KUCHING: Several political themes are resurfacing with growing expectations that the Sarawak state election will be held this year.
Some local opposition parties, including Parti Bansa Dayak Sarawak (PBDS), appear to be positioning the Native Customary Rights (NCR) land issue and the appointment of community leaders by the Sarawak government as the core themes of their political campaign ahead of the coming state election.
Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB) supreme council member Wejok Tomik said the same old issue is often raised during election periods.
“No one disputes that NCR is an important issue for indigenous communities. Customary land is deeply connected to history, identity and the survival of communities.
“However, a more honest question must be asked: does raising the NCR issue every election cycle genuinely bring solutions, or does it simply recycle the same political sentiments time and again?” he said.
Wejok, a practicing lawyer, said for many years, the NCR land issue has often served as a convenient political slogan, yet the reality surrounding NCR is far more complex.
Over the years, the Sarawak state government has introduced several mechanisms to address NCR matters, including NCR perimeter surveys, issuance of land titles, and recognition through court processes.
“Are all NCR land disputes resolved? Certainly not,” he said.
“But portraying the situation as if NCR has been completely ignored is also not an accurate reflection of the reality on the ground.
“What is far more challenging is offering practical and workable solutions, rather than simply invoking NCR as a recurring election slogan,” he added.
On the issue of appointing community leaders, Wejok he said it was a familiar political narrative.
He noted that the criticism often repeated is that the system supposedly turns community leaders into political instruments of the government.
He, however, said in the administrative structure of Sarawak, community leaders play a role far broader than mere political symbolism.
“Their responsibilities include verifying official documents, mediating community disputes, conveying government policies to rural communities and coordinating development programmes,” he said.
He explained that in many cases, candidates for community leadership positions are first proposed by the local community itself before formal appointment by the government.
As such, he said portraying the system as purely political often serves more as a campaign narrative than an accurate representation of administrative practice.
“NCR matters. Community leadership matters. But in politics, rhetoric alone is never enough.
“Ultimately, voters will look at one very simple question: Who actually has the ability to govern the state. Because in elections, the mathematics of seats often speaks louder than campaign,” he added.
