Incorporated Land Groups (ILG) deprives customary landowner’s title to their customary land, says founder of the Customary Land Law Foundation (CLLF) Dr Onne Rageau.
CLLF was recently set up by the Communal Land Development Limited (CLDL) aimed to secure the 97 percent of the total land mass of PNG commonly known as the customary land.
Dr Rageau argued that ILG registration strips landowners off their customary land titles.
He explained that through ILG registration, the customary land is registered and the landowners lose that customary land title and will no longer claim that as a customary land.
“It will become State land and Government at its own discretion will do what is best for it.
“If ILG is not helping the customary landowners than we must question whether it is legal or illegal land grabbing of the customary land,” Dr Rageau said.
He urged landowners to do compulsory customary land registration which stops land grabbing, allows landowners to have an identity to their customary land and promotes investor partnership.