GOMBAK, May 29 — The state government has resolved a decades-long land ownership issue involving participants of the Buku Hijau programme, with 161 participants now receiving legal recognition for land they have cultivated since the 1970s.
Menteri Besar Dato’ Seri Amirudin Shari said the state government began efforts in 2023 to formalise the land ownership status of participants in the programme, introduced in 1975 to promote food cultivation and self-sufficiency among rural communities.
The matter had remained unresolved for over five decades, with participants occupying and cultivating the land without formal ownership rights or legal approval.
“This programme began around 1975, but until now, ownership rights or formal approval for occupants could not be properly granted.
“We began addressing the matter in 2023 and, Alhamdulillah (God be praised), within three years, managed to resolve ownership rights for 161 identified participants through the proper process,” he told the media after the handover ceremony of temporary occupation license (TOL) approval letters today.
Amirudin added that the participants would first receive the TOL before being offered longer lease arrangements ranging from 21 to 30 years.
“If suitable areas are identified, we will also provide the opportunity for the occupants to purchase the land,” he said, noting that today’s development marked the end of a long wait for participants who had spent decades cultivating the land without legal certainty.
“This issue has been delayed for 51 years. I am grateful to have been given the opportunity to resolve a problem that had been postponed for so long,” Amirudin said.
Each participant occupies between one and 1.3 hectares of land, involving an estimated total area of nearly 160 hectares.
The state government also had to identify heirs and verify records, as some original participants had already passed away over the years.
The Buku Hijau programme was a government-led agricultural initiative that allocated state land to rural communities for farming and food production under an informal arrangement, particularly during periods of economic pressure and rising living costs, without granting immediate land ownership.
The scheme has since become inactive, leaving several legacy settlement issues for Selangor to resolve.
In his speech at the event, the Menteri Besar said that resolving the Buku Hijau issue was among the state government’s most meaningful achievements, as it involved restoring long-delayed rights for ordinary people, something many past leaders had failed to achieve.
“Many leaders came and went, but this issue could not be resolved. Today, we are managing to settle it gradually,” he said.
Amirudin said that the Buku Hijau initiative remains relevant in strengthening food security and helping communities produce their own food supply amid global economic uncertainties.
Global conflicts and economic disruptions have highlighted the importance of local food production and self-sufficiency.
“The state government sees this as a way to guide participants to plant crops that can become a consistent source of food supply. We want at least basic food supplies to be available for the people,” he said.
