KUALA BESUT The village where the BN-led Terengganu government recently announced a low-cost housing scheme was also the site of a government land grab, claims PAS.

NONE Besut PAS division chief Wan Azhar Wan Ahmad ( left ) said when PAS was running the Terengganu government between 1999 to 2004, it had given residential and agricultural plots of land in Kampung Lay Out, Tok Saboh under the Tok Saboh Land Cluster Plan (RTB).

“Unfortunately when the BN government returned to power, it had cancelled the scheme and retook the land from the people...

“Houses built by the people were also demolished without compensation,” he told a press conference today.

Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin was in the village on Saturday for the ground-breaking ceremony of a 72-unit low-cost apartment block that costs RM10.35 million, which Terengganu Menteri Besar Ahmad Said hints may be given away for free.

Evictions

Wan Azhar says the project site sits on one of the land that was given out under the PAS government, but its residents have since been evicted.

affordable housing kuala besut 3 “For example, one family came back from work and saw that their home was demolished. Destroyed. They have children, a wife, and their income is just too low,” he said, while holding up a purported photograph of the family standing in front of a large pile of rubble.

He said the families there were initially given a three-year temporary occupancy licence (TOL) for the land, but was later forced out on pretext of making way for development and the TOL is not extended.

"In Terengganu, once a TOL is given, there is three years time frame for them to build their houses, and only then the Form 5A would be issued," said PAS central committee member Dzulkefly Ahmad, who was also at the press conference.

When asked whether he meant that the residents were ousted before a land title could be issued, Dzulkefly replied in the affirmative.

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