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Awang Tengah (seated centre) flanked by his deputies and department heads on the sidelines of the DUN sitting on Nov 29, 2023.By Ling Hui
KUCHING, Nov 29: The RM5,000 per acre premium rate for the renewal of the Agricultural Town Land lease at Lot 170 Block 10 Matang Land District according to the new Renewal of Land Lease (RLL) policy is 30 times lower than that calculated using the old formula, which is 25 to 60 per cent of the current market value.
Sarawak Deputy Premier Datuk Amar Awang Tengah Ali Hasan said referring to that particular 1.97-acre lot, the total premium based on the flat rate today is RM9,850 for a period of 60 years, but if calculated based on 30 per cent of current market value, it is estimated to reach about RM295,500.
“The difference is RM285,650, which is almost 30 times lower than the old rate. So, they have to pay that amount, and how is this RM5,000 (per acre rate) too expensive? What more when you could pay it by installment if you cannot afford to pay the entire amount.
“We do take into consideration the people’s condition when we (the Sarawak government) implement our policy,” he told a press conference on the sidelines of the Sarawak Legislative Assembly (DUN) sitting here today.
Awang Tengah, who is also Minister for Natural Resources and Urban Development, was clarifying the matter in response to Padungan assemblyman Chong Chieng Jen who had, in an earlier debate, claimed that there are Agricultural Lands without proper drainage and road connection but categorised as Town Lands.
Chong held that the premium rate of RM5,000 per acre for Town Land is too expensive because it is a jump from RM250 per acre for Country Land for the land owners, who mostly are farmers who do not necessarily have so much cash.
Meanwhile, Awang Tengah also noted that the Sarawak government has approved 72,140 lots throughout Sarawak for the renewal of land lease since the introduction of the new RLL policy in 2007. — DayakDaily
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