40 plots of land allocated to the poor were given to to Umno members and village heads by Perak illegal state governmment

PKR rep wants land released to the poor

IPOH, Dec 30 – A Perak PKR assemblyman has issued a warning to the Kampar land committee to release the 40 plots of land allocated to Umno members and village heads under the Sungai Itek planned village programme or get hauled up to the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC).

Teja assemblyman Chang Lih Kang, who has already lodged a report to MACC on the alleged land scam in Gopeng, told a press conference today that the 40 plots of land should be released immediately and given out to the poor instead.

“If the land committee fails to do this, I will refer all those who sit on the committee to the MACC as soon as possible,” he warned, adding that the committee should sit soon to decide on the final list of candidates to receive plots under the programme.

He said that among those who sit on the committee are Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Dr Zambry Abd Kadir or his representative, the Land and Mines Department director or his representative, Tualang Sekah assemblyman Nolee Ashilin Mohammed Radzi and Kampar MP Datuk Lee Chee Leong.

Chang had exposed the supposed land scam earlier this month when he revealed that 40 out of the 127 plots under the Sungai Itek planned village programme which were meant for the poor and the landless had been allocated to Umno politicians, including Gopeng Umno division chief Datuk Hamzah Kassim, and Barisan Nasional-appointed village heads.

He has since lodged a report with the MACC.

Chang also scoffed at state executive councillor Datuk Hamidah Osman for claiming last week that the state government was not aware of the land quota for Umno cronies and that the blame lay in the hands of the Kampar district officer Ahmad Kamarulzaman Hamzah.

“Putting the blame on a civil servant when such mismanagement is revealed is clearly the practice of politics of cowardice.

“The district officer stands to gain nothing from preparing such a quota for Umno politicians so why would he do so unless he was under certain political pressure?” said Chang.

He said that Ahmad Kamarulzaman was being used as the scapegoat to wipe away all blame from Hamzah and his crew.

“Furthermore, Hamidah is not fit to pass comment on this issue because for one thing, the land portfolio does not come under her jurisdiction.

“Also, her sincerity is questionable as she is the Gopeng Wanita Umno chief while Hamzah is the Gopeng division chief. The two of them also used to be business partners in a company called Projek Bitara Sdn Bhd,” claimed Chang.

When contacted, Perak MACC deputy director Norasmi Shari told The Malaysian Insider that the commission had yet to decide whether to proceed with investigations into Chang's earlier report.

He confirmed that the case had been filed with the MACC and that Chang's statement had since been recorded.

“We have not decided on whether to proceed yet with the case. However, we will do what is necessary,” he said.

Ahmad Kamarulzaman could not be reached for comment.

MI
30/12/09

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