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 suku
kaum Bidayuh, maklumat tentang pemilikan tanah yang diwarisi daripada nenek moyang telah menjadi sumber
rujukan utama dalam mempertahankan hak mereka. Hal ini menjadi isu apabila tanah mereka terlibat dengan projek
pembangunan. Kaum Bidayah melihat pembangunan setempat sebagai cabaran utama kepada mereka bagi
mengekalkan tanah adat. Kajian ini bertujuan untuk meneliti cabaran yang dihadapi suku kaum Bidayuh dalam
mempertahankan hak milik tanah adat mereka yang terlibat dengan projek pembangunan. Penekanan diberikan
terhadap usaha para pemilik untuk mempertahankan hak mereka terhadap tanah adat. Maklumat kajian diperoleh
melalui perbincangan secara berkelompok dengan kumpulan focus (FGD) serta temu bual mendalam dengan
pemilik tanah adat di kawasan kajian. Dapatan kajian menunjukkan bahawa cabaran mempertahankan tanah adat
dipengaruhi beberapa perkara seperti kelewatan proses persempadanan, pencerobohan ke atas tanah adat, bayaran
pampasan, penglibatan komuniti dalam skim pembangunan, tiada kesepakatan dan konflik dalaman suku, serta
persaingan terhadap tanah adat. Situasi ini akhirnya mendorong para pemilik tanah adat kaum Bidayuh berusaha
mendapatkan geran tanah secara individu. Bagi melestarikan status tanah adat, prosedur pemilikannya perlu
ditambah baik dengan mengambil kira aspek sosiobudaya komuniti berkenaan.

Katakunci: hak milik tanah, Kanun Tanah Sarawak, kerajaan negeri, komuniti Bidayuh, sosiobudaya, tanah NCR

Customs may influence the land ownership rights of indigeneous communities in Sarawak. Among the Bidayuh
tribe, information on land ownership which have been inherited from their ancestors become the principal source of
reference in defending their status rights to the land which has become an issue when their lands are affected by
development projects. This study examined the challenges faced by the Bidayuh in defending their rights and
ownership over customary lands involved with development projects, in particular, the owners efforts in defending
their 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 the
customary lands are influenced by several factors such as delays in the process of delimitation, intrusion to the
customary land, land compensation, community involvement in development schemes, disagreement among land
owners and internal conflicts as well as competition for land. This situation eventually led to many land owners
seeking individual ownership of the customary lands. Thus it is imperative that the relevant authorities improve their
practices and procedures of the Bidayuh customary land alineation with the view of maintaining their customary
ownership. In addition, the national land development policies should give emphasis on the social sustainability of
land 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