KOTA KINABALU: If all goes according to plan, Sabah's native courts will be equal to the civil and syariah courts in the state this year, says its Chief Minister. Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor said the proposed Sabah Native Court Judicial Department would be set up by this year. "The proposal for the setting up of the Sabah Native Court Judicial Department is to dignify the native laws and give prestige to the Ketua Adat (customary chiefs) in the court," he said on Wednesday (Feb 14). A total of 258 Ketua Adat, comprising three District Chiefs, 20 Native Chiefs, 40 Native Chief Representatives, 194 village heads and a Kapitan from Pantai Dalit, Sulaman, Tamparuli and Kiulu, took part in the course. In another event in Tuaran, the Chief Minister called on Village Development and Security Committee (JKKK) members to play their role as government agents and representatives.
