Sikie: Structure of native courts to resemble civil courts

Sikie (seated centre) in a group photo at the Sarawak Bumiputera Court Case Handling Workshop for the Southern Zone in Kuching.

KUCHING (Oct 25): The structure of the new Sarawak native courts system will be similar to the civil courts when the new Native Courts Ordinance has been passed in the next Sarawak state assembly (DUN) meeting, Minister in the Premier’s Department Datuk John Sikie Tayai said yesterday.

He said the new structure would elevate the status of the Native Courts on par with the civil and shariah courts.

“We aim to elevate the status of the native court by proposing to reduce the number of the subordinate courts,” Sikie told reporters after officiating a workshop on the handling of native court cases for community leaders from Southern Zone here.

He also said the elevation would include the abolishment of the Headmen’s Court, Chief’s Court, Chief’s Superior Court, District Native Court, Resident Native Court and Native Appeal Court.

“The Registrar of the Native Court is in the process of recruiting qualified and competent officers to handle the cases.

“With the transformation, we will train all the officers involved in handling the native court cases so that they will be more competent and have more experiences,” he said, adding that such move has been recommended by a consultant firm engaged by the state government in the effort to transform and study the structural organisation and system of the native court.

When asked on the backlog cases, he cited 6,000 of such cases in the native court as of Oct 15 this year.

“But the cases are not serious problem. Among the reasons for the backlogs is that these cases are heard by the district officers presiding at the District Native Court.

“These district officers have other official duties to handle and so they do not have much time to hear the cases in the native court.

“Moreover, many are not competent in the native adat, not like before where native court cases were heard by the Sarawak native officers,” he said, adding that these officers were appointed after they had passed their examinations on the native adat.

“And the post is now already abolished,” he added.

Sikie also informed that he expects to table the new Native Court Bill next year in May during the sitting of the state assembly.

“I hope the proposal to table the bill will be approved and recommended to the Sarawak Cabinet as soon as possible.”

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