‘Cancel new approval for proposed devt of land opposite MJC’
KUCHING: Sarawak DAP chairman Chong Chieng Jen wants the state government to cancel the new approval for the proposed development of the 260-acre state land opposite MJC Commercial Centre in Batu Kawa.
He said this was because the land was sold way below the market price.
“The land was sold at around RM400,000 per acre only, when land in that area now is priced about RM2 million per acre.
“When I first raised the issue in 2014 the whole alienation process was put on hold. But sadly in the 2016 state election, SUPP won Batu Kawah and BN had a bigger victory and this alienation of land to a crony company continued,” he told a press conference at DAP headquarters here yesterday.
Chong, who is also Kota Sentosa assemblyman, said he had a letter dated Dec 16, 2016 which was issued to the director of the company by the Land and Survey Department, approving the proposal to develop the land.
He claimed the approval was another example of BN’s victory of bringing benefits to their cronies at the expense of the people.
Chong said there were conditions attached, but what was most disgusting was that despite the huge profits expected to be made by the crony company, there was not even a provision to build a school in the area by the developer.
“I think this land was initially agreed to be alienated to the same company, but the whole process was frozen after I raised the issue.
“However, the process was continued after SUPP won Batu Kawah seat. Following SUPP’s victory in Batu Kawah and BN’s bigger victory in the 2016 election, the people of Sarawak have lost RM400 million when the current market price of this land is around RM500 million,” he said.
Chong claimed he had given the offer, challenging the previous chief minister, that they wanted to take up the land and pay the government RM500 million.
But the government, he alleged, rejected the offer and yet was only selling it for RM130 million at premium.
He said this premium however would not be paid in cash but to be paid by way of the company building Bangunan Laila Taib in Bako and an orphanage each in Mukah and Lawas.
“When is the completion of these buildings, it is not stated here. Which means it doesn’t matter if the company takes years to complete them but yet the Land and Survey Department has issued titles to them when we have so many NCR land owners waiting for titles to be issued for years and so many house purchasers or developers waiting for their strata titles to be issued for years.
“But when it comes to this crony company, the government is taking an active role in processing the land titles even without them having to pay the premium,” he said.
Chong added that the new approval was a direct result of SUPP’s victory in Batu Kawah and BN’s bigger victory in the last state election.
He said he would continue to pursue this issue and wanted the chief minister to prove himself that he is different from the old administration.
“We want a cleaner government and I’m asking him to cancel this new approval,” he said.