‘FELDA PAPERS TO RECLAIM LAND READY’
Dispute over Jalan Semarak land will be resolved when Felda reclaims title, says Shahrir
ALL documentation required for Felda’s application to reclaim ownership of its land in Jalan Semarak is ready to be submitted to the Federal Territories Land and Mines Office.
Felda chairman Tan Sri Shahrir Abdul Samad, however, did not specify the date of submission, which would include the Form 14A document necessary for the transfer process.
“Form 14A and other relevant papers on land matters have been completed for submission.
“Just wait. Soon, all disputes (over the land) will finally be resolved when we reclaim the Jalan Semarak land title back to Felda,” he said.
Shahrir denied that the non-confrontational solution to the issue was a “gimmick to deceive Felda settlers”.
He said the decision to allow Synergy Promenade Sdn Bhd (SPSB) to continue developing the land would be discussed after completion of the land title transfer.
Berita Harian, in an exclusive report late last year, broke the story that Felda was at risk of losing ownership of the piece of land worth more than RM200 million following what had been described as a “dubious deal” in 2015.
The plot of land, which had been earmarked for the Kuala Lumpur Vertical City development project, would feature seven towers, including Felda’s iconic tower, to be known as KLVC Tower 1A.
The ownership transfer of the land took place when FIC Sdn Bhd appointed SPSB as its main developer on June 3, 2014, and it was granted full power of attorney to develop the land.
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib subsequently ordered a forensic audit and police investigation into the case.
On Jan 15, SPSB returned all plots of land involved in Jalan Semarak and all documents related to the parcels of land alienated to the developer to Felda, at no cost, 26 days after the story broke. Ownership recovery of all 16 plots was obtained via a memorandum of understanding signed between Felda and SPSB.
The KLVC project would proceed as the land had received approval for development, as would the investigation on who was behind the controversy.
On another matter, Shahrir said an overwhelming number of settlers were with Felda, which was proof of their confidence in the agency in handling land matters.
He said 105,000 out of 112,000 settlers were with Felda, marking a 93 per cent increase as at January, compared with 94,000 last July.
“Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak had, in July, announced that 94,000 settlers were with Felda, and within six months (January this year), 11,000 more returned to the Felda fold, bringing the total to 105,000.
“The remaining 7,000 who are no longer with Felda manage their own oil palm plantations.”
He said Felda continued to play a role in developing rural settlers and had retained their confidence in resolving internal matters.
He said Felda’s doors remained open to the 7,000 settlers who were not with the agency.