20190423 (Tue)
What are the terms used for Land types in Sarawak?
Residential land, Agricultural Land, Forest Reserve, Native Area Land, Native Customary Land (NCR Land) are common terms you hear about lands in Sarawak. Then, there is terms like Town Land, Suburban Land and Country Land. Furthermore, you hear about Mixed Zone Land, Industrial Land and Interior Area Land. Indeed, people get confused over land terms:
Classification of land (use) – (West Msia included)
There are 3 major types – Building, Industry and Agricultural.
Under the same classification purpose, in Sarawak it is called Mixed Zone (Building) which further divides into Residential and Commercial, and the other two remains as Industry and agricultural. However, Mixed Zone also carries the meaning of Non-Native Land. Which means, you can develop for residential, commercial and agricultural purposes. This is because in Sarawak, special rights of Native and the protection of resources (land) for the Natives is enshrined in the Sarawak Land Code. Hence, being non-native you cannot own certain types (class of) land – see below.
Category of land – Town land, Suburban land and Country land.
Class of land – Native Area Land, Native Customary Land or Interior Area Land.
S.8 of Sarawak Land Code specifies that
(a) A person who is not a native of Sarawak may not acquire any rights or privileges or whatsoever any Native Area Land, Native Customary Land or Interior Area Land;
Thus, being a Chinese or Indian in Sarawak, you are not a Native according to the Interpretation Ordinance 2005. However, as a Sarawakian (Malaysian Sarawak citizen) you can own agricultural land in Sarawak. These agricultural lands are actually Mixed Zone Lands. They are not Native Area Lands.
Mixed Zone and land classification was explained in earlier post here (https://myrealproperty.online/20180609-what-is-mixed-zone/).
