Over RM60bil worth of property unclaimed

Compiled by JUNAID IBRAHIM, JAROD LIM and R. ARAVINTHAN

MORE than 90% of the Malay Muslim community in the country has not written a will or hibah, Sinar Harian reported.

The issue has led to unclaimed and frozen property worth more than RM60bil in various institutions, said Malaysian Syarie Lawyers Association president Musa Awang.

“Making a will or hibah is a simple process that can be done during the life of the property owner; it would facilitate the division of property after the death of the owner.

“If there is no will or hibah, then the property will be divided according to faraid or equal division, if all heirs agree to the division,” he said.

Musa added that property owners should refer to a syarie lawyer or an authoritative and trusted party to seek advice on wills.

According to him, there are several processes that need to be followed by property owners and family heirs so that the will is not annulled.

“They need to list all the property that belongs to them and what their intention is in making a will or hibah,” he said.

Many have not done so due to lack of awareness about the importance of having a will or hibah, he added.

> Orang Asli in Kampung Sau, Pos Bihai in Gua Musang, Kelantan are still fearful after a tiger killed a villager a month ago, despite the animal itself having been killed, Kosmo! reported.

The village head said many don’t dare go out to their orchards and as a result, their income has been affected.

On Thursday, the villagers received a visit from Galas assemblyman Mohd Syahbuddin Hashim, who delivered food assistance.

He said the villagers have also received assistance from the Orang Asli Development Department and non-governmental organisations.

On Jan 7, Anek Along, 59, was mauled by a tiger in Kampung Sau before the animal was shot dead by the Wildlife and National Parks Department.

“Seven traps and 52 cameras have been installed. However, no other tiger has been caught,” said Mohd Syahbuddin.

The above articles are compiled from the vernacular newspapers (Bahasa Malaysia, Chinese and Tamil dailies). As such, stories are grouped according to the respective language/medium. Where a paragraph begins with a >, it denotes a separate news item.