A study of people's perception of formal land ownership and land titling with reference to the rural communities of Asajaya peninsular, Samarahan

Lau, Christina Kieng Hung (2005) A study of people's perception of formal land ownership and land titling with reference to the rural communities of Asajaya peninsular, Samarahan. Masters thesis, Universiti Malaysia Sarawak, (UNIMAS).

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Abstract

Land is considered an important source of livelihood for the rural population. Recognising this, the government has embarked on the exercise of alienating land to the people under the Section 13 Exercise in 1996 as part of the land alienation policy in Sarawak. To prevent land speculation and to ensure that the people make use of the land for farming, the land is imposed with restriction that prohibits its transfer. In spite of the restriction imposed, reports received alleged that many land are sold off as soon as titles to the land are obtained. This study seeks to uncover people's perception of the importance of formal land ownership and to ascertain whether or not rampant disposal of land took place;: Choosing Asajaya Peninsular as the research site, ground survey of land owners were carried out. Data for the study were collected through face-to-face interview using an interview schedule. A stratified random sampling method was used to select the respondents. The study showed that the people have strong attachment to land and the sale of land is only considered as a last resort. Findings revealed that only 3.25% of the land owners harbour intentions to transfer the land granted by the government. Half of these transfers were actually between family members. Rampant disposal of land did not happen to land alienated to the people in Asajaya Peninsular. The findings confirmed that land alienated is put to the use as intended. The study concludes with the recommendation that the government should continue with the policy of granting land to the rural population.

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