Opposition leader: Land for Taib’s brother? Why?

By Ang Ngan Toh
Jun 25, 11 | MalaysiaKini

Bukit Assek state assemblyperson Wong Ho Leng has demanded to know why a huge parcel of land was alienated to a company owned by Chief Minister Abdul Taib Mahmud’s brother, Ibrahim, and Sibu Municipal Council (SMC) chairman Tiong Thai King.

Wong, also Sarawak state legislative assembly opposition leader, said Ibrahim and Tiong, who is also Lanang member of parliament, are already “multi billionaires”.

The 3,000-acre land should have been alienated to PJ Green Field Sdn Bhd, a reputable agriculture company, and not to Victoria Square Development Sdn Bhd, he said.

He added that PJ Green Field Sdn Bhd with some 90 farmers had applied for the alienation of the land located at the south of Loba Kabong forest reserve, about 9km northwest of Sibu town, for mixed crop agricultural development.

Wong was speaking yesterday during the debate on the motion of thanks after Yang di-Pertua Negeri Abang Muhamad Salahuddin Abang Barieng’s opening address.

“The proposed area is classified as a mixed zone land.

“The company proposed to plant mandarin oranges, coffee and aloe vera,” he said, adding that these agriculture activities will create employment and rejuvenate the entire west bank of Batang Igan.

Big dreams, big plans, big letdown

The application, dated Nov 28, 2003, was rejected in October 2006.

Wong said the company then learnt that the land in question was alienated as Lot 63 Block 6 Engkilo Land District to Victoria Square Development Sdn Bhd in April 2007.

He said: “Why are people of different spectrum treated differently? The land ought to be given to the farmers.”

He added that on Dec 12, 2007, slightly over a year later, PJ Green Field was informed that the land that they had applied for was likely subject to native customary rights .

“This is a lie. How can native customary rights not be determinable by 2007?

“Above all else, how could this land be likely subject to native customary rights when it could be alienated to Victoria Square Development Sdn Bhd eight months earlier?” he asked.

Wong asked Taib, who is also the minister of planning and resource management, to inform the House whether political reasons underlay the alienation exercise.

He said the government should encourage reputable farmers to apply for agriculture land, since there are so much suitable state reserve land available.

“I have said before in this House that our state must encourage agricultural activities as well as diversify,” he said, adding that the state must spread into other agriculture sectors and not just focus on oil palm alone as the international price of palm oil fluctuates.