Native Law as One of The Sources of Law in Sabah Legal System
Keywords:
customs, native law, source of law, legal system, legal pluralism
Abstract
Native law is one of the sources of law recognised by the Federal Constitution in Malaysia. In Sabah1, one of the states in East Malaysia, native law received its formal recognition from the British government in 1888. It continues to exist until today, governing matters involving the natives of Sabah. The law is administered by the native court, presided by the native chiefs. This paper discusses the evolution of native law in the State of Sabah since colonial times and analyses the development of customary law as one of the sources of law in the Malaysian legal system. The analysis includes a discussion on the validity of customs and the position of native law in the Sabah legal system.
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References
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Watsons, I. (2008). Aboriginal women's laws and lives. How might we keep growing the law?,In Elliot Johnston, Martin Hinton and Daryle Rigney (Eds.),Indigenous Australians and the law (2nd ed). Abingdon, Oxon: Routledge-Cavendish.
AJ Harding, Legal pluralism and the constitutional position of East Malaysia's indigenous peoples: The view from the longhouse, book chapter in G Bell and V Taylor (ed), Pluralism, Transnationalism and Culture in Asian Law: A Book in Honour of M.B. Hooker, Singapore, ISEAS, late 2015. https://www.academia.edu/12342159/Legal_pluralism_and_the_constitutional_position_of_East_Malaysia_s_indigenous_peoples_The_view_from_the_longhouse?fs=rwc-h
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Bederman, J. D. (2010). Custom as a source of law (p. 3). New York: Cambridge University Press.
Borrows, J. (2005). 'Indigenous legal traditions in Canada'. Journal of Law & Policy, 19:167, p. 175.
Chan, J. (2015, June 9). Sabahans Want Stripper Tourists Charged In Native Court. The Malay Mail Online. Retrieved From Https://Sg.News.Yahoo.Com/Sabahans-Want-Stripper-Tourists-Charged-Native-Court-110200638.Html.
Chiba, M. (2007). Custom and Law. In David S. Clark (ed.), In Encyclopedia of Law & Society: American and Global Perspectives. Retrieved from http://sk.sagepub.com.ezaccess.library.uitm.edu.my/reference/law/n161.xml on 10.07.2020
Curzon, B. L. (2010). Dictionary of Law (6th ed., p.115). Petaling Jaya: International Law Book Services.
Danny Wong Tze Ken. (2009). "Wooley and the codification of native customs in Sabah". New Zealand Journal of Asian Studies, 11(6), 187-105.
Doherty Michele, Jurisprudence: The Philosophy of Law, 2nd edi., Old Bairy Press, London, p.g. 233.
Egwummuo, J. N. Principles and practice of land law (p. 139). Academic Publishing Company.
Gindok @Ginduk, J (2018) Mahkamah Anak Negeri Satu Transformasi (p.69) Kota Kinabalu: Jabatan Cetak Kerajaan Sabah, Malaysia
Halsbury's Laws of Malaysia -- Land (Volume 10(1) (2017)) retrieved from https://www.lexisnexis.com/my/legal/results/docview/docview.do?docLinkInd=true&risb=21_T28924203474&format=GNBFULL&sort=$PSEUDOXAB,A,H,$PSEUDOLOSK,A,H&startDocNo=1&resultsUrlKey=29_T28924203478&cisb=22_T28924203477&treeMax=true&treeWidth=0&csi=347238&docNo=
Hamzah, W. A. (2009). A First Look at the Malaysian Legal System (p.104-107.) Selangor Darul Ehsan: Oxford.
Holden, S. L. (2003). Custom and law practices in Central India: Some case studies South Asia research, 23(2), 115–134,034681. Retrieved from https://www.academia.edu/39628037/CUSTOM_AND_LAW_PRACTICES_IN_CENTRAL_INDIA_SOME_CASE_STUDIES.
Hornby, S. A. (1994). Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary (p. 294). Oxford: University Press.
Khan, H. U. (2012). Jurisprudence and Comparative Legal Theory, Dhaka: Ain Prokashan at p. 169
Kazi. F, Savigny's Theory of Volkgeist retrieved from https://www.academia.edu/5297796/Savignys_theory_of_Volksgeist
on 15.01.2020
Lakshman Marasinghe,' Customary Law as an Aspect of Legal Pluralism, with Particular Reference to British Colonial Africa", JMCL, 25 (1998): 19-20
Mani, B. N. (1999). Jurisprudence (Legal Theory), Faridabad: Allahabad Law Agency, at p. 165
Medha P M, Legal Pluralism retrieved from https://www.academia.edu/37576316/Legal_Pluralism
Nadia Fadhila, Constitutionalising Legal Pluralism and the Rights of Indigenous People in South East Asia Explaining the Constitutional Entrenchment of Indigenous People's Customary Law in Malaysia and Indonesia, Constitutionalism in South East Asia https://www.academia.edu/30977319/Constitutionalizing_Legal_Pluralism_and_the_Rights_of_Indigenous_People_in_South_East_Asia_Explaining_the_Constitutional_Entrenchment_of_Indigenous_Peoples_Customary_Law_in_Malaysia_and_Indonesia
Owoniyi v. Omotosho F.S.C.249/1960; LN-e-LR/1961/75 (FSC) 15TH JUNE, 1961. http://lawnigeria.com/Court-Judgments/1961-JUDGMENTS/1961-OWONYIN-V.-OMOTOSHO.html.
Phelan, R. P. Native Law in Sabah. In Syed Ahmad Idid bin Syed Abdullah Idid (Ed.) (1993) Native Court and Customary Law of Sabah (with Cases and Decisions) (p. 87). Kota Kinabalu: Sabah Government Printer.
Phelan, R. P. (2003) The traditional legal system of Sabah (p.7). Kota Kinabalu: Pusat Kajian Borneo.
Knaup, K. (1970-1971). Native family law in Sabah: As study of customary law within a common law state. Saints Louis University Law Journal, 15,257.
Rai, N. Basic concept of Savigny's Volkgeist. Retrieved from www.academia.edu/428817/BASIC_CONCEPT_OF_SAVIGNYS_VOLKSGEIST on 01.03.2021
R.J.Wilkinsom. (1970). Malay law (p. 9). In MB Hooker (Ed.), Reading & adat laws.Singapore University Press.
Strouthes, D. P. (2002). "Customary Law" from Encyclopedia of crime and punishment. SAGE Publications. Retrieved from https://sk-sagepub-com.ezaccess.library.uitm.edu.my/reference/download/crimepunishment/n116.pdf
TN Harper (2001). The End of Empire and the Making of Malaya. Cambridge, Cambridge University Press, p. 2
Vidyadhar, M. (1987). Jurisprudence & legal theory (5th ed., p. 255). Lucknow: India, Eastern Book Company.
Watsons, I. (2008). Aboriginal women's laws and lives. How might we keep growing the law?,In Elliot Johnston, Martin Hinton and Daryle Rigney (Eds.),Indigenous Australians and the law (2nd ed). Abingdon, Oxon: Routledge-Cavendish.
Published
2021-11-10
How to Cite
Salleh, R. (2021) “Native Law as One of The Sources of Law in Sabah Legal System”, Malaysian Journal of Social Sciences and Humanities (MJSSH), 6(11), pp. 399 - 412. doi: 10.47405/mjssh.v6i11.1138.
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