By : ATHI SHANKAR
GEORGE TOWN: The tragic
episode of Kampung Buah Pala was a lesson for all that they should never trust
promises made by Pakatan Rakyat leaders, said former PKR state leader Zahrain
Mohd Hashim here last night.
He claimed that the
village’s eventual demolition exposed Pakatan leaders’ capability of twisting,
turning and twirling tales to hoodwink the people.
Zahrain said Chief Minister
Lim Guan Eng and his deputy P Ramasamy, and Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim had
all pledged to save the village.
“But did they keep their promise?
No! They all lied,” he told some 500 people who attended a Kampung Buah Pala
dinner.
The dinner was organised by
the village residents association and Penang Indian Development Organisation
(PIDO) to celebrate Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak’s “house gift” to nine TOL
holders and their immediate extended families of the now flattened Kampung Buah
Pala.
The village residents
association chairman M Sugumaran and PIDO president M Nganasegaran were also
present.
The nine residents were left
in a lurch after their houses were demolished in September 2009. They received
their new house keys from Najib on April 22.
In what was seen as a
“sharp-witted one-upmanship political game”, the Putrajaya administration gave
out 18 double-storey houses in Taman Sejahtera Indah, Teluk Air Tawar on Penang
mainland.
The houses were given on
humanitarian grounds, not as compensation.
Kampung Buah Pala, which was
known commonly as Tamil High Chaparral due to the population of ethnic Indians,
cattle and other livestock, was demolished in 2009 to pave way for a posh
condominium project, the Oasis, by Nusmetro Venture (Pg) Sdn Bhd.
New
evidence
Earlier, a short documentary
video was screened to refresh memories on the last days of the village.
In his speech, Sugumaran said
the residents association had obtained an important document to prove that the
land belonged to the villagers.
He would submit the evidence
obtained from the national archives in the pending court case to determine the
real land ownership.
The nine were also seeking
their rightful compensation from the Pakatan government.
Nganasegaran said the
current state government had no policy to safeguard the interests of residents
affected by development projects.
The previous Barisan
Nasional government’s policy was to compensate each affected household with
housing or cash.
However, he said Chief
Minister Lim just left the nine families in a lurch merely because he wanted to
exact revenge on them for fighting to save their land.
“By right, it was the state’s
government responsibility to compensate,” insisted Nganasegaran.
Compensation
package for 24 families
Last October, 24 families
who agreed to a deal brokered by the Pakatan state government with the
developer, were handed over keys to new double-storey houses as part of their
compensation.
The deal however excluded
the nine families who had not accepted the offer.
Under the compensation
package for the 24 families, the developer had agreed to the state’s request to
share a portion of the land with the residents by offering the houses, each
with a built-up area of 1,400sq ft and a 99-year lease.
A community hall and a
temple are also being built there for the residents.
pakatan hnya tau berjanji mcm2. tapi tidak ditunaikan, jgnlah kita mudah percaya dgn janji2 pembangkang.
ReplyDeleteJangan percaya sangat dengan Pakatan.
ReplyDeleteya..
Deletejgn mudah terpedaya dgn kata2 pembangkang.
Janji PR adalah janji PRU semata-mata selepas itu janji itu hanya tinggal kenangan saja.
ReplyDeleteada banyak janji2 Pakatan di negeri2 yang mereka tadbir belum ditunaikan sehingga hari ini.. bila ditanya kenapa, macam2 alasan dikeluarkan..
ReplyDeleteBarisan Nasional’s (BN) publicity & information bureau must be prepared to counter the opposition’s lies and allegations so that the people will not be cheated by those who are desperate to topple the government.
ReplyDeleteChief Minister Datuk Seri Musa Haji Aman, who is also Sabah BN and Umno chief, said the bureau should always equipped itself with knowledge and ability to explain to the people about the government’s policies and promises fulfilled by the party.
ReplyDeleteAll the allegations or issues raised by the opposition, who will constantly try to confuse the people must be countered with the correct information.
ReplyDeleteMusa said clear and accurate information given to the people, especially in Sabah, would ensure continuous support for all the efforts taken by the BN-led government.
ReplyDeleteAnd, he also said the people of Sabah knew how to show their gratitude to the government, especially when their needs and wellbeing were being taken care of.
ReplyDeleteIt is warranted that gratitude are to be expressed to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak for his continuous ideas to ease the people’s burden.
ReplyDeleteMeanwhile, Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Ahmad Maslan, who is also Umno Information chief, hoped that all publicity and information chiefs at the divisional levels, would make optimum use of the face-to-face, print, digital and electronic media in disseminating information to the people.
ReplyDelete“This can be done now. We don’t have to wait for general election because we have enough evidence on the success stories created by the BN government.
ReplyDelete“We just need to remind the people again and again so that they will not fall victim to empty promises given by the opposition,” he explained.
ReplyDeleteAlso present at the briefing session were Sabah Umno secretary Datuk Yahya Hussin, information chief Datuk Sapawi Ahmad, Sabah Umno Wanita chief Datuk Armani Mahiruddin and other State BN leaders.
ReplyDelete