30-07-2025
Madius urges swift action on Sabah native land surveying
Madius speaking in the Dewan Rakyat.
KOTA KINABALU (July 30): Tuaran Member of Parliament Datuk Seri Panglima Madius Tangau voiced concerns over the slow implementation of the Sabah Native Land Services Management Programme (PANTAS), highlighting that only RM68 million of the RM100 million allocated under the 12th Malaysia Plan (RMKe-12) has been utilised.
During a recent oral question session in the Dewan Rakyat, Madius questioned the Prime Minister on the limited disbursement, despite thousands of village lands across Sabah remaining un-surveyed.
He also asked whether surveying work had been completed and whether the government recognised the urgent need for native Sabahans to secure ownership of their customary land.
In response, Minister in the Prime Minister's Department (Federal Territories), Datuk Seri Dr Zaliha Mustafa, clarified that as of June 2025, RM70.67 million had been disbursed under the Special Native Programme (PKAN) Sabah. This has covered 69,442 hectares of land and benefited 38,126 recipients.
She explained that the disbursement of funds is performance-based, depending on the capacity of implementing agencies, rather than the total allocation ceiling. She also noted that the surveying of Native Customary Rights (NCR) land would continue in phases, and reaffirmed the government's commitment to ensuring rightful land ownership.
In a statement issued on Wednesday, Madius emphasised that many villagers — particularly in rural areas like Tuaran — still do not hold land titles despite having lived on their land for generations.
'I urge the government to expedite the implementation of land surveying under PANTAS and to enhance the performance of the implementing agencies,' he said.
While welcoming the plan to extend the programme under the 13th Malaysia Plan (RMK-13), Madius stressed the need for immediate improvements to prevent further delays and uncertainty that could adversely affect rural communities.
