Mass conversations to Islam in exchange for land titles were a norm in Sabah in 1979 but today many natives are crying foul at a government that has since cheated them.
TENOM: Murut natives who had converted to Islam in 1979, under the then Berjaya government-linked mass Islamisation programme which promised new ‘recruits’ individual land titles, are now claiming that the government had cheated them.
The converts were given land plots in Kpg Masanopi, Kembong and have been occupying this area since then. However they have now discovered that the land is not theirs and instead belongs to someone else.
A villager, Ariffin Abdullah, 70, whose original name is Arot Bin Ukab, said that the ‘planned’ village was created in 1979 during the rule of the Berjaya government as a new settlement for a group of Muruts who were willing to convert to Islam.
The converts then went on to develop and till the land providing for themselves by planting rubber trees, orchards and padi. Ariffin was their village head or Ketua Kampung.
But now, so many years later, the villagers who were promised their individual land titles had found out that their settlement area belonged to someone else.
“What is most disappointing is that the land owner turns out to be the person who was entrusted by Harris Salleh (to manage the distribution of the land to us as the new converts,” Ariffin said.
“And our worst nightmare happened when we found out that the person had sold the land to a businessman.
“Imagine, now this businessman has just sued us for illegal occupation of our land!”
“The suit was lodged in Nov 29, 2011. So how can anyone blame us for feeling so humiliated and very angry,” added Ariffin.
Conned all the way
Arffin said that their hard work to develop and till the land had been going on for more than 30 years and during the three decades they were repeatedly assured their land titles would be issued to them in due course.
According to the official records, the first single land title was issued on Oct 30, 1980 under the name of Mohamad Abdul Rahman (then the District Officer of Tenom).
Another was issued to one Anthony Lamb and yet another to Theodore Douglas Lind (the former official of the then Chief Minister).
Ariffin claimed that these three persons were entrusted by Harris to manage and administer the land for the benefit of the converts, but they never got to have the individual land titles issued to the different families as they had promised.
“Instead, they spent the whole 30 over years asking us to be patient.
“But now it is proven (that) their plan (all along) was to own the land, and now thyey have sold it behind our backs,” added Ariffin
Ariffin, who had planted his assigned lot with rubber trees which are now 30 years old, said the businessman who now owns the land is threatening to drag them to court, and told them their houses, rubber trees, orchards and paddy would be destroyed.
The father of four said he had lodged a police report over the matter last year, but until now there had not been any action taken.
“It looks like we could be evicted out of our land anytime soon,” he said.
Ariffin is requesting for the state government to do something about the problem as soon as possible.
He also wants Harris to intervene sort things out.
Penama Arot@Ariffin merupakan penyokong tegar mantan KM Sabah TS Harris Salleh ketika era kerajaan Parti Berjaya sekitar tahun 1980an yg mendorong Arot memeluk Islam dan naik Haji selepas itu.
ReplyDeleteBila Parti Berjaya kalah kpd PBS tahun 1985...Arot bukan lagi Hj Ariffin tetapi kembali ke Agama asalnya SIB dan menjadi Gembala (Guru Agama SIB). Manakala anaknya menjual daging khinzir dipekan Tenom sehingga sekarang ini.
Arot tidak boleh salahkan sesiapa kerana sepatutnya dizaman kegemilangan Parti Berjaya yg dipimpin Harris beliau sudah uruskan perkara ini terlebih dahulu daripada asyik membuat andaian kononnya tanah itu hasil pemberian MUIS kpd keluarganya kerana telah memeluk Islam.
Perkara ini sudah sampai ke pengetahuan Pegawai Daerah Tenom dimana semua dokumen yg menyokong dakwaan Arot kononnya tanah itu miliknya langsung tidak ada manakala geran tanah sudah disalinkan ke nama pemilik baru selepas dijual oleh tiga penama yg diberi mandat dan diturunkan TS Harris dan bukan Arot...tidak pernah pun disebut dalam memorandum of title tanah tersebut.
Bagaimana pun, pemilik baru seorang Kapitan memanggil Arot dan beberapa orangnya bermesyuarat di Hotel Perkasa Tenom pada tahun lepas dimana Kapitan itu memberi peluang mereka sama ada bersetuju pemberian pampasan, rumah kpd mereka yg terlibat tetapi kumpulan Arot menolaknya.
Diatas sebab itu, Kapitan memberi mereka masa 6 bulan untuk berfikir sebelum satu Perintah Mahkamah akan difailkan terhadap mereka tetapi dlm tempoh itu mereka terutama sekali Arot masih berkeras tidak mahu menerimanya.
RELIGION SOLD WITH SAME PACKAGE OF FALSE PROMISES AS IN SALE OF "INDEPENDENCE IN MALAYSIA"
ReplyDeleteRELIGION USED AS AN INSTRUMENT FOR COLONIZATION OF SABAH
The mendacity of those who dominate and rule over us is boundless in this example of how religion is sold with false promises by the UMNO snake oil salesmen.
Many like the Muruts were "converted" or more accurately "conned" into the UMNO Malay supremacist scheme for domination of Sabah with promises of land which were never kept.
People demand land because they need land to grow food and survive. UMNO's FELDA has federalised/ stolen over 300,000 acres of good Sabah soil (not to mention our Labuan Island).
This should be distributed free to the landless and those made landless by the land robberies!
Better still form a co-operative run by the new landless owners for their own benefit with transparent guidance on proper management.
Politician using false promises to buy votes is nothing new. They have been selling snake oil since 1963. We were sold "independence in Malaysia" with golden promises.
We know now this was just pyramid sales talk lies! We have discovered that Sabah had only been annexed by the British assisted UMNO and re-colonized as a Malayan colony with “independence in Malaysia” packaging!
The UMNO takeover and domination of Sabah is like the proverbial golden pyramid with Malaya on top and us on the bottom! We just got “grafted” to Malaya as an rich exploitable appendage.
The formula has been to strengthen UMNO's colonial grip with the whiff of legitimacy by creating a pro-UMNO electoral base on race and religion. If they are not “Malays” they can become Muslims and masok Melayu.
Islamization of Sabah under false pretences has gone long way in the UMNO effort to strengthen it colonial grip on Sabah by manipulating its electoral base with over 1 million imported instant voters.
In this sense the UMNO brand of Islam is sold on falsehoods and this has corrupted the faith. The conversions are not genuine. UMNO has used Islam as an instrument of colonization.
That religion could be sold with false promises is part and parcel of the 1960s brightly package of undelivered promises of progress and freedom with the "independence in Malaysia" sales talk of the dishonest UMNO salesmen.
Sabahans wake up to the charlatan salesmen from Malaya and their local agents!
For too long they have cheated us with useless snake oil talk. They stole everything and gave us back zero. They took our oil and land and created poverty while developing Malaya and enriching themselves with our wealth.
We should not put up with their British created illusion of "independence in Malaysia" any longer.
Many are waking up to the fact that with Sabah's riches we can stand alone and develop our country by making our own decisions.
Malaya needs Sabah resources and votes more than we need Malaya!
Sabah can be independent!
Kesiannnnn Kamu... pergi saman berjuta-juta parti yg kasi masuk kamu islam dan janji dapat tanah... Parti Berjaya.. Ada lagi kah tu parti ?.. Tu la.. Mau masuk islam pasal mau tanah,.. bukan betul/ikhlas.. Nah, ketulahan kan.. Putih mana.. Bah saya kasi kamu semua tanah i karung.. tanah hitam ka pasir sungai... hahaha... mau tanah konon.. p cari duit la, baru beli tanah..
ReplyDeleteParti Berjaya bagi janji palsu, si pengadu pula sanggup tukar agama pasal mahu tanah. Silap siapa? Lu fikir la sendiri.
Deletekerana sikap tamak, akhirnya rugi.
DeleteSi Penama Arot@Ariffin ni la paling sial punya org, sda masuk islam, lepas tu lompat balik,.. babi betul. Tapi nah, rasa la, tanah tiada.. jual babi saja la.. Bangsat..
ReplyDeleteOrang tamak selalu rugi? Orang tamak tapi licik sentiasa untung.
ReplyDeleteSanggup menukar agama semata-matanya untuk mendapatkan tanah, sedihnya aku melihat.
ReplyDeleteMereka tidak sepatutnya bersetuju dengan permintaan seperti ini untuk mendapat kebaikan.
ReplyDeleteJual agama demi mendapat apa yang ingin diimpikan. Mungkin perkara ini perlu dielakkan. Biark kita ikut agama orang kerana benar-benar ikhlas.
ReplyDeleteKeikhlasan tu penting, sekiranya tidak. Tu cerita tu orang dengan yang di atas la.
DeleteSalahkan diri sendiri. orang tamak biasanya merugikan saja.
ReplyDeletesia2 ja Ariffin membawa masalah ini ke media.. apa boleh buat la semua pihak menuding jari kepada sdr.. siapa suruh tamaha..
ReplyDelete