Kuching: Responding to questions raised by SUPP over the actions taken by Stampin MP Chong Chieng Jen regarding the occupation of private land for a road since 2023, Sim Kiat Leng, Special Assistant to Stampin MP Chong Chieng Jen, said that if the question is indeed “what has been done over the past three years from 2023 to 2026?”, then the facts and timeline should first be made clear, rather than selectively highlighting a single official letter.
He said that after the landowner sought assistance from YB Chong in 2023, he formally wrote to the Sarawak Land and Survey Department on 18 July 2023 regarding this matter, requesting that the authorities initiate the land acquisition process for the land in question and provide the landowner with fair compensation.
“In 2024, Chong again wrote to the Land and Survey Department to follow up on the matter. In 2025, I personally went to the Land and Survey Department to enquire about the progress and once again submitted a letter, urging the authorities to take the landowner’s concerns seriously.
“Recently, I will once again meet with the relevant officers of the Land and Survey Department to obtain an update on the current progress and continue following up on the issues faced by the landowner,” he said.
Sim said, if the question is what DAP has done over the past three years, the answer is very clear.
“We have written letters, followed up on the matter, and personally gone to the Land and Survey Department to raise the issue, and we are still continuing to follow up. The question is: what has the government department done?” he asked.
Sim said DAP did not have executive authority to order the Land and Survey Department to complete land acquisition, surveying, valuation and compensation.
“Instead, what is ironic is that DAP has continuously been helping the people pursue their land and title issues, while those who actually hold executive authority have allowed the matter to drag on for so long that the landowner was eventually forced to block the road,” he said.
Sim said the people of Batu Kawa should also ask what Batu Kawa State Assemblyman Sim Kui Hian, who is also SUPP president, Deputy Premier of Sarawak and Minister of Public Health, Housing and Local Government, had done over the years to resolve land-related issues faced by residents.
“In contrast, over the years, Stampin MP Chong Chieng Jen has consistently assisted the people of Batu Kawa in dealing with land title issues, including the renewal of land titles.
“There have also been residents who sought assistance from SUPP, but when their problems remained unresolved, they eventually turned to DAP,” he said.
Sim stressed that DAP supports development and public roads but that private land must be acquired in accordance with the law and landowners properly compensated.
“The government should not use people’s private land for years without resolving the matter and then question the person who speaks up for the people why the issue remains unresolved,” he said.
