Malay reserve land on the decline in KL, Perak and Kedah

Kuala Lumpur, Perak and Kedah have recorded a drop in area of Malay reserve land, Natural Resources, Environment and Climate Change Minister Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad told the Dewan Rakyat today. 

Referring to data collected by state authorities in the peninsula, he however added that the total land area gazetted as Malay reserves increased by 0.67% last year from 4.963 million hectares to 4.996 million hectares. 

"Every state recorded an increase in Malay reserve land except for Kedah, which decreased from 721,888.93 hectares to 716,537 hectares; Kuala Lumpur, which dropped from 1,003 hectares to 999 hectares; and Perak, which fell from 953,042 hectares to 953,040 hectares.

"Other states recorded an increase, including in the total amount of Malay reserve land throughout the peninsula," he said to a question from Ismail Abd Muttalib (PN-Maran).

Ismail had asked about the original area of Malay reserve land according to state in Peninsular Malaysia. 

According to the Federal Constitution, land comes under the jurisdiction of state governments. 

Nik Nazmi added that state authorities should replace the cancelled land with other pacels of the same type and size. 

To a supplementary question from Ismail, he said there was no need for a white paper on the matter. 

Apart from the issue of area, he said, state governments also take into account the value of land in the replacement of reserve land. 

The Setiawangsa MP also said that the government would study ways to defend the amount of Malay reserve land in Kuala Lumpur, which has fluctuated since the earliest record in 1986.