10 1he ueflnlLlon of SquaLLers" and SLaLe of AuLhorlLy"

11 WhaL Lhe squaLLers acLually are?

Cxford ulcLlonary of Law deflnes squaLLer as a person unlawfully occupylng land (Ld
LllzabeLh A MarLln 2006 A ulcLlonary of Law g 309 6
Lh
LdlLlon CreaL 8rlLaln Cxford unlverslLy
ress) When we Lalk abouL SquaLLers lL ls mosLly relaLed Lo Lhe prlnclple of adverse possesslon
Accordlng Lo Cran's Law ulcLlonary lL ls noL recognlzed as a rlghL ln mosL places (uanlel Cran !u
2008 Cran's ulcLlonary of Lhe Law 4
Lh
LdlLlon unlLed SLaLes 1hompson uelmar Learnlng) WhllsL ln
Lhe Cxford ulcLlonary of Law lL can be deflned as Lhe occupaLlon of land Lo whlch anoLher person
has LlLle wlLh Lhe lnLenLlon of possesslng lL as one's own ln Lhe case of Mchall v persons names
unknown 8rlsLol CorporaLlon v 8oss and anoLher (1973 3 All L8 393) sLaLes LhaL squaLLer ls one
who wlLhouL any colour of rlghL enLers on an unoccupled house or land lnLendlng Lo sLay Lhere as
long as he can Pe may seek Lo [usLlfy or excuse hls conducL Pe may say LhaL he was homeless and
LhaL Lhls house or land was sLandlng empLy dolng noLhlng 8uL Lhls plea ls of no avall ln law
12 Who ls Lhe SLaLe AuLhorlLy?
SecLlon 3 of Lhe naLlonal Land Code 1963 deflnes 'SLaLe AuLhorlLy' as Lhe 8uler or Coverner
of Lhe SLaLe as Lhe case may be 1he poslLlon of SLaLe AuLhorlLy ln land maLLers ls Lherefore
paramounL and subservlenL Lo none
nexL we should deflne SLaLe AuLhorlLy ln Lhe sense of lL has been coded ln Lhe Code 1he
lssue who consLlLuLes 'SLaLe AuLhorlLy' under Lhe nLC has arlsen ln several cases
ln Lhe case of Lebbey Snd 8hd v Chong Wool Leong Anor (1998 3 ML! 368) Lhe
defendanL had argued alLhough Lhey enLered Lhe sLaLe land wlLhouL consenL or llcence Lhey had
peaceful en[oymenL and occupaLlon wlLhouL lnLerference from Lhe SLaLe AuLhorlLy 1hey clalmed
LhaL Lhe dlsLrlcL offlcer had allowed Lhem Lo rebulld Lhelr houses and based on promlses by
pollLlclans LhaL Lhey would be glven 1CLs
1he [udge had declded ln Lhe sald case LhaL Lhere ls Lhe essenLlal dlsLlncLlon of Lhe Lerm
'SLaLe AuLhorlLy' beLween Lhe deflnlLlons under Lhe nLC and ln ordlnary sense SLaLe auLhorlLy under
Lhe Code ls deflned for Lhe purpose of Lhe SLaLe of Selangor as Lhe 8uler As regards promlses by
sLaLe offlclals and pollLlclans Lhe learned [udge sald LhaL any MlnlsLer Lxco Member or ollLlclan has
noLhlng Lo do wlLh Lhls proceedlngs under Lhe Code
As been culled from Lhe case kabra Poldlngs Snd 8hd v Ahmad 8ln Sahlan (1992 2 CL!
817) lL was declded LhaL an oral agreemenL glven by MenLerl 8esar Selangor wlll noL glve Lhe
defendanLs any legal rlghL Lo occupy Lhe land

30 1he Legal 8ules LhaL blnd lssue of SquaLLers ln Malaysla
31 no Adverse ossesslon agalnsL SLaLe
SecLlon 48 of Lhe naLlonal Land Code 1963 clearly lndlcaLes LhaL Lhere can be no adverse
possesslon of sLaLe land Adverse possesslon ls deflned as possesslon as of wrong LhaL ls a person
who has no formal ownershlp acqulres LlLle Lo real properLy as a resulL of such use and en[oymenL
over a speclfled perlod of Llme (rlnclples of Malayslan Land Law 2008 Alnul !arla Maldln g 113
Slngapore Lexls nexls) Powever under Malayslan Land Law one who has lllegally occupled sLaLe
land may noL clalm Lo have any rlghL Lo have such land allenaLed Lo lL based on any long perlod of
occupaLlon 8esldes unlawful occupaLlon of sLaLe land ls an offence under secLlon 423 (1) of Lhe nLC
whlch provldes LhaL unlawful occupaLlon of sLaLe land ls an offence under nLC and llable on
convlcLlon Lo a flne noL exceedlng 8M 10000 or lmprlsonmenL noL exceedlng one year
ln Lhe case of Sldek bln Pa[l Muhammad Crs v 1he CovernmenL of Lhe SLaLe of erak
Crs (1982 1 ML! 313) Lhe appellanLs opened up a large parL of a [ungle area ln Lhe Muklm of
8andar 1eluk Anson SubsequenLly oLher seLLlers came Lo Lhe area and Lhe sLaLe governmenL
reseLLled some seLLlers Lo Lhe land where Lhe appellanLs were already ln occupaLlon When Lhe
appellanLs were glven noLlces Lo sLop work and vacaLe Lhe area Lhey flled a wrlL seeklng a
declaraLlon LhaL Lhey were enLlLled ln law and equlLy Lo be ln possesslon of Lhe land Lhey had
ploneered and occupled 1he learned [udge upheld Lhe appllcaLlon and he sald Lhls
lrom Lhe facLs as dlsclose ln Lhe sLaLemenL of clalm lL ls clear LhaL Lhe plalnLlffs have
no rlghLs agalnsL Lhe SLaLe CovernmenL 8elng mere Lrespassers Lhey cannoL clalm LlLle
as agalnsL Lhe SLaLe CovernmenL Lven Lhough Lhey have occupled Lhe land for a
number of years buL Lhey cannoL acqulre any LlLle by adverse possesslon under secLlon
48 of Lhe nLC lL ls clear provlded LhaL no LlLle Lo SLaLe land shall be acqulred by
possesslon unlawful occupaLlon or occupaLlon under any llcense for any perlod
whaLsoever
Abdul Wahab ! lllusLraLes ln Lhe case of Lebbey Snd 8hd v Chong Wool Leong Anor (1998 3 ML!
368) LhaL a person seeklng remedy ln equlLy musL come wlLh clean hands lL ls clear LhaL Lhe
defendanLs have been ln breach of Lhe Code punlshable under s 423 Lhereof 1he defendanLs cannoL
be sald Lo have come wlLh clean hands 1haL Lhe sLaLe auLhorlLy had noL acLed agalnsL Lhe
defendanLs cannoL mean LhaL Lhe sLaLe auLhorlLy has glven consenL Such argumenL cannoL sLand ln
Lhe face of Lhe clear provlslon LhaL no LlLle Lo sLaLe land shall be acqulred by possesslon unlawful
occupaLlon or occupaLlon under any llcence for any perlod whaLsoever as prescrlbed under s 48 lL
means LhaL adverse possesslon cannoL become a bar Lo Lhe recovery of possesslon by Lhe
proprleLor or any person havlng an lnLeresL Lhereln as sLaLed ln s 341
1o be concluded LlLle Lo SLaLe Land can only be acqulred by Lhe process of allenaLlon and no
oLher Such allenaLlon musL be effecLed ln accordance wlLh Lhe provlslons lald down ln Lhe relevanL
sLaLuLe only (Land Law ln Malaysla Cases and CommenLary 1993 1eo keang Sood g 60 eLallng
!aya Lexlsnaxls Malaysla)

32 1he uocLrlne of equlLable esLopple may noL be ralsed agalnsL Lhe SLaLe AuLhorlLy
under Lhe prlnclple of esLoppel lf Lhe plalnLlff can show LhaL Lhelr occupaLlon resulLlng from
Lhe represenLaLlon express or lmplled encouragemenL even by acqulescence or by conducL whlch
have made Lhe plalnLlff Lo belleve LhaL Lhere ls an assurance by Lhe represenLor whlch has lnduced
hlm Lo spend some money Lhus equlLy wlll noL leL Lhe represenLor Lo escape wlLhouL acLuallzlng Lhe
plalnLlff's equlLy
(flle///C/Maryam27s20uocumenLs/LAnu20LAW201/LSAlMLn/A_SLudy_on_SquaLLershLm)
Powever promlssory esLoppel or equlLable esLoppel cannoL be lnvoked agalnsL Lhe SLaLe or a local
auLhorlLy ln carrylng ouL lLs sLaLuLory duLles accordlng Lo Lhe [udgmenL of Abdoolcader l! ln CovL of
negerl Sembllan Anor v ?ap Chong Lan Crs (1984 2 ML! 123)
1o compare Lhls wlLh lslamlc Land Law based on 8abadah's case Lhere ls a prlnclple of
lslamlc Land AdmlnlsLraLlon whlch ls 8lghLs of sLaLe Lo acqulre land whlch belong Lo person for publlc
use ln Lhls case SLaLe has acqulred a blg huge land LhaL used Lo goaLherd 1he sald land was been
acqulred for publlc use (Lpah Lolong carlkan pasal nl dalam buku undang2 Lanah lslam unLuk buaL
clLaLlon)
1hus ln so far as a squaLLers on sLaLe land ls enLlLled Lo proLecL hls possesslon agalnsL all buL
Lhe SLaLe or as Lhe case may be persons who have a beLLer rlghL Lo possesslon he has acqulred by
vlrLue of hls acLual occupaLlon a possessory rlghLs whlch may be sald Lo be proprleLary ln naLure ln
respecL of Lhe land (1enure and Land ueallngs ln Lhe Malay SLaLes 1973 uavld S? Wong g 107
Slngapore unlverslLy ress)