KUALA LUMPUR: Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng continued his offensive over the Kampung Buah Pala controversy today by pointing out that only the federal government had the power to declare the village a heritage site.
In a statement today. He said that the federal government had the sole right under the National Heritage Act 2005 to designate any site a heritage.
“The State Legal Advisor Datuk Faiza binti Zulkifli and the Penang Town and Country Planning Department have stressed that the Penang state government has no powers to accord any site such status.
“Unlike other states such as Malacca, Penang has no heritage laws. Accordingly, to declare any site a heritage site, the National Heritage Act holds sway.”
He said that only the Heritage Commissioner under the Minister of Information, Communications, and Culture Minister Datuk Seri Rais Yatim, could designate any site to be a heritage site under Section 24.
Section 30 requires the consent from the relevant state government before any designation can be made.
“Clearly BN or Gerakan and its allies were barking up the wrong tree when they tried to blame the state government for refusing to designate certain sites such as Kampung Buah Pala as a heritage area,” said Lim.
Yesterday, Lim challenged former Barisan Nasional (BN) state executive councillor Datuk Dr Teng Hock Nan to show proof of his claim that the Pakatan Rakyat state administration had finalised the deal to acquire Kampung Buah Pala.
He also accused the previous BN state government of selling the Kampung Buah Pala land cheaply and without consulting the residents.
Lim and Teng have been trading barbs over which party is responsible for the land transaction which resulted in a standoff between residents and the state over the issue of compensation.
In his statement today, Lim said “there was nothing for me to sign as the previous BN administration led by Tan Sri Dr Koh Tsu Koon had signed away all the rights of the Kampung Buah Pala residents.”
“BN, Gerakan and its allies have spread lies claiming that I have signed documents, finalised the deal and transferred the land to the cooperative. Until today I have not signed a single document in favour of the developer or the cooperative. The deal was finalised by the previous BN administration.”
He added that his government was powerless to legally stop the transfer of the land as this was a consequential administrative action following the approvals given by the previous BN administration.
The only recourse left was to improve on the offer of a RM75,000 flat unit offered to the residents by BN on the basis that they were illegal squatters, he said.
Lim said the PR government had succeeded in compelling the developer to offer a double-storey house worth RM600,000 on the basis that they had a right to a 99-year legally-binding lease to own land in Kampung Buah Pala.
MI
25/09/09
In a statement today. He said that the federal government had the sole right under the National Heritage Act 2005 to designate any site a heritage.
“The State Legal Advisor Datuk Faiza binti Zulkifli and the Penang Town and Country Planning Department have stressed that the Penang state government has no powers to accord any site such status.
“Unlike other states such as Malacca, Penang has no heritage laws. Accordingly, to declare any site a heritage site, the National Heritage Act holds sway.”
He said that only the Heritage Commissioner under the Minister of Information, Communications, and Culture Minister Datuk Seri Rais Yatim, could designate any site to be a heritage site under Section 24.
Section 30 requires the consent from the relevant state government before any designation can be made.
“Clearly BN or Gerakan and its allies were barking up the wrong tree when they tried to blame the state government for refusing to designate certain sites such as Kampung Buah Pala as a heritage area,” said Lim.
Yesterday, Lim challenged former Barisan Nasional (BN) state executive councillor Datuk Dr Teng Hock Nan to show proof of his claim that the Pakatan Rakyat state administration had finalised the deal to acquire Kampung Buah Pala.
He also accused the previous BN state government of selling the Kampung Buah Pala land cheaply and without consulting the residents.
Lim and Teng have been trading barbs over which party is responsible for the land transaction which resulted in a standoff between residents and the state over the issue of compensation.
In his statement today, Lim said “there was nothing for me to sign as the previous BN administration led by Tan Sri Dr Koh Tsu Koon had signed away all the rights of the Kampung Buah Pala residents.”
“BN, Gerakan and its allies have spread lies claiming that I have signed documents, finalised the deal and transferred the land to the cooperative. Until today I have not signed a single document in favour of the developer or the cooperative. The deal was finalised by the previous BN administration.”
He added that his government was powerless to legally stop the transfer of the land as this was a consequential administrative action following the approvals given by the previous BN administration.
The only recourse left was to improve on the offer of a RM75,000 flat unit offered to the residents by BN on the basis that they were illegal squatters, he said.
Lim said the PR government had succeeded in compelling the developer to offer a double-storey house worth RM600,000 on the basis that they had a right to a 99-year legally-binding lease to own land in Kampung Buah Pala.
MI
25/09/09
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