PRESS STATEMENT BY MIC YOUTH COORDINATOR T.MOHAN

25th JULY 2009

MIC Youth wants the Pakatan Government in Penang to reveal the minutes of the state executive council meetings on the Kampung Buah Pala issue after it took over the power in March last year.

We want the state government to be transparent and give a full disclosure of what transpired in the state exco meetings on the issue.

This would reveal whether the Pakatan government under Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng had the interests of the Indians, especially the residents of Kg Buah Pala at  heart or not.

The Pakatan government’s intention to declassify the minutes of the previous government was to hoodwink the people and also shift their inefficiency against them.

Based on the reports, we MIC Youth feels that the residents have a legitimate right over the land and the hisotircal facts support their existence and their right over the land.

According to National Land Code Seksyen 78(3) ,  “The land remains a state land untill issuance of Registered Title”. state could secure the village by acquiring the land on grounds of public purpose and interests, under Section 76 of the National Land Code 1965 read together with the Land Acquisition Act.

The Pakatan government had accepted payment of RM2.2 mil as the balance of the premium on March 14, 2008, six days after taking office and the land title was issued to the Cooperative and the developer on March 27, 2008.

Under Section 81 (2) of the National Land Code, the premium has to be paid within three months of the approval and failure to do so, renders the approval null and void.

It is a known fact that the former Chief Minister Tan Sri Koh Tsu Koon had approved the project on April 24, 2007 and the premium of RM2.24 mil was only paid on March 14, 2008, 11 months later. This is already a strong reason for the state government to rescind the approval.So we believe there is hidden agenda

MIC Youth is bewildered as to why the Pakatan government is reluctant to take action when it is very clear that the provisions of the National Land Code has not been adhered to.

Instead of  blaming other for their own mistakes, Lim Guan Eng should do the honourable task of putting the interests of the residents of Kg Buah Pala first and cancelling the approval of the land to the Cooperative.

MIC Youth is willing to pay RM3.2 mil if the Pakatan government can cancel their approval and regain back the land which will be handed over to the people of Kg Buah Pala without any charge.

Hopefully Chief Minister Lim Guang Eng  will stand by his promises made to residents of Kg Buah Pala and not to beat around the bush and continue more political drama of his. MIC Youth will stand by our decision and settle the said amount as soon as we get the letter of offer from state government to purchase the land.

The Pakatan government has to cancel the approval for the land to the cooperative first and not try to deflect their responsibility by asking the MIC to discuss with the cooperative.

No right thinking person who had acquired the land through deception, would want to sell back the land at the same premium price when he knows that he would make a tidy profit. This is a Pakatan government mistake which they have to undo first.

The Pakatan leaders had also promised that they would not allow the Kg Buah Pala to be demolished but what has happened to their promises.

As responsible people, they should immediately tender their resignations if they were unable to fulfil their promises made during the campaign for the march 2008 general election.

MIC Youth would stand with the villagers to ensure that they were not evicted from the land. We call other right minded political parties and Indian non-governmental organizations to come and support these poor villagers on Aug 3.

MIC Youth calls on the Indians in Penang not to be hoodwinked by the claims that Pakatan government is fair to all races in the country. They had failed to ensure that the Indians in Kg Buah Pala were not cheated of the land.

—
Your’s Sincerely,

T.Mohan
National Coordinator
M.I.C YOUTH

I guess if the current government can declassify previous government’s minutes, it should have problem doing the same for those under its own administration. Just to clear the air.  Anyhow, MIC says money is ready for state government to buy back the land at nominal price. The Koperasi is adamant it won’t sell the land, even if it doesn’t get approval to develop the land. Means sit on idle land…