DAP-led Penang govt had ‘jumbo land sale’, says Teng

GEORGE TOWN: The state government had been holding a “Jumbo Land Sale” since it came into power nine years ago, said Penang Barisan Nasional chairman Teng Chang Yeow.

“The state had sold off 2,178.72ha of state land since 2008, compared to only 1,074ha while the state was under Barisan rule for 40 years. These figures were obtained from reports in the press and official records of the state government,” he told a press conference yesterday.

In a Facebook posting last Friday, Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng had compared the land sale by the Barisan-led state government, from the 1990s to 2008, against the land sale by the DAP-led state government after 2008.

He claimed that the previous state government sold 1,481.6ha of land for RM1.0586bil while the present state government sold 43ha for RM1.1102bil.

In response, Teng yesterday stressed that Barisan only sold 382ha of land in Bayan Lepas to Penang Development Corporation; 96ha of land in Tanjung Tokong to E&O; 296ha of land in Tanjung Tokong to E&O; and 300ha of land in Batu Kawan to Abad Naluri in its 40-year rule of Penang.

As for the DAP-led state government, Teng said it sold 0.44ha in Taman Manggis to KLIDC; 40.8ha in Bayan Mutiara to Ivory; 16ha in Batu Kawan to PE Land; 44ha in Gurney Drive to Zenith; 98ha in Batu Kawan to Aspen; 12ha in Batu Kawan to Paramount; and 28ha in Batu Kawan to PKT.

“They also sold 80ha in Batu Kawan to Temasek; 2.64ha in Bayan Lepas to Temasek; 8ha in Batu Kawan to Jabil; 1,800ha in Permatang Damar Laut to SRS; 9.88ha in Bayan Bay to Ideal; 2.64ha in Juru to Westlite; 1.76ha in Bukit Minyak to Westlite; 32ha in Pulau jerejak to Ideal and 2.56ha in Peel Avenue to Island Hospital,” he added.

Asked if Barisan would resort to legal action to stop the sale of state land, Teng said it is ultimately up to the people of Penang to decide whether they want their land and the land of their future generation to continue to be sold by the state government.