There’s still quite a bit of unfinished business in this saga.
Why is it so important? First, land which is now said to be worth RM80-100 per sq ft was alienated to the Koperasi for RM10psf or RM3.2 million by the previous BN administration. Millions of ringgit that could have gone to the people of Penang were effectively handed over on a silver platter to the Koperasi-Nusmetro in exchange for peanuts. The big issue is, could the Pakatan state government have stopped the deal in its tracks?
Was the new state government in Penang unaware of the Kg Buah Pala crisis during the crucial period from when they came into power on 8 March 2009 until the land transfer was effected on 27 March 2008? Let’s zoom in on this period.
March 2008
8 – Opposition parties sweep to power in Penang.
13 – Buah Pala villagers meet the new Penang Chief Minister and inform him about their situation.
14 – But the very next day, the state government accepts final payment of RM2,247,000* for the Buah Pala land, nearly a year after the last payment, and almost 10 months after the Land Office asked for final payment.
15 – The villagers are tipped off that final payment has been made.
16 – The villagers alert their lawyer that final payment has been made.
17 (or thereabouts) – Their lawyer meets a senior DAP national leader.
21 – The villagers meet the Penang Chief Minister again. They alert the state government that final payment was made and are informed that a panel of inquiry would be set up to look into such dubious deals. They are given assurances and they come away from both meetings feeling euphoric.
22 – Penang state government announces a special panel to investigate land scams comprising deputy chief minister I Mohammad Fairus Khairuddin, deputy CM II Dr P Ramasamy and exco member Phee Boon Poh.
27 – The Land Office registers the transfer of Buah Pala land to the Koperasi giving it a temporary title, which prohibits transactions with third parties.* First payment of RM642,000 made on 16 March 2006, second payment of RM321,000 on 22 March 2007
The state government says by the time it took over, it was a done deal and it couldn’t do much. Really?
It is obvious the state government was already aware of the deal in March 2008. Did it try to delay the final land transfer? After all, the issue of compensation to the villagers had not been settled and the Koperasi had received a RM3 million discount mainly for this purpose. Moreover, two high-level state investigative panels were set up to probe the deal, one in March 2008 to probe land scams in general and the second one this year to probe the Buah Pala case. What are the outcomes of those investigations? Had the investigative committees done their work, they might have found out that the land was not the Penang state government’s to sell, as the High Court later indicated. In which case, could the deal have been aborted – before the transfer of ownership was registered with the Land Office – on the grounds that the BN exco’s approval was null and void?
And did the last payment (on 14 March 2008) require exco approval – as some have claimed – as it was received so late? A full disclosure of the Pakatan state government’s exco minutes would help to clarify some of these lingering questions. In the interests of transparency, that’s the least the administration could do.
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nkkhoo says: Penang Gerakan Chief Says “CAT” Stands For “Complaining, Accusing & Twisting”
Damn, I thought it stood for Collusion, Arrogance and Treachery!
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Robert
I thought CAT stands for Condos, Apartments and Townhouses !
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‘Why? Would it make you feel better? Let me tell you the result: Penangites outside KBP did not have their own ancestral homes demolished and local community destroyed; so of course many of them don’t care about or feel for KBP.’
Anil, you are ignoring the opinions of other penangites who would bear the bill of your past suggestions for KBP folks?
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Who bears the bill when the state govt allows property worth tens of millions of ringgit to be handed over unchallenged (despite two land scam investigative committees and a suggestion by lawyer Derek Fernandez regarding the restricted title) to the Koperasi and Nusmetro in exchange for peanuts?
And then there’s the (intangible) environmental cost of building yet another concrete jungle and depriving future generations of yet another green lung.
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Anil
We should also mention the environmental and quality of living degradations as well as further pushing up the price of land and property (as a result of dimininishing land).
Penang : From Silicon Island to Concrete Island
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Anil,
It’s about heritage not money remember?
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It’s about accountability, transparency, people-centred and sustainable development, housing rights, community, heritage ….
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LGE should declassify the minutes to show that what he has said so far are true. Not doing so would imply guilt. But it is rather sad that the present State Government, which has done so much in so short a time to instil fairness, transparency, and integrity in the Government, is now cleverly being painted as being worst than the previous State Government.
If the Exco minutes show that the State Government had deliberately permitted the Kg Buah Pala deal to be concluded when it had the power to stop it, then it should be brave enough to admit the truth, however much it may hurt. If the people of Penang feel that because of this, the previous State Government should be voted back into power, then the DAP and its allies should accept it rather than hide the truth. At least, once the Gerakan is back in power, it can create more “Kg Buah Palas” and see these deals through without having to share the blame with any other party.
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Oh yea of little faith. Does Guan Eng really not trust his own instincts? Does he or his die hard fans really think he will lose support for being honest?
Allow me to quote from Aliran: What comes from the heart, reaches the heart.
3/08 was about change. Already the wolves are smelling blood. If you have sat in jail for a complete stranger, this is a walk in the park in comparison. Really, who is KTK?
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BOH PIA BEH EIA.
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People have given LGE a golden chance to be Penang CM for his sacrifice in the past. The rest is history.
Please don’t be crying like a baby IF LGE cannot perform as our voters’ expectation. He is better to learn from the KBP blunder and change his arrogant attitude before more people fed up with him and DAP.
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Anil
I will agree with you on declassifying the minutes and if proven mistakes have been made LGE should take it on the chin and Penangite would judge him for that.
I would also agree with you that uncontrolled and unplanned developments are definitely undesirable and does no favours for Penangites
But what has the above got to do with having a poll on your website, readers who i assume would be well verse in the KBP issues? I would also assume that you are demanding the declassification so the truth will out and the people of penang can judge LGE? So whats wrong with having a poll now to see the sentiments of your readers on the KBP folks?
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I think they have suffered enough trauma from losing their treasured homes and community under dubious circumstances; they have already been vilified in the media and brushed aside without a full trial in the highest court – and now they should be subjected to outsiders from the comfort of their homes passing judgment on them via an opinion poll?
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Anil
DAP’s Decepticons’ assertion that KBP issue should be classified as NFA (No Further Action) and Case “Closed” is as outrageous and insensitive as saying since Teoh BK has died and we can’t bring him back, we might as well forget the whole affair.
No only that the KBP people been vilified and crucified in the media as a bunch of greedy goatherds and cowherds, they are been made homeless and driven away from their ancestors’ land. And worse of it all is that the land was acquired and transferred in a highly dubious manner, the details of which our Beloved Cheap Minister has taken pains to avoid being made public.
CAT – Condos, Apartments and Townhouses
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OK, a foregone conclusion then? Bravo and goodluck to you for defending them, my respect. I suspect things may not be as tricky had the KBP folks been advised ‘properly’ to come to a satisfactory conclusion. Anyway by way of highlighting the KBP folks issues aren’t you indirectly asking for the support of penangites and other malaysians who you term outsiders?
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Yes, it’s a foregone conclusion. I was just hoping a few more people outside KBP could look at the situation from the villagers’ perspective… after all, they were the ones losing their homes.
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