2 weeks Ago By T.N. Alagesh
KUANTAN: The Pahang government has declared a crackdown on land encroachment across the state, declaring it a criminal offence and warning that offenders will face legal consequences.Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Wan Rosdy Wan Ismail said the state government will not bow to any pressure, threats, or tactics deployed by irresponsible quarters, whether individually or in groups."I issue a stern warning: do not challenge the firmness shown by the state government.
Encroaching on government land is a crime, and we will utilise all legal provisions to reclaim every inch of land illegally occupied and rehabilitate it."The state government, along with enforcement agencies, will intensify monitoring, enforcement efforts, and legal action against encroachers," he said in his winding-up speech on the final day of the state assembly sitting at Wisma Sri Pahang today.Wan Rosdy said the state government will never compromise with any quarters that attempt to encroach on government land.
"Such action not only violates the law but also undermines the sovereignty and dignity of the state's administration. We will ensure that government land is utilised for the state's development, well-being of the people, and not benefit certain greedy and irresponsible quarters," he said.On April 16, the Sultan of Pahang, Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri'ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah, had warned that glorifying the illegal encroachment of land as a "struggle" is unacceptable and singled out illegal land encroachment as the main enemy in the state, surpassing even drugs and crime.
Meanwhile, Wan Rosdy described land encroachment as nothing new but an ongoing issue that affects state revenue, environmental sustainability, and social justice.He said Pahang has adopted firm and coordinated measures to overcome the issue from various aspects, including establishing the Pahang enforcement unit (UPNP) elite team on Oct 15, 2019, to ensure continuous and systematic enforcement."To date, UPNP has conducted 23 illegal land clearing operations involving an area measuring 1,362 hectares or 3,366 acres, and five operations are scheduled this year.
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among the districts involved in the enforcement operations are Raub, Cameron Highlands, Bentong, Bera, Temerloh, and Pekan," he said.Wan Rosdy said in order to curb encroachment through a stricter approach, from 2023 onwards, land encroachment offenders will be taken to court and not only let off with compounds."Previously, offenders were only compounded between RM10,000 and RM30,000, but now the court action serves as a lesson and creates fear in potential offenders.
The move is not to shame any individual, but to demonstrate that the state government is serious about tackling land encroachment," he saidAs part of measures to help landowners obtain mining licences legally, Wan Rosdy said the Pahang government had set up the Pahang Mineral Academy and the small-scale miners scheme.He also lauded the move by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) to probe the presence of illegal durian farms in Raub, saying encroachment has reached a serious level."We hope swift action against encroachment activities will help minimise trespassing on government land and bring it to an end," he said.
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