By Yow Hong Chieh
The Malaysian Insider
Sep 07, 2011
KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 7 — DAP has accused Putrajaya of bad faith for not guaranteeing the return of land acquired for the Klang Valley Mass Rapid Transit (KVMRT) project even while admitting that the wholesale acquisition was done for the sake of convenience.
DAP publicity chief Tony Pua said expediency was no reason to abuse the law and jeopardise landowners’ rights, particularly since the National Land Code 1965 had been amended in 1990 to allow underground land to be acquired without affecting surface property.
The “convoluted” explanation from the Land Public Transport Commission (SPAD) yesterday justifying the government’s decision to acquire land in toto in spite of these existing legal provisions showed that acquisition was little more than a land grab, he alleged.
“All the various untenable excuses being raised leads only to a single possible conclusion — the land acquisition exercises proposed in Chinatown, Bukit Bintang and other prime locations are nothing but poorly masked attempts at profiteering and land grab,” Pua said in a statement today.
“They are in breach of the spirit of the Land Acquisition Act 1960 where the government is only to acquire private land, and only that which is necessary for public use and benefit, and not for profit.”
He added that SPAD should “stop tunnelling a deeper hole” for itself by trying to legitimise the government’s excessive land acquisition and urged the commission to stick to its role of independently regulating and ensuring efficient and effective public transport.
“It should not become a partner-in-crime for the government to justify its ‘land grab’ exercises, which is completely irrelevant to the planning and design of the MRT system,” he said.
SPAD chief executive Mohd Nur Kamal said in a letter to The Malaysian Insider yesterday that affected landowners can apply for stratum titles from the government after acquisition but added there was no guarantee Putrajaya would re-alienate surface land back to the original owners.
He also denied accusations leveled by critics who claim the land acquisition exercise on Jalan Sultan in the heart of the capital was just a cover for a land grab.
SPAD had reportedly told traders there whose land will be acquired that they could hold on to their property at a meeting on August 23 brokered by MCA president Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek.
The commission had earlier insisted it would have to demolish buildings within the corridor of the station and tunnel prior to construction to ensure public safety given their age and uncertain soil conditions.
What did you expect from dealing with Syed Hamid?
Land grab is the conclusion.
We appreciate that the efficient execution of this project is important to ensure timely completion and cost minimisation. But in what ways a guarantee to the original landowners to have their shops back after the completion of the project would constitute a hindrance to the efficient execution of this project. The same procedures as mentioned by SPAD can be used, but just give an undertaking that the properties will be returned, that is all. If the owners have no guarantee, they are essentially at your mercy. You may lease/alienate the properties back to the original owners, but at what rates and terms? The compensation they get from the acquisition of their lands (both underground and surface) may eventually be smaller than the lease payments they have to pay to get their surface land back. You got it, SPAD?
What is yours is MINE and what’s mine is mine, a simple logic of SPAD n UmnoB
What does MCA has to say about this?
There is a huge piece of empty land just nearby opposite the the KL Traffic Police Station and the Taman Budaya, and next to a Sikh Temple which is currently used as a car-park and a small sudut selera.
Why doesn’t SPAD tweak the alignment by 1 degree and use this empty piece of land? The car park and the sudut selera can become part of the train station complex.
Using this now empty piece of land might solve all the current controversies and unhappiness. It is more central to all the surrounding buildings and leaving them all untouched.
Why don’t SPAD and everyone take a look at it?
Since the chinese in the country does not understand the supreme ketuanan status of umnoputras, umno must now exercise its right to demonstrate to who is zeee boss of zeeee country.
If the chinese should continue to remain oblivious to this critical fact then they would surely suffer worse consequences then the present acquisition. Ask kerismuddin bin lembuddin. He knows all about those consequences. And jib too for he once declared the desire to preserve umno’s position by crushing bodies and causing the loss of people’s lives.
Jib Jib Boleh.
Boy. How on earth did these people become the leaders of the country?
Bad Faith? That is way too generous.. Its IGNORANCE OF THEIR DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITY.. Unbelievable, they says that the reason it cannot be guaranteed is because they may screw up the property and don’t have to pay for it. Its the biggest project of this country EVER and they think they can have ENTITLEMENTS NONSENSE THAT PLAGUE THIS COUNTRY???
After submarines, after PKFZ, after Crooked bridge; after the on-and off double tracking, and what have you; Anything can happen even with a written agreement, This is Malaysia! The Boleh land!
Where are the MCA and Gerakan sickening people when Malaysian need them to speak up?
Their voices so loud against DAP and PR parties only??
Really an excuse of SPAD n UmnoB + their cronies 2 grab Chinatown land n 2 erase Chinatown fr UmnoB-biased history
1 stone kills multiple birds lor