KOTA KINABALU: Residents of Kampung Karamunting Baru — a decades-old fishing community located in Batu Sapi, east of Sandakan town — are one step closer to securing rightful ownership of the land they have called home since 1962.

Once gazetted, villagers will receive individual land grants and designated lots — giving them legal rights to pass down the land to their children and grandchildren.

“As long as the land remains under the Sandakan Municipal Council (SMC), it cannot be theirs. But with a land grant, it becomes their legacy,” said Karamunting assemblyman Datuk George Hiew Vun Zin in a statement Friday (July 18).

“They’ve been here since 1962. After more than six decades, it would not be right to displace them or deny them the chance to secure the land they’ve built their lives on.”

A formal application involving the gazettement of 15.56 acres of land was submitted to the Sabah Land and Survey Department on Tuesday (July 15), marking a significant milestone for the community.

The number of villagers or households to be gazetted has yet to be confirmed pending final verification by the authorities.

Hiew, who was present during the handover, said the application was submitted by village representatives along with a legal advisor who provided support from Batu Sapi MP Datuk Khairul Firdaus Akbar Khan’s team.

“We, along with the village chief, JKKK and residents’ representatives, submitted the application formally. Everything went smoothly and we received full cooperation from all parties,” he said.

He added that the submission was made possible after the Sandakan Municipal Council (SMC) officially transferred the land to the Sabah government — a crucial prerequisite for gazettement.

Hiew expressed gratitude to SMC president Walter Kenson for helping expedite the handover.

“I truly thank Walter Kenson for assisting in expediting the process and for his full support in resolving this long standing issue.”

He said the matter was also raised during the recent state assembly sitting, where Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor expressed his full support.

“The Chief Minister is very supportive and hopes the process can be accelerated for the sake of the people of Karamunting Baru. The land has already been properly surveyed and everything is in order.”