State govt urged to release payment to land owners

KOTA KINABALU: Parti Kerjasama Anak Negeri has questioned why compensation fund allocated by the federal government and chanelled through the Sabah State Treasury in September 2018 for land owners affected by the Pan Borneo Highway project was being witheld.

Its president, Datuk Henrynus Amin, said he was surprised when informed that several affected land owners who made inquiries at the Land and Survey Department Kota Kinabalu were told payment vouchers to pay land owners affected by the Pan Borneo Highway project could not be processed due to an alleged directive from a state minister to stop or withold payment.

Henrynus asked how it was possible or logical for the minister to issue directive to the director of the State Land and Survey Department which is under the Chief Minister’s Department to stop or withold payment.

“How was the minister able to direct and dictate on land matters when the state gazzette to excise private land for the Pan Borneo Highway project was made through the Land and Survey Department in July last year and letters of offer to compensate affected land were accepted and signed by land owners as early as January this year, “he said in a statement yesterday.

He said he was intrigued by the fact the State Land and Survey Department had issued notices to compel or force land owners to vacate their land or houses within 30 days to make way for road construction while at the same time the minister was alleged to have issued a directive to stop or withold payment to affected land owners.

Henrynus said the Chief Minister should clarify whether or not the stop payment order or the witholding of fund was discussed and decided in the State Cabinet meeting since there seemed to be no proper coordination among state agencies on matters related to the implementation of the Pan Borneo Highway project.

He also urged the Chief Minister to confirm or deny rumours that the Warisan-led State Government has a second thought about the Pan Borneo Highway project and was deliberately witholding fund in order to review certain aspects of its implementation.

“The Chief Minister should also clarify if indeed it was true the witholding of federal fund to compensate land owners affected by the Pan Borneo Highway project was a deliberate act solely to put pressure on road building contractors appointed by the previous administration.

“Affected land owners should not be victimized or treated as mere pawns if indeed it was the intention of the State Government to change terms or put pressure on road contractors of the Pan Borneo Highway project for reasons we do not know,” he said.

He said the stop payment order was highly unfair, strange and irregular since the Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad had already announced the committment of the Federal Government to continue funding and finish the project in Sabah and Sarawak.