MB wants MACC to probe land graft scandal
JOHOR BARU: Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin says the state government wants the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) to carry out its investigations on the land corruption scandal.
“The MACC must have had some basis to detain the six, so we will wait for its investigations to conclude,” he told reporters after attending a school bus subsidy programme here yesterday.
Asked if the state government would hold an internal inquiry, the MB declined to comment.
Johor Real Estate and Housing Developers’ Association Malaysia (Rehda) called on the state government to ensure policies relating to development were more transparent in order to eliminate loopholes for corruption.
Its chairman Datuk Steve Chong Yoon On said minimising “grey areas” would help counter corruption in the industry.
“Policies have to be more transparent. They should minimise personal interpretation of rules and regulations.
“It should be made very clear if a submission is approved or not,” he said yesterday.
Chong added that corruption could greatly affect development costs, which would then cause the prices of properties to spiral.
“The hidden costs, due to graft, will eventually be transferred to buyers,” he said.
The controversy was also hotly discussed in the social media.
On Facebook, a user urged the authorities to wipe clean corruption among state civil service departments, recalling her personal experience with the issue when she was working with a well-known developer.
“If we were to report on such corruption, the entire state government’s machinery would go against your company,” she wrote.
During a visit to the state executive councillor Datuk Abdul Latif Bandi’s office in Kota Iskandar yesterday, reporters were told that he was busy.
A check on his home showed that nobody was in, with only a Proton Iswara Aeroback parked in the front porch.
An aide, who declined to be named, said they supported the statement by Khaled allowing the MACC to investigate the matter.