Kapit: The Native Customary Rights (NCR) land is an important asset that must be protected and not sold for short-term gain, Public Works Minister Datuk Seri Alexander Nanta Linggi said. NCR land is a family’s legacy that should be developed to generate income and raise the well-being of communities, he added.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, Nanta emphasized the importance of making full use of the land for long-term development after obtaining legal ownership rights. He made these remarks during a title deed presentation for Kapit Division, where 245 title deeds were given to 156 recipients from the areas of Sungai Ibau, Sungai Belawai, and Sungai Menuan, Batang Rajang.

Nanta also urged landowners to take advantage of government assistance, including programmes under the Sarawak Food Industry, Commodities and Regional Development Ministry, as well as various economic initiatives designed to help NCR settlers boost their produce. He cautioned the public against being swayed by parties attempting to politicize the NCR issue, pointing out that the government has been working on this initiative for over a decade to provide legal assurance to landowners.

He stressed that the NCR land issue is often used as political capital by some groups, but the government’s continuous efforts demonstrate that the programme is indeed beneficial for the people. Since the introduction of the NCR Land Measuring programme in 2010, the government has been systematically implementing it in two stages: measuring perimeters and gazettement, followed by measuring individual lots and issuing land titles.

As of October 31, 2025, the Sarawak Land and Survey Department has measured over 1.22 million hectares of NCR land perimeters in the state, with 947,000 hectares gazetted, and 106,467 individual lots have been measured and land titles issued for 34,507 lots.