internal conflicts as well as competition for land. This situation eventually led to many land ownersseeking individual ownership of the customary lands. Thus it is imperative that the relevant authorities improve theirpractices and procedures of the Bidayuh customary land alineation with the view of maintaining their customaryownership. In addition, the national land development policies should give emphasis on the social sustainability ofland ownership by taking into account socio-culture aspects of the community.Keywords: Bidayuh community, Land Code of Sarawak, land ownership, NCR land, socioculture, state government