Posts Tagged ‘Penang’

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Kg Buah Pala residents hope on Bukit Gelugor UMNO

August 23rd, 2009
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Yup, the title is correct. First, they met (a rep) DPM Muhyiddin. Then, Lim Guan Eng said state won’t be helping anymore. Next, came the court verdict which favored the developer. And now this:

Kampung Buah Pala villagers have turned to the Bukit Gelugor Umno division for help now that the state government has washed its hands off the land controversy.

Residents association chairman M. Sugumaran said division chairman Datuk Omar Faudzar had agreed to hold talks with the developer and landowner over the matter.

“We were left without a choice after Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng washed his hands off the issue. We strongly believe we would not be let down this time,” he said during a press conference at the village here Saturday.

Sugumaran also said eight families who had earlier agreed to the ex-gratia deal – a double-storey terrace house with a 99-year lease title for each of the 24 temporary occupation license (TOL) holders – had returned the signed agreements to the developer.

“They are back with us. There are now 21 of us who do not agree with the offer,” he said.

The residents have until Aug 31 to vacate the over 100-year-old village in Bukit Gelugor before the developer Nusmetro Ventures (P) Sdn Bhd starts pulling down their houses from Sept 1.

It was reported Friday that the Federal Court stood by its June 24 decision that the Buah Pala residents must vacate their homes and hand the property over to a developer for redevelopment.

Sugumaran said the villagers were disappointed with Lim who had shirked his responsibility at “the peak” of the issue.

“It is disappointing for Lim to leave us at such a time. But luckily, when one door is closed, there appears to be a ray of hope with (Datuk) Omar now coming to lend us a helping hand. He fully understands our plight,” he said.

When contacted, Omar said he would meet up with representatives of the developer Nusmetro Venture (P) Sdn Bhd on Tuesday.

If the residents play their cards well, maybe can get some compensation, but don’t hope too much. In the end, money talks.

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Court decides against Kg Buah Pala residents

August 21st, 2009
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The Federal Court struck out the second leave application (with cost) by the residents of Kg Buah Pala today, in an unanimous decision. Hindraf  Uthayakumar was at the court as well.

The court ruled as follows:

Arifin ruled that the question which the residents wanted the Federal Court to determine — whether they have the locus standi (legal standing) to institute legal proceedings against the cooperative and the developer — could not be raised at the apex court because that issue was never raised at the lower courts.

On the issue of indefeasibility of the title of the land, Arifin said the Court of Appeal had ruled that the alienation to the cooperative was proper and legal.

He said the residents could have raised the title issue before the previous Federal Court panel but had failed to do so.

“Therefore, they cannot raise it now,” Arifin said.

In other words, they are considered as tresspassers and have to vacate the land now, as ruled by the court in June. Can they go back to lower court and file another appeal or suit to decide on the locus standi and land title?

Anyway, since DPM Muhyiddin has given the residents some sort of hope, perhaps there is still light at the end of the tunnel.

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Penang Govt gives up on Kg Buah Pala

August 20th, 2009
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After yesterday’s event, I kind of expected this response from the state government. The state government is washing its hands off the problem of Kg Buah Pala since the residents have approached the Federal government.

Now the residents have chosen their path, and can’t turn back.  Most likely they will end up with nothing unless federal government waves a magic wand.

I think the state government were looking for an excuse,  and the residents provided one just in time.  We can only hope that the residents have been given the correct advice by those involved.

The Penang government said its mediator role between Kampung Buah Pala residents and the landowner and developer is “as good as over.”

Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng said as far as the state government was concerned, the matter ended when some of the villagers sought help from the Barisan Nasional.

“We have done our part and as far as we are concerned, the matter ends there.

“Since they have gone to see the Barisan, the matter ends there,” he told reporters at a Ramadan aid presentation to mosques at Politeknik Seberang Prai here on Thursday.

On Wednesday, Kampung Buah Pala residents association committee chairman M. Sugumaran handed over a 17-page memorandum to Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin at the Permatang Pauh Barisan Nasional operations centre.

Sugumaran told Muhyiddin that only the Barisan could help resolve the villagers’ problem, claiming that the Penang government had “merely made empty promises.”

Sugumaran said he hoped Muhyiddin would shed some light on the matter since land issues were generally under the Federal Government’s purview.

Lim said the move to meet the Muhyiddin merely validated the state’s concern that the residents could have been used by certain quarters, or that they might have a “political agenda.”

Lim said he did not understand why the Kampung Buah Pala villagers were doing this.

He claimed that the Barisan had not done anything for the residents, while the Pakatan Rakyat-led state government helped them obtain an offer of double-storey terrace houses with a 99-year lease title.

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Kg Buah Pala residents give memo to DPM Muhyiddin

August 19th, 2009
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I got to hand it to the residents, they are really pushing every possible button in order to save their land. If state government not able to help, go to Federal. Even though PM Najib already said land matters are state issue, DPM Muhyiddin seem to indicate otherwise.

Not sure what he meant by “The deadline (for the residents to vacate the land) is Aug 31. We want to see how the state government can resolve the issue”. If after 31st August only want to do something, most probably they will only see a flattened land. The developer is itching to demolish the place, so I’m not sure where the DPM is leading the residents to. A false hope? Now the state can turn around and say since the Federal government seem to indicate can do something, we’ll just leave it to them. That’s the peril of jumping ship. Its like burning the bridge at both ends.

I’m sure the residents are aware their problem was caused by the same group from which they are asking for help now. When desperate, have to  resort to desperate measures. Can’t blame them. Now, its up to Federal government to save them. How? Maybe federal government and coalition can make some deal with the coperative and/or the developer, bypassing the state government. Err..along the way, MIC need to be given some role to play as well.

So, its with (in)sincere feeling that the rep, Sugumaran pleads:

“…Now we realise that only the BN can really help the people,” said Sugumaran.

Kg Buah Pala issue may also impact the upcoming by-elections in Permatang Pasir, so each coalition needs to play its card properly. Will this be turned into a racial point? corruption point? administation weakness point? Which coalition can milk the most out of Kg Buah Pala sage to entice the 70% over Malay voters and minority Chinese and Indian voters?

The federal government has so far not intervened in the Kampung Buah Pala land ownership issue as it wants to see whether the Penang government is capable of resolving the issue.

Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin said this to Kampung Buah Pala residents association chairperson M Sugumaran after receiving a memorandum on the issue from him.

“The deadline (for the residents to vacate the land) is Aug 31. We want to see how the state government can resolve the issue,” he said.

The seven-page memorandum was handed to Muhyiddin when he visited Permatang Pasir, near here, to look at the Barisan Nasional’s preparations for the upcoming by-election.

Sugumaran said in the memorandum, the association urged the federal government to intervene in the issue in order to save the traditional village and turn it into a planned village.

He said the residents were forced to ask for federal government intervention following the state government’s failure to keep its promise of helping the villagers if the opposition was given the mandate to govern the state.

“(Lim) Guan Eng (chief minister) cannot assist us. Now we realise that only the BN can really help the people,” said Sugumaran.

The Federal Court recently ordered the residents to vacate the 2.6ha village land belonging to Koperasi Pegawai Kerajaan Pulau Pinang (KPKPP), to make way for a housing project.

However, the Federal Court yesterday fixed Friday to hear a new application by the residents to set aside the Appeals Court’s decision made on May 11, that KPKPP is the rightful owner of the land. – Bernama

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Gobala Gobala

August 19th, 2009
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Looks like Gobalakrishnan, MP for Padang Serai hitting out at a person (policeman):

And after that, he was manhandled and arrested. It seems broken/fractured the hand, torn pants until can see the underwear.

If based on clip shown in TV3, its a by-election in Padang Serai soon. Its possible that the MP was provoked, but still its wrong to hit a another person, especially law enforcement officer. I wonder how he going to escape from this mess.

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