About 50 residents of Kampung KTM Railway Line
issue an ultimatum after their request to meet Khalid Ibrahim to resolve
their woes is turned down.
SHAH
ALAM: Give us the land promised two decades ago or do not expect us to
vote for you in the next general election, Selangor Menteri Besar Khalid
Ibrahim was told today.
Kampung KTM railway line residents action committee chairman S
Muniandy said this outside the Selangor state secretariat today after a
request to meet Khalid was rejected.
About 50 residents of the former squatter settlement arrived at the
secretariat gates at about 11am, demanding a meeting with Khalid.
However, security guards prevented them from entering the premises by closing the gates.
Also present in support of the residents were Federal Territories and
Selangor Community Association president Tan Jo Hann and coordinator
Lena Henry.
In 1992, the 229 former residents of the squatter settlement were moved out from their homes for a development project.
They were initially promised plots of land to resettle but the then
state government reneged on its promise when the land designated for
them were sold off to third parties.
The residents subsequently took their case to the court but lost on a technicality.
Muniandy said that the residents had sent countless memorandums and
letters to four menteris besar but received no favourable response from
them.
“In April 2008, we met Khalid and he promised to resolve our woes but
nothing has been done thus far. We met him again earlier this year and
he bluntly told us that he cannot offer land to us because we had lost
the court case,” said Muniandy.
Tan said: “Khalid should be more humane and just. He should not talk and behave like a businessman.”
After about an hour of waiting outside the gates of the state
secretariat building, an aide to Selangor exco Dr Xavier Jeyakumar, met
the residents and told them the state government is taking steps to
solve their problems.
“We’ve been in power for four years. Rome was not built in a day,” said Abdul Razak, the aide.
Muniandy reminded Razak of Khalid’s promise to the residents in January and demanded the menteri besar come down and meet them.
Razak agreed to allow five representatives to meet exco for housing
Iskandar Abdul Samad but he rejected a request by Muniandy for the rest
of them to wait at the lobby.
“We have senior citizens here. You expect them to wait under the hot
sun while we are having a meeting? It was never a problem before. Why is
it an issue now?” Tan interjected.
Despite several appeals and promises from the crowd that they would
behave, Razak stood by his decision and the crowd dispersed from the
area.
“Pakatan leaders only want our votes but refuse to trust us,” said a frustrated Muniandy.
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