Kampung Buah Pala residents are prepared to buy the 2.5-hectare site of their settlement, provided the land is priced at a ‘reasonable’ RM15-20 per square foot.

kampung buah pala 110609 Based on their proposal, they would have pay RM4.19 million to RM5.5 million to buy the land from the Koperasi Pegawai-Pegawai Kanan Kerajaan Pulau Pinang.

Village residents’ association secretary Steven J Draviam said a nationwide campaign would be started soon to raise funds.

“Besides using our own money, we will appeal to all Malaysians to help us acquire the land because we are not rich. I am sure many kind-hearted Malaysians will help us,” he told Malaysiakini today.

He said the Pakatan Rakyat state government should help out by facilitating talks between the villagers and landowner over the proposed purchase.

Referring to the state government’s valuation of some RM150 million to acquire the land, resident I Muniandy, 73, said he does not believe the land costs that much.

“I think the state government deliberately hiked up the price to avoid buying the land (for us),” he said.

kampung buah pala villagers buy land compensation letter 060709 veeramah Another resident, S Veeramah, 75, urged the Penang government to show compassion in resolving the crisis and to save the village, popularly known as the ‘Tamil High Chaparral’.

“I was born here. I want to die here,” she said.

In an immediate response, London-based Hindraf leader P Waythamoorthy said the movement would fully back the villagers in raising funds.

“It’s Hindraf’s duty to preserve the Indian heritage,” he said when contacted.

Company dormant?

Association treasurer C Tharmaraj accused Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng of being overzealous, in going strictly by the book in his actions and by “over-protecting the interests of a dormant company”.

He said a check on the status of the developer - Nusmetro Venture (P) Sdn Bhd - with the Companies Commission of Malaysia has revealed that the company had declared a loss of RM1.7 million last year.

He also claimed that the company has no proven track-record in constructing large-scale housing projects and that it is a “virtually redundant corporate body”.

“However, our chief minister is keen to protect it and give away our land to revive the company,” said Tharmaraj.

He also accused Lim of lying about the compensation offered by the developer. Lim has maintained that the villagers were offered more than RM200,000 in compensation.

kampung buah pala villagers buy land compensation letter 060709 02 Tharmaraj showed documents stating that the only offer was of RM90,000 in cash or one low-medium cost house worth RM75,000 at market price.

He said seven families had left the village after accepting the offer, but that 24 others have stayed put to preserve their settlement, which they claimed to have heritage and historic value.

Tharmaraj reminded Lim that the Pakatan coalition is at risk of losing the support of Indian Malaysians in Penang because of the issue.

“The crisis was triggered by the usurpation of our legitimate rights to our land. Lim has to find an amicable political solution, not hide behind the Federal Court ruling. Political solutions cannot be constituted by strict compliance to the letter of the law,” he said.

The villagers face eviction after Aug 2. Nusmetro has obtained a writ of possession from the courts to take over the land and clear it for a condominium project called the Oasis .

The Penang government has accused the previous Gerakan-led administration of having caused the mess, in explaining why it is unable to intervene in the matter.