ALOR STAR: Nine residents of Kampung Darat in Hutan Kampung here have lodged a report with the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) against the state Land and Mines Office over a land ownership issue that has been unresolved for 12 years.
The residents claim that their forebears bought the 0.6ha plot of Malay reserve land in the 1920s through a state-endorsed agreement, but the transfer could not be completed as the original owner couldn't be found.
In 2014, the residents were shocked to receive an eviction notice that stated that the land belonged to a non-Malay company.
Their attempts to gain ownership of the land through the courts have been unsuccesful.
Malaysian International Humanitarian Organisation secretary-general Datuk Hishamuddin Hashim, who spoke on behalf of the residents, questioned how the land could be transferred to a non-Malay-owned company.
Hashim said the land's status as a Malay reserve had not been revoked, and he suspected there might be elements of illegal activity.
"Section 6 of the Kedah Malay Reservations Enactment states clearly that Malay reserve land cannot be transferred, leased, mortgaged, or pledged to non-Malays.
"How did this happen? Today, we are here to request that MACC investigate this matter," he said at a press conference here today (May 21).
He said ownership of the land could not have been transferred as residents still had the original grant.
He said any transfer of ownership would require the presence of the grant holders.
"Transferring the ownership of Malay reserve land requires the seller and buyer to be present at the Lands and Mines Office. Didn't the Land and Mines Office conduct a thorough check?" he added.
State Land and Mines director Datuk Mohd Shahadan Abdullah has not responded to the New Straits Times' request for comment.
On March 13, Kampung Darat residents handed a letter to the state Land and Mines Office requesting an explanation on the status of the land they occupy.
Resident Abdul Aziz Md Nor, 72, said they were not seeking compensation or payment but want their right to the land to be restored.