The Kampung Buah Pala residents have released a statement today, expressing dissatisfaction with Pakatan politicians who had promised to defend their right to the land during the general election campaign last year.
The villagers, who had earlier filed a complaint with the MACC over the land deal, are also claiming that not all families and households were offered compensation.
Some excerpts from the statement:
If the present State Government cannot stop the demolition then it is adopting the abuse of power by the previous government and is a party to it.
…We ask the state government to act now and at least stop and postpone the demolition. It can direct the developer and the police to do so. It should not abdicate its responsibility and shirk its responsibility.
Act now or forever be condemned. Please don’t give us platitudes. Don’t blame the previous BN government; you have the power now. Are you useless?
You can act to set aside the (highly questionable) transfers without paying a cent. Why are you not doing so? Are the developers tying your hands?
Are you now collaborating with and an accomplice of the previous government’s abuse…?
Are you friend or enemy? Are you part of the solution or part of the problem?
The offer by the developer is an eyewash. It is only for the few registered houses. What about the other unnumbered houses? What about the other extended families? Each house is occupied by several families. What about them? What about the tenants? They have been offered nothing.
We want out land which is our life. Please don’t mislead the public and side with the developers and Umno.
Do not use sweet promises to fish our votes and gain our support.
This village has historical and heritage value which cannot be bought by mighty capital and high force
There are over 23 registered houses, over 11 unregistered houses and 41 families and other residents. Compensation was never offered per family at all till now.
If the State Governement does not act now, it will only assist the developer to wipe out the only historical and heritage Tamil village in Malaysia.
Once our houses are demolished and we are thrown out and scattered, wherever we may be we will campaign against those who made false and empty promises…
“We ask the state government to act now and at least stop and postpone the demolition. It can direct the developer and the police to do so. It should not abdicate its responsibility and shirk its responsibility.”
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The residents have vested powers beyond the state govt.
1) The state govt cannot annul the court order.
2) It has no power to direct the developer who is backed by powerful interests and unafraid of the state govt.
3) The police will not listen to the state govt.
The residents should not lose the only friend they have by their emotional outburst, fueled in part by Hindraf. The state govt still retain some negotiating power with the developer as it can reject any development plans submitted by the developer. However it has no power to stop the demolition, it can only negotiate on the residents’ behalf.
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The problem was created by the previous state government under Koh Tsu Koon. He should be magnanimous enough to come and resolve the issue. Where is he?
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“Act now or forever be condemned. Please don’t give us platitudes. Don’t blame the previous BN government; you have the power now. Are you useless?”
Wow, such language! I for one will suggest the stage gov to “act useless” and let the machinery go in and get the whole thing done with ASAP.
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No Wonder Why LGE So emotion during the press conference …
Those villagers, are you living in a legal land ? Did you buy the land .. If no, then just move out .. if everyone also go and setup a house and stay there and claim that land is theirs , then why we need to buy a house ..Come on ..
If the villagers are so smart .. tell us what can the state gov do beside buying back the land .. the penang fund belong to every penangties and not only for your villagers buah pala ..
LGE act in a correct way .. we must respect the court not against .. do u see any timelight and do you think bringing to court , the court will favor u guys .. report police or macc , u think they will stand by you and listen to you …
The case has been there since 2005, now only you concern .. by right in 2005 , villagers should start to look for alternative accomodation .. and if gerakan still in power .. i guess there is no place for u to shout .. u will be arrested ..
if the state gov can help , they will help , u think they like this to be drag for so long
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The state must go through the courts if it wants to annul the Federal Court ruling which was in facour of the developer. If it uses its power, its considered disrespect to the Judiciary System in the country. Once such a precedent is done, in future governments would start challenging the independence of the judiciary openly. Thus, where will this put the rule of law.
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The villagers are silly if they think the state government is the enemy. If Hindraf is sincere about helping, how about offering opotions and ideas and not threats? This is a mutual problem that should be resolved mutually.
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It is a really big joke to enlist the police to help. The police are only interested in attending Fathers’ Day Dinner organised by the Klang DAP and bring along two water cannon trucks to show off.
Should they come, they will be standing on the developer’s side. Maybe, they will make a few arrests. You have to visualise who they arrest?
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Hindraf registered as political party in record time. Now what are they up to? The best the state government can do is to negotiate with the developer. Why blame the present govt who play no part in their dilemma.
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Damn stupid mentality.You think you can get your way by threatening???
Who are you to call the shots??? Its not their land so what is the fuss about.to hell with Hindraf!!!!
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LGE,dont give in this idiots.They think they can use threats to run dowmn the PKR.Let them vote for BN and see what will happen to them in future. Stupid *******
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Hear thee, hear thee..Residents of Buah pala you think you are living on your father’s land ah? Pack your bags and get out!! You have overstayed your welcome. Everything must come to an end one day nothing lasts forever..and if you think the present state government is useless what did you all do when the previous state govt. approved the plan? Then hoping for under-counter? You are all squatters so get yourself a legal place to live with your own money!!
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I don’t share the view that Penang has to acquire the land. But I am of the view that if the land was transferred from the state to the Koperasi through foul means, then take action. But once they get the land, should they continue to let the villagers stay? That is another question.
In the meantime, this looks like a repeat of the rent control act. They have been staying there for so long without the usual burdens of real estate ownership, they think it is their right. You would have to be a premise owner to understand this. Everyone who wants to own real estate and pass it on to their children must pay.
The state had better get cracking emptying their lands of squatters NOW !
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Oh god…the villagers & HIndraf has gone overboard. Do you guys expect/demand the Pg Government to grab back the land or else..WHAT? So much demand ah..might as well demand LGE position to be given to Utaya loh.
Hindraf has lost its creditability. No respect for them.
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Nusmetro Sdn Bhd. Umno-linked developer. … Greedy ……! Koh Tsu Koon …. the spineless (political) eunuch!
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90% Indians used to be staunch supporters for BN since day one. The wrongdoing was done by ex-state government which was supported by those indians stayed at Kampung Buah Pala.
What Koh Tsu Koon did is morally wrong, but he is right in legal aspect.
LGE shall organize a conference on this issue to gather feedback from legal experts on how to fight this case in court.
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Why is Hindraf insisting LGE can do things he can’t? Set aside the transfer when its already sold by the BN govt? that would subject Penang Govt to legal libailities..
Hindraf looks wrong in this but I don’t understand why LGE is saying Hindraf don’t know who is friend or not. Maybe true but I somehow I don’t think he hit it on the head. Hindraf is a radical movement and hence friends or foe will get hurt by what it does. But even a radical movement cannot do the wrong thing and Hindraf is doing the wrong thing and that is what LGE should be talking about. They are wrong about what the State govt can do and it looks like possibly wrong about what the developer will do about demolishing the site on the date.
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Nobody ask LGE to do the impossible. The core issue of Kampung Buah Bala is not about compensation, enemy or friend, it is about social justice. Why we used to have Rent Control Act? It is to protect the people, until KTK took it away from the people and reduce GeorgeTown to be a Ghost Town. We want the government to protect living heritage, protect our home land not to simply build and destroy. This LGE has no vision and doesn’t seem to know what he is doing. He is not BAD but just STUPID.
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I wish that hindraf is more mature and more visionary. but they don’t. what a sad thing…
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“Hindraf is a radical movement and hence friends or foe will get hurt by what it does.”
Sorry, my view is that Hindraf is a force for good. It is primarily a human rights movement which is open to all Malaysians and stands for ALL rightful Malaysian good causes and therefore, stands also against ALL Malaysian injustices.
The original group that is the true Hindraf (led by P Uthayakumar and his brother Waythamoorthy) just happened to start on a first good cause that related to the bad acts of marginalisation, persecution and injustices done in the particularly hig-profiled and unlawful destruction of Malaysian/Indian temples, and which destructive acts and injustices SEEMED to impact the Indian ethnic Malayisans and their communities far more so than other Malaysians/ communities.
“Imagine Power To The People” John Lennon.
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Ibrahim,
Absolutely agree with you, HINDRAF can merely talk talk talk, they can not do anything useful or constructive. Neither they provide any legal assistance to Kg Buah Pala Villagers, despite several of them are lawyers. Also mentioned marginalization of Indian…but Uthaya and other HINDRAF, asked yourselves what have you done to help the Villagers or Indian in general besides heard you all talk ig. No contribution at all, besides offer just a lip service.
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“Act now or forever be condemned’?
This guy does not have grey matter in his head. If LGE has to act in favour of the KgPala residents, using his ‘powers’ he would also be abusing his powers as a CM. Staying and living on a piece of land does not make you the owner of the land, and why should the rest of the taxpayers fork out the money to buy the land from the developers to give to the Kg Pala squatters?
Wise up folks of Kg Pala, if I were you all, I would take the coompensation and clear out from there. What social justice is Ong Eu Soon talking about? If there is any justice at all, the residents in Kg Pala should return the land to the rightful owners and not claim for what was not theirs in the first place.
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What a joke! Obviously those residents of Kg Pala lives in their own fantasy land.
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LGE went to courts fighting for the girl alledgedly rapred by (a Malacca politician) but now. Sacrifice your position as CM LGE, fight for the PEOPLE.
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proven why they forever have to bare the title of squatters. They love squatting.
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