Kg Buah Pala: Make offer to right party, MIC told

Penang DAP socialist youth secretary Ng Wei Aik ( below ) said that the MIC is making an offer to the wrong party to buy back the Kampung Buah Pala land.

He suggested the MIC make the offer to the current land owner Koperasi Pegawai Pegawai Kanan Kerajaan Pulau Pinang, and not the state government.

The MIC stepped into the Kampung Buah Pala controversy on Wednesday when it attempted to submit a memorandum to Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng.

MIC Youth wing national coordinator T Mohan was about to lead a 100-metre procession to the chief minister's office when he and 12 others were arrested.

After their released later that day, Mohan and his group handed over the memorandum, offering RM3.21 million to buy Kampung Buah Pala from the state government.

Ng revealed at a press conference today, that no Kampung Buah Pala resident was arrested by the police during the attempt to march to the chief minister's office in Komtar.

"This proves that the MIC procession was not supported by the villagers or other Penangites. MIC is on its own," he said.

'Back the villagers claim'

He hoped Mohan and MIC members would back the villagers legitimate claim over their land until the end.

Meanwhile, Satees Muniandy an aide to Deputy Chief Minister 2 P Ramasamy, who was assaulted by MIC members on Wednesday, claimed the attack was unprovoked.

Satees ( left ) said he was merely asking Maika Holdings chief executive officer S Vell Paari about the company's financial troubles when he was assaulted on the second floor of Komtar.

Satees alleged that he was assaulted by MIC member G Kumar Aaman, a Pahang youth leader.

"I was asking Vell Paari, who was on the ground floor, about the financial irregularities in Maika Holdings when the unprovoked attack happened," he told a press conference in George Town today.

Satees, the political affairs officer for Ramasamy and a Penang DAP socialist youth (Dapsy) committee member, said he plans to lodge a report at the city police headquarters later in the afternoon.

Rousing welcome

The incident allegedly took place before hundreds of eye witnesses including policemen, civil servants, Mohan and his supporters and newsmen.

Meanwhile, Vell Paari and Mohan ( right ) visited the villagers last night and assured them that MIC would not let up on its efforts to buy the land for the villagers.

The village residents' association secretary J Stephen Draviam said the villagers gave the MIC entourage a rousing welcome to the village.

"We are happy that MIC leaders have come forward to support our cause and buy the land for us. We will work with anyone who wants to help us.

"The state government should give the proposition serious consideration if it sincere in wanting to help us," said Stephen.

Vell Paari challenges Satees

In another development, Vell Paari today told Malaysiakini that Satees was not telling the whole truth about the incident which happened yesterday.

"I am sure that he is well aware of the verbal abuses that he threw at us. He was very provocative in nature and were hurling abusive words at us," he said.

Vell Paari added that Satees had a couple of opportunities to come and ask him any questions "but he decided to stay away from us and then started to goad us from afar".

"There are many witnesses to what happened at Komtar yesterday, including many journalists. He simply cannot now accuse any of us of assaulting him," he said.

Vell Paari ( photo:left ) also said that he was ready to answer any questions posed by Satees, as long as they were done in a civil manner.

"If he wants to know about Maika Holdings, fine, I can meet him and explain to him all about Maika," said Vell Paari.

"However at the same time, is he ready to tell me what he has done to save Kampung Buah Pala?" he asked.

"He is in denial and he should not just blame us when he knows that the fault lies with him," he added.

On the party's offer to buy the village, Vell Paari said the party was genuinely interested in doing the deal for the sake of the villagers.

He said party president S Samy Vellu had consented to the plan mooted by the youth wing.

"We are ready. The state government can be the middle person to get this deal done," he said.