DUN Sitting: Transformation status of the Native Court of Sarawak

KUCHING: A study to produce a master plan for restructuring and upgrading the status of the Native Court of Sarawak is currently underway.

Deputy Minister in the Premier Department ( Law and Native Customs) Jefferson Jamit Unyat said the study was to be comparable to the Civil Court and the Syariah Court.

“ The results of this study will be presented at the State Government Council Meeting for consideration and approval before further action can be taken,” he said in answering John Ilus's question (GPS-Bukit Semuja) at a State Legislative Assembly session today.

This study aims to restructure and improve the Sarawak Native Court

He said again, the jurisdiction of Native Court of Sarawak is to hear and adjudicate cases related to customary violations.

“ It is based on the customary codification of customs that have been adopted and made into law by the various Bumiputera communities in Sarawak and cases related to disputes over title and compensation claims Native customary land under the Sarawak Land Code, ” he said.

Native Court of Sarawak is a unit in the Sarawak Premier Department established under the 1992 Native Court Ordinance.

The Native Court of Sarawak is also part of the State Government administrative unit under the Sarawak Premier Department.

In addition to the Native Court of Sarawak, there are also Civil Courts under the Federal Department of Justice and the Syariah Court under the Sarawak Shariah Justice Department.

Each court has its own structure, jurisdiction and powers.