What government department is older than the country itself? Or perhaps the question should be, “Is it possible to have a government department in existence long before a country itself is formed?”

In the case of the Land & Survey Department (L & S Dept), the answer will be “yes”. Set up in 1918, the L & S Dept was administering and surveying the lands of the Sarawak long before Malaysia was formed when Sarawak joined the Federation of Malaysia in 1963.

In 1925, the L & S Dept was split into two departments: the Land Department and Survey Department. Registration of land transactions came under the Registrar of the High Court while the Survey Department concentrated on laying the foundation for a reasonably accurate cadastral survey system. But the separation lasted only 8 years. In 1933, the two departments were again merged as the L & S Dept and it has remained so today.

With more than 8 decades of history, the L & S Dept has certainly witnessed and participated in many significant changes in the growth of Sarawak. The department itself has also undergone its own meta-morphosis to become an agency that not only administers land matters but has become more of a facilitator of development in Sarawak. At present, the L & S Dept’s responsibilities consist of a long list that includes the following:

	Topographical, cadastral and mining surveys
	Aerial photography and mapping
	Urban and regional planning and design
	Control of development and subdivision of land
	Implementation of urban development projects (including development of urban centres & roads and Resettlement Schemes)
	Alienation of state land and its administration (including enforcement)
	Investigation and registration of rights to land and dealings affecting land
	Issue prospecting licences and mining leases
	Valuation of land
	Acquisition of land for development purposes
	Revision of land rent
	Computerisation of land information
	In-house manpower training

To help facilitate the development agenda of Sarawak, the L & S Dept organizes activities and programs designed to explain issues regarding land matters to the general public. One such activity is the monthly “Day with the Customer” or “Hari Bersama Pelanggan” (HBP) held throughout the state.

The HBP activity disseminates information on land policies of the state government as well as landrelated issues that are of public interest. The event brings together ministers, backbenchers, local communities, village safety & development committees (JKKK), village heads (Ketua Kampungs) and other agencies. Besides facilitating communication and exchange of information between the L & S and their partners and the general public, the HBP also helps sustain esprit de corps among them.

Taking a glimpse into what constitute the usual happenings during the “Day with the Customer” of L & S Dept, the event usually starts at 7am with a senamrobik led by an instructor from the Medical & Health Dept. This is followed by opening of the exhibition booths from 8am until 4.30pm. The public could obtain information from the booths, manned by the participating government departments and agencies. The day could also include activities such as an exhibition, health check and blood donation drive from the Medical & Health Dept, viewing of anti-drug video from PEMADAM, Lawas, and demonstration of ‘theodolite’ land surveying from the L & S Dept. For the sport enthusiasts, the afternoon would bring about several friendly football matches between officials from several government depts and agencies.

In addition, briefings and dialogs for the public are held. In the case of the Lawas branch of the L &S Dept, recently-held HBP, for example, they invited the L & S Dept of Limbang to hold the briefing at the Lawas Community Hall from 9am to 1pm. These sessions provide the public with the opportunity to ask questions and seek clarification from officials concerned regarding land issues, not only in the areas where they live but also in other areas.

The event ended during the night with a dinner and karaoke session hosted by YB Mr. Henry Sum Agong, ADUN. The HBP in Lawas was officially opened by YB Datuk Haji Awang Tengah bin Ali Hasan, Assistant Minister of MID, and Assistant Minister of the Ministry of Land and Rural Development, Sarawak.

YB Datuk Haji Awang Tengah bin Ali Hasan (second from left) officiating at the “Day with the Customer”	Overall view of the government agencies participating in the exhibition
A community leader asking questions from the panel during the dialog session	A briefing session for the public of Lawas