Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak has put the blame for the BN's unfulfilled promises made during the Hulu Selangor by-election, squarely on the state government for its lack of cooperation.

He told the settlers of Felda Gedangsa in Kuala Kubu Baru that the Pakatan Rakyat-led Selangor government has refused to approve housing projects planned by the federal government.

"We wanted to build houses for second generation Felda settlers but they were rejected by the state government... solely for political reasons

"I'm helpless because land development is under the state government's authority," said Najib.

NONE Najib visited Hulu Selangor today to check on the progress of the projects approved in the constituency after BN's P Kamalanathan defeated PKR candidate Zaid Ibrahim by a majority of 1,725 votes in the April 2010 polls.

He added that he is "upset" that the promised projects could not be carried out and owes the people an explanation for the whole issue.

"If you want change to happen, then do it when the time comes," he said, hinting at the constituents to vote wisely in the coming election.

Najib also awarded RM200,000 for construction of playgrounds in four Felda settlements - Gedangsa, Sungai Tengi, Soeharto and Sungai Tengi Selatan.

He also dished out RM300,000 for upgrading business premises in Gedangsa and Soeharto.

No idea about housing project proposal

In an immediate reaction, Selangor Menteri Besar Khalid Ibrahim refuted Najib’s claim, saying that no application were made to the state for a housing project at Felda Gedangsa.

Khalid said that the state has no knowledge of any proposal to build houses for second generation Felda settlers in that area.

He noted that there was an application to develop 14.65ha of land in Felda Soeharto by the land authority.

“But the state government cannot make a decision as this piece of land is gazetted under Group Settlement Act 1960.

“This means that the power over the land rests with the federal government. For the prime minister to say that he is helpless is wrong,” said Khalid.

According to him, checks with the state’s Land and Mineral Resources Department also revealed that the only proposals to develop housing projects in the area were in the 1990s.

“However, the Barisan Nasional state government themselves shot down the idea following the failure of Felda Sungai Buaya re-development plans,” he said.

Khalid added that the state government has no reason to discriminate against the settlers as it has always been “committed to cooperating with the federal government for the benefit of the rakyat”.

“In fact, more than 2,000 acres of state land were developed by Felda in Hulu Bernam area. This was done without the state government’s consent. The state did not receive a single sen as damages for the usage of land.”

He reminded Najib “to be mindful of the facts before making baseless allegations against the state” stressing that it has consistently promoted home ownership for the people of Selangor.