#13 The Land Office, and the Limb of Adat
The momentum was building. Having secured the crucial consensus from my mother, Pak Long Latiff, and Mak Su Ummi to formalize the land inheritance, I moved forward, requesting the final quotation from the law firm. Since the confrontation with Pak Ngah Ghazali was delayed by his health, his land was included as an option.
The lawyers responded quickly with their fees—and a devastating legal blow. They informed me that Lot 5635, the 1.03-acre land my mother had courageously agreed to divide with Mak Su Ummi to ensure fairness, could not be legally subdivided.
The Price of Professionalism and the Pivot
I flew back to Malaysia that weekend to manage the crisis. I first approached my mother with the news of Lot 5635. My initial suggestion—to give the entire 1.03 acres to Mak Su Ummi to honor the spirit of the fairness agreement—was met with firm resistance. Since the law prohibited division, she argued, the land should remain hers entirely. I left the matter there; a legal dispute was now far more complex than a family negotiation.
The next step was to present the lawyer’s quotation to all stakeholders: Pak Long Latiff (in person), Mak Su Ummi (via phone), and my mother. The outcome was unanimous, but disappointing: every single one of them rejected the proposal due to the cost.
I sent a final email to the law firm, politely thanking them for their time and the comprehensive quotation but explaining that the family had collectively decided not to proceed due to the fees. They responded wishing me well and luck in the process, which kept the door open for future collaboration.
Mak Long Khadijah, leveraging her past experience, advised that the family should forgo the lawyer entirely. She insisted the process was simple: we should perform the name transfer ourselves by bringing Grandmother directly to the Land Office.
I understood the cost-saving impulse. The trade-off, however, was immense: using a law firm allowed Grandmother to sign from the comfort of home; the DIY route demanded we physically transport her, frail and bedridden, to the Land Office. If we were going to ask this sacrifice of her, we had to do it once, efficiently, and for all lots possible.
I immediately called the Land Office. The officer, thankfully, was helpful, patiently answering my long list of questions and providing a complete list of necessary documents. We agreed to execute the transfers the following Monday.
Securing the Final Consent and The Missing Grants
I flew back to Malaysia again the following weekend. My father, my mother, and I drove to the hospital to visit Pak Ngah Ghazali during his dialysis treatment. He was glad to see us (and receive the teh tarik we brought). I explained our new plan: the DIY transfer at the Land Office next Monday. He readily agreed and confirmed he had no dialysis appointment that day and would come along. I reminded him of the critical need to bring his birth certificate as proof of his relation to Grandmother.
We finalized the list of lands for the Monday transfer:
- Lot 4213: 2.42 acres to Pak Long Latiff
- Lot 4970: 2.25 acres to Pak Ngah Ghazali
- Lot 5050: 1.49 acres to my mother
- Lot 929: 2.35 acres ancestral land fruit orchard to Mak Su Ummi
- Lot 5635: 1.03 acres – In Dispute
The problem of the missing original grant documents arose. My mother only had the grant for the land intended for her. I called Kalsom, and thankfully, she agreed to come with Pak Ngah Ghazali to the Land Office on Monday, bringing the grants for his and Pak Long Latiff’s lots. This accidental cooperation with Kalsom was a huge win.
The Mystery of Lot 5635 and the Adat Barrier
The grant for the disputed Lot 5635 remained missing. This land was part of a larger, 3-acre lot shared with Haji Din and Mak Long Farah (one acre each). Calls to both yielded only a copy from Mak Long Farah; Haji Din had nothing. In a twist of fate, this missing document was a blessing: it prevented us from transferring the entire lot to my mother, which would have been glaringly unfair to her siblings. We agreed to proceed with the six acres we had documents for and leave Lot 5635 unsolved for the moment.
Then came the final, most complex barrier: Mak Su Ummi’s fruit orchard (Lot 929) is Ancestral Land (Tanah Adat). For Tanah Adat, the Land Office transfer is not enough. We require a supporting letter from a local leader with the title Datuk Lembaga.
In Negeri Sembilan, our family’s suku (tribe), Seri Lemak Minangkabau, is overseen by the Lembaga titled Datuk Setia Lela. To make the Monday transfer to the Land Office in Kuala Pilah easier, we relocated to Grandmother’s village home.
A Late Night Visit to the Lembaga
That night, my father and I went searching for the Datuk Setia Lela. After asking around, we found his home, about five kilometers away. He is a man in his 70s, whose wife, Mak Andak, happily greeted us and called him out. We sat down outside, breathing the cool night air.
The initial small talk was reassuring. They not only knew Grandmother, but also all her children—especially Pak Ngah Ghazali, whom they grew up with. With this familial connection established, we explained our purpose: the supporting letter for the ancestral land transfer.
Mak Andak took the lead, advising us that our understanding was incorrect: we must first file the application at the Land Office, and then the Land Office would contact the Datuk Setia Lela for confirmation. This directly contradicted our phone call with the Land Office, but we didn’t push. We were strangers, late at night, in his home unannounced. In any case, the successful visit meant we knew where to find the authority for Mak Su Ummi’s orchard and had established the vital connection.
The Climax: Operation Land Office
The morning of the Land Office transfer was dedicated to a single, critical mission: ensuring Grandmother’s comfort and dignity during the difficult journey.
At 7:30 AM, I maneuvered the car close to the house. We carefully lifted Grandmother onto her wheelchair and pushed her through the gate. The plan was to move her slowly into the passenger seat, but she couldn’t lift her left leg high enough. The movement was too strained. We realized the error: the last time she entered a car, it was from the left side. Simple as it sounds, this small detail was a barrier. We settled her back, I swiftly turned the car, and with the left-side door facing her, she managed to get in with relative ease. This moment solidified an important lesson: in handling the elderly, safety and comfort depend on meticulous care for even the smallest details.
We arrived at the Kuala Pilah Land Office around 8:00 AM. In front of the building, a row of bustling breakfast stalls offered a welcome sight. My father, my mother, and I stopped for roti canai and nasi lemak. Pak Long Latiff arrived shortly after and joined us. It was a rare, comforting moment—the family gathered, eating together outside the village, enjoying food that tasted exceptionally good. I was profoundly glad Grandmother was there to share it.
We soon entered the Land Office, took a number, and were called less than five minutes later. The counter officer explained the procedure and handed us Form 14A, a long and meticulous document. We requested two forms—one for my mother and one for Pak Long Latiff. Maybe due to nervousness, my mother filled her form incorrectly, twice. The form required perfection, and twice we had to sheepishly return to the counter for a fresh set, earning an annoyed glance from the officer.
Just then, Kalsom and Pak Ngah Ghazali arrived. Kalsom surveyed the scene—my mother and I manually struggling with the forms—but said nothing.
Finally, my mother managed to complete the form. Then, Kalsom stepped forward. Greeting the officer at the counter (a subtle show of her professional familiarity), she reached into her file and proudly produced three sets of Form 14A—all pre-filled and neatly computer-typed—for my mother, Pak Long Latiff, and Pak Ngah Ghazali. My mother’s painstaking manual effort was instantly rendered moot. A critical question burned in my mind: why hadn’t Kalsom mentioned her pre-filled forms when she saw us struggling?
The process hit a snag immediately. Pak Ngah Ghazali had not brought his national ID. They could proceed with processing his application only up to the point of witnessing Grandmother’s signature, but not his. He would have to return another day. Kalsom’s face fell; her careful preparation had been undermined by her own father’s oversight.
We were asked to wait to be called by the Assistant District Officer (ADO). Some minutes later, the ADO—a friend of Kalsom’s, which was a small stroke of luck for us—called us, including Grandmother, into a meeting room.
The ADO went through the forms methodically. Starting with Pak Long Latiff’s case, she asked Grandmother if she genuinely agreed to bequeath Lot 4213. Grandmother confirmed her agreement and pressed her thumbprint onto the form, witnessed by the ADO. Pak Long Latiff signed in turn. The ADO repeated the process for my mother and Pak Ngah Ghazali.
We were deeply relieved that the core transfers went smoothly. Grandmother seemed genuinely happy that the process was moving forward, despite the setbacks.
The New Hurdles
The officer addressed the unresolved lots:
- Lot 5635 (The Disputed Acre): I asked about obtaining the missing grant. The officer explained the process was long and complicated, requiring a Statutory Declaration (Akuan Bersumpah) from all co-owners and likely taking six months or more. This confirmed that Lot 5635 would remain on hold.
- Lot 929 (Ancestral Land): The officer confirmed our late-night fears: the Datuk Lembaga is required to issue a supporting letter for the transfer of this Tanah Adat. She provided us with an example of the specific letter format we would need to show Datuk Setia Lela.
With the process settled, I seized the moment. I asked my uncles if they agreed to the crucial next step: I would hire a professional surveyor to execute the demarcation of the land, bear the initial costs, and then present them with two options for reimbursement.
This question, and the implications of the surveyor’s work, will be detailed in the next blog post.